2022 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Water Tiger
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Tiger 虎
Element
Yang Water
Stem-branch
壬寅 Ren-Yin
Zodiac year
Feb 1, 2022 to Jan 21, 2023
The 2022 Year of the Yang Water Tiger (壬寅) began on Tuesday, February 1, 2022, and lasted until January 21, 2023. Births from January 1 to January 31, 2022, the first 31 days of 2022, belonged to the Metal Ox year. It has 12 lunar months and 355 days, with no leap month. It contains one Start of Spring term (Feb 4, 2022).
Which animal for a 2022 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 04:50 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Jan 31, 2022 | Metal Ox | Metal Ox |
| Feb 1 to Feb 4, 2022, before 04:50 | Water Tiger | Metal Ox |
| Feb 4, 2022, from 04:50, to Dec 31 | Water Tiger | Water Tiger |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 2022 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Water Tiger (2022)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Water Tiger (2022)
Chinese New Year 2022: 2022-02-01. Lichun 2022: 2022-02-04 04:50 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 2022 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 2022 was 04:50 Beijing time on February 4, 2022. In New York that was 15:50 on February 3, 2022, the day before, so a baby born in New York on Feb 3 at or after 15:50 is a Water Tiger under the Lichun rule.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 2022 | 04:50 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 2022 | 04:50 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 2022 | 04:50 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 2022 | 04:50 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 2022 | 05:50 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 2022 | 05:50 |
| London | Feb 3, 2022(day before) | 20:50 |
| New York | Feb 3, 2022(day before) | 15:50 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 3, 2022(day before) | 12:50 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 2022 | 07:50 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 2022, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 2022 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 1, 2022 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 15, 2022 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 5, 2022 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 3, 2022 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 4, 2022 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 12, 2022 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 10, 2022 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 4, 2022 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 22, 2022 |
| Laba Festival | Dec 30, 2022 |
The Tiger and 壬寅 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. 2022's own element, Water, comes from the Heavenly Stem 壬. All Years of the Tiger.
壬寅 is the 39th year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1902 (see the Year of the Tiger table), 1962 and 2082 (see the Year of the Tiger table).
Lunar months of the 2022 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 1, 2022 | 30 |
| 2nd month | Mar 3, 2022 | 29 |
| 3rd month | Apr 1, 2022 | 30 |
| 4th month | May 1, 2022 | 29 |
| 5th month | May 30, 2022 | 30 |
| 6th month | Jun 29, 2022 | 30 |
| 7th month | Jul 29, 2022 | 29 |
| 8th month | Aug 27, 2022 | 30 |
| 9th month | Sep 26, 2022 | 29 |
| 10th month | Oct 25, 2022 | 30 |
| 11th month | Nov 24, 2022 | 29 |
| 12th month | Dec 23, 2022 | 30 |
The 24 solar terms in 2022
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 | 17:14 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 20 | 10:39 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 04:50 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 00:43 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 22:43 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 20 | 23:33 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 5 | 03:20 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 20 | 10:24 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 20:25 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 21 | 09:22 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 6 | 00:25 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 17:13 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 7 | 10:38 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 23 | 04:07 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 20:29 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 23 | 11:16 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 7 | 23:32 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 23 | 09:03 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 15:22 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 18:35 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 18:45 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 16:20 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 7 | 11:46 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 22 | 05:48 |
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 2022?
The Year of the Tiger began on February 1, 2022. Anyone born from January 1 to January 31, 2022 belongs to the previous year, the Metal Ox (辛丑); anyone born on or after February 1, 2022 is a Water Tiger. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Tiger year began at 04:50 China Standard Time on February 4, 2022 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 2022 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Saturday, September 10, 2022. The next one, on September 29, 2023, comes 19 days later in the Gregorian calendar, because a leap month falls between the two.
Did the 2022 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 2022 lunar year has 12 months and 355 days: 7 long months of 30 days and 5 short months of 29 days.
What element is 2022 in the Chinese zodiac?
2022 is a Yang Water year: its Heavenly Stem 壬 (Ren) carries Water, and its Earthly Branch 寅 (Yin) is the Tiger. Together they make 壬寅, the 39th year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 2022?
Chinese New Year came first. Births from February 1, 2022 until Lichun (February 4, 2022 at 04:50) are a Water Tiger under the popular New Year rule but a Metal 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.