2018 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Earth Dog
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Dog 狗
Element
Yang Earth
Stem-branch
戊戌 Wu-Xu
Zodiac year
Feb 16, 2018 to Feb 4, 2019
The 2018 Year of the Yang Earth Dog (戊戌) began on Friday, February 16, 2018, and lasted until February 4, 2019. Births from January 1 to February 15, 2018, the first 46 days of 2018, belonged to the Fire Rooster year. It has 12 lunar months and 354 days, with no leap month. It contains one Start of Spring term (Feb 4, 2019).
Which animal for a 2018 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 05:28 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 4, 2018, before 05:28 | Fire Rooster | Fire Rooster |
| Feb 4, 2018, from 05:28, to Feb 15 | Fire Rooster | Earth Dog |
| Feb 16 to Dec 31, 2018 | Earth Dog | Earth Dog |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 2018 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Fire Rooster (2017)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Earth Dog (2018)
Chinese New Year 2018: 2018-02-16. Lichun 2018: 2018-02-04 05:28 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 2018 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 2018 was 05:28 Beijing time on February 4, 2018. In New York that was 16:28 on February 3, 2018, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 3 at or after 16:28 is an Earth Dog under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 2018 | 05:28 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 2018 | 05:28 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 2018 | 05:28 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 2018 | 05:28 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 2018 | 06:28 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 2018 | 06:28 |
| London | Feb 3, 2018(day before) | 21:28 |
| New York | Feb 3, 2018(day before) | 16:28 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 3, 2018(day before) | 13:28 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 2018 | 08:28 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 2018, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 2018 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 16, 2018 |
| Lantern Festival | Mar 2, 2018 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 2018 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 18, 2018 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 17, 2018 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 25, 2018 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 24, 2018 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 17, 2018 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 2018 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 13, 2019 |
The Dog and 戊戌 in the calendar
The Dog is the Earthly Branch 戌 (Xu); it also marks the double hour from 7 pm to 9 pm, the direction West-northwest and the fixed element Earth. 2018's own element, Earth, comes from the Heavenly Stem 戊. All Years of the Dog.
戊戌 is the 35th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1958 and 2078 (see the Year of the Dog table).
Lunar months of the 2018 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 16, 2018 | 29 |
| 2nd month | Mar 17, 2018 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Apr 16, 2018 | 29 |
| 4th month | May 15, 2018 | 30 |
| 5th month | Jun 14, 2018 | 29 |
| 6th month | Jul 13, 2018 | 29 |
| 7th month | Aug 11, 2018 | 30 |
| 8th month | Sep 10, 2018 | 29 |
| 9th month | Oct 9, 2018 | 30 |
| 10th month | Nov 8, 2018 | 29 |
| 11th month | Dec 7, 2018 | 30 |
| 12th month | Jan 6, 2019 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 2018
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 5 | 17:48 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 20 | 11:09 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 05:28 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 01:18 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 23:28 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 21 | 00:15 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 04:12 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 11:12 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 21:25 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 10:14 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 01:29 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 18:07 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 11:41 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 05:00 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 21:30 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 12:08 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 8 | 00:29 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 09:54 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 16:14 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 19:22 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 19:31 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 17:01 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 12:25 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 06:22 |
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 or February 2018?
The Year of the Dog began on February 16, 2018. Anyone born from January 1 to February 15, 2018 belongs to the previous year, the Fire Rooster (丁酉); anyone born on or after February 16, 2018 is an Earth Dog. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Dog year began at 05:28 China Standard Time on February 4, 2018 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 2018 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Monday, September 24, 2018. The next one, on September 13, 2019, comes 11 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, because no leap month falls between the two.
Did the 2018 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 2018 lunar year has 12 months and 354 days: 6 long months of 30 days and 6 short months of 29 days.
What element is 2018 in the Chinese zodiac?
2018 is a Yang Earth year: its Heavenly Stem 戊 (Wu) carries Earth, and its Earthly Branch 戌 (Xu) is the Dog. Together they make 戊戌, the 35th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 2018?
Lichun came first, on February 4, 2018 at 05:28. Births from then until February 15, 2018 are a Fire Rooster under the popular New Year rule but an Earth Dog 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.