1938 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Earth Tiger
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Tiger 虎
Element
Yang Earth
Stem-branch
戊寅 Wu-Yin
Zodiac year
Jan 31, 1938 to Feb 18, 1939
The 1938 Year of the Yang Earth Tiger (戊寅) began on Monday, January 31, 1938, and lasted until February 18, 1939. Births from January 1 to January 30, 1938, the first 30 days of 1938, belonged to the Fire Ox year. The lunar year has a leap 7th month, starting Aug 25, 1938, so it runs 384 days. It contains two Start of Spring terms (Feb 4, 1938 and Feb 5, 1939), which folk custom calls a "double spring" year.
Which animal for a 1938 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 19:14 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Jan 30, 1938 | Fire Ox | Fire Ox |
| Jan 31 to Feb 4, 1938, before 19:14 | Earth Tiger | Fire Ox |
| Feb 4, 1938, from 19:14, to Dec 31 | Earth Tiger | Earth Tiger |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 1938 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Earth Tiger (1938)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Fire Ox (1937)
Chinese New Year 1938: 1938-01-31. Lichun 1938: 1938-02-04 19:14 Beijing time. The New Year rule compares your birth date with the New Year date; the Lichun rule compares the exact moment, converted from your local time.
Lichun 1938 in other time zones
The same moment in local time. Under the Lichun rule, a birth at or after this local time takes the new animal.
Lichun 1938 was 19:14 Beijing time on February 4, 1938. In New York that was 06:14 on the same date.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 1938 | 19:14 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 1938 | 19:14 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 1938 | 20:14 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 1938 | 18:34 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 1938 | 20:14 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 1938 | 20:14 |
| London | Feb 4, 1938 | 11:14 |
| New York | Feb 4, 1938 | 06:14 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 1938 | 03:14 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 1938 | 21:14 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 1938, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 1938 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Jan 31, 1938 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 14, 1938 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 1938 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 2, 1938 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 2, 1938 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 10, 1938 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Oct 8, 1938 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 31, 1938 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 1938 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 27, 1939 |
The Tiger and 戊寅 in the calendar
The Tiger is the Earthly Branch 寅 (Yin); it also marks the double hour from 3 am to 5 am, the direction East-northeast and the fixed element Wood. 1938's own element, Earth, comes from the Heavenly Stem 戊. All Years of the Tiger.
戊寅 is the 15th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1998 and 2058 (see the Year of the Tiger table).
Lunar months of the 1938 lunar year
13 months, including a leap 7th month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Jan 31, 1938 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Mar 2, 1938 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Apr 1, 1938 | 29 |
| 4th month | Apr 30, 1938 | 29 |
| 5th month | May 29, 1938 | 30 |
| 6th month | Jun 28, 1938 | 29 |
| 7th month | Jul 27, 1938 | 29 |
| Leap 7th month | Aug 25, 1938 | 30 |
| 8th month | Sep 24, 1938 | 29 |
| 9th month | Oct 23, 1938 | 30 |
| 10th month | Nov 22, 1938 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 22, 1938 | 29 |
| 12th month | Jan 20, 1939 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 1938
Beijing time. The 12 terms marked with a month begin the solar months that the Four Pillars use; Lichun opens the year. What each term means.
| Solar term | Date | Time | Four Pillars month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor Cold 小寒 Xiaohan | Jan 6 | 07:31 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 21 | 00:58 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 19:14 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 15:19 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 6 | 13:33 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 21 | 14:43 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 18:48 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 21 | 02:14 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 6 | 12:35 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 22 | 01:50 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 17:06 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 22 | 10:03 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 8 | 03:31 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 20:57 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 8 | 13:12 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 24 | 03:45 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 15:48 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 24 | 00:59 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 9 | 07:01 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 24 | 09:53 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 8 | 09:48 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 23 | 07:06 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 8 | 02:21 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 20:13 |
Dates are checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables; times are calculated. A dash means the term falls within minutes of midnight, where the calculated time and the Observatory's date disagree; the Observatory's date is shown.
FAQ
What Chinese zodiac sign is someone born in January 1938?
The Year of the Tiger began on January 31, 1938. Anyone born from January 1 to January 30, 1938 belongs to the previous year, the Fire Ox (丁丑); anyone born on or after January 31, 1938 is an Earth Tiger. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Tiger year began at 19:14 China Standard Time on February 4, 1938 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 1938 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Saturday, October 8, 1938. The next one, on September 27, 1939, comes 11 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 1938 lunar year have a leap month?
Yes. A leap 7th month followed the regular 7th month, starting August 25, 1938 and lasting 30 days, so the lunar year has 13 months and 384 days.
What element is 1938 in the Chinese zodiac?
1938 is a Yang Earth year: its Heavenly Stem 戊 (Wu) carries Earth, and its Earthly Branch 寅 (Yin) is the Tiger. Together they make 戊寅, the 15th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 1938?
Chinese New Year came first. Births from January 31, 1938 until Lichun (February 4, 1938 at 19:14) are an Earth Tiger under the popular New Year rule but a Fire Ox under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule.
Nearby years
Dates are calculated with astronomical algorithms in China Standard Time (UTC+8) and checked against the Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar Calendar Conversion Table. Zodiac information describes the traditional calendar and is not a prediction.