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Chinese Zodiac
Year of the Rooster
The sign that noticed, and is going to mention it.
Rooster years
1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029
Chinese years begin at the lunar new year, which falls in late January or February rather than on 1 January. If you were born in the first weeks of one of these years, your animal is the one before — which is the single most common mistake people make reading their own sign. The free reading handles the cutoff for you.
The Rooster temperament
The Rooster is precision and candour. Observant, organised and direct to the point of bluntness, Roosters notice the detail everyone else skated past and feel obliged to say so. There's real pride in the sign — in appearance, in standards, in work done properly — and a genuine work ethic underneath the showiness.
Strengths
Attention to detail
A Rooster catches the error. Consistently, in things nobody asked them to check.
Honesty
Roosters tell you the truth, including when you'd rather they didn't. It's reliable, if uncomfortable.
Diligence
The work gets done, on time, to standard. Roosters do not coast.
The shadow side
The candour tips into criticism, and Roosters often can't tell the difference between being accurate and being kind — or believe that accuracy excuses the rest. The standards get applied to everyone, and the people closest get the most of it. Underneath the confidence there's usually more insecurity than the sign will ever admit.
The five elements
Your animal repeats every twelve years, but the element only repeats every sixty — which is why two people sharing a sign can be so unalike. The element is the half of the reading most Western summaries leave out entirely.
Wood Rooster
The most cooperative Rooster. Still precise, but willing to be one voice among several.
1945, 2005
Fire Rooster
The most theatrical and the most driven. Enormous confidence, and the criticism comes hot.
1957, 2017
Earth Rooster
The most practical and the least showy. All the diligence, far less of the display.
1909, 1969, 2029
Metal Rooster
The most exacting version in the entire cycle. Standards close to unbearable, applied to themselves first.
1921, 1981, 2041
Water Rooster
The most tactful Rooster. Still notices everything, and has finally learned when to leave it unsaid.
1933, 1993
The Rooster across other systems
Under a Life Path 4 this is the most quality-obsessed combination available — superb work, and a person very hard to satisfy. Under a 2 the bluntness meets genuine attunement, and the Rooster learns timing, which is the making of the sign.
See your whole chart, not one twelfth of it
Your Chinese sign is one of five systems. The free preview computes your element and animal from your real birth date — lunar cutoff included — alongside your Western placements, numerology and type, and writes them as one piece.
Get your free readingCommon questions
What is the personality of the Rooster?
The Rooster is precision and candour. Observant, organised and direct to the point of bluntness, Roosters notice the detail everyone else skated past and feel obliged to say so. There's real pride in the sign — in appearance, in standards, in work done properly — and a genuine work ethic underneath the showiness.
Which years are Rooster years?
The most recent are 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029. Chinese years begin at the lunar new year in late January or February, so anyone born in the first weeks of a calendar year belongs to the previous animal.
What is the weakness of the Rooster?
The candour tips into criticism, and Roosters often can't tell the difference between being accurate and being kind — or believe that accuracy excuses the rest. The standards get applied to everyone, and the people closest get the most of it. Underneath the confidence there's usually more insecurity than the sign will ever admit.