2024 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Wood Dragon
Last checked · calculated, then checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables
Animal
Dragon 龙
Element
Yang Wood
Stem-branch
甲辰 Jia-Chen
Zodiac year
Feb 10, 2024 to Jan 28, 2025
The 2024 Year of the Yang Wood Dragon (甲辰) began on Saturday, February 10, 2024, and lasted until January 28, 2025. Births from January 1 to February 9, 2024, the first 40 days of 2024, belonged to the Water Rabbit year. It has 12 lunar months and 354 days, with no leap month. It contains no Start of Spring term at all, which folk custom calls a "blind year".
Which animal for a 2024 birthday?
Popular rule: Chinese New Year. Four Pillars rule: Lichun, at 16:27 China Standard Time. How to check a January or February birthday.
| Born | New Year rule | Lichun rule |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Feb 4, 2024, before 16:27 | Water Rabbit | Water Rabbit |
| Feb 4, 2024, from 16:27, to Feb 9 | Water Rabbit | Wood Dragon |
| Feb 10 to Dec 31, 2024 | Wood Dragon | Wood Dragon |
Know the exact date and want the lunar date too? Use the lunar date converter.
Check a birth around Lichun 2024 by time and place
Chinese New Year rule (popular)
Water Rabbit (2023)
Lichun rule (Four Pillars)
Water Rabbit (2023)
Chinese New Year 2024: 2024-02-10. Lichun 2024: 2024-02-04 16:27 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 2024 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 2024 was 16:27 Beijing time on February 4, 2024. In New York that was 03:27 on the same date.
| Place | Local date | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Feb 4, 2024 | 16:27 |
| Hong Kong | Feb 4, 2024 | 16:27 |
| Taipei | Feb 4, 2024 | 16:27 |
| Singapore | Feb 4, 2024 | 16:27 |
| Seoul | Feb 4, 2024 | 17:27 |
| Tokyo | Feb 4, 2024 | 17:27 |
| London | Feb 4, 2024 | 08:27 |
| New York | Feb 4, 2024 | 03:27 |
| Los Angeles | Feb 4, 2024 | 00:27 |
| Sydney | Feb 4, 2024 | 19:27 |
Local times use each place's official clock time in 2024, including daylight saving time where it applied. Born outside China.
Festivals in the 2024 lunar year
| Festival | Date |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) | Feb 10, 2024 |
| Lantern Festival | Feb 24, 2024 |
| Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) | Apr 4, 2024 |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Jun 10, 2024 |
| Qixi Festival | Aug 10, 2024 |
| Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan) | Aug 18, 2024 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Sep 17, 2024 |
| Double Ninth Festival | Oct 11, 2024 |
| Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi) | Dec 21, 2024 |
| Laba Festival | Jan 7, 2025 |
The Dragon and 甲辰 in the calendar
The Dragon is the Earthly Branch 辰 (Chen); it also marks the double hour from 7 am to 9 am, the direction East-southeast and the fixed element Earth. 2024's own element, Wood, comes from the Heavenly Stem 甲. All Years of the Dragon.
甲辰 is the 41st year of the 60-year cycle; the same stem-branch also falls in 1904 (see the Year of the Dragon table), 1964 and 2084 (see the Year of the Dragon table).
Lunar months of the 2024 lunar year
12 months, no leap month. How leap months work.
| Lunar month | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|
| 1st month | Feb 10, 2024 | 29 |
| 2nd month | Mar 10, 2024 | 30 |
| 3rd month | Apr 9, 2024 | 29 |
| 4th month | May 8, 2024 | 29 |
| 5th month | Jun 6, 2024 | 30 |
| 6th month | Jul 6, 2024 | 29 |
| 7th month | Aug 4, 2024 | 30 |
| 8th month | Sep 3, 2024 | 30 |
| 9th month | Oct 3, 2024 | 29 |
| 10th month | Nov 1, 2024 | 30 |
| 11th month | Dec 1, 2024 | 30 |
| 12th month | Dec 31, 2024 | 29 |
The 24 solar terms in 2024
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 | 04:49 | 丑 Ox month begins |
| Major Cold 大寒 Dahan | Jan 20 | 22:07 | |
| Start of Spring 立春 Lichun | Feb 4 | 16:27 | 寅 Tiger month begins |
| Rain Water 雨水 Yushui | Feb 19 | 12:13 | |
| Awakening of Insects 惊蛰 Jingzhe | Mar 5 | 10:22 | 卯 Rabbit month begins |
| Spring Equinox 春分 Chunfen | Mar 20 | 11:06 | |
| Pure Brightness 清明 Qingming | Apr 4 | 15:02 | 辰 Dragon month begins |
| Grain Rain 谷雨 Guyu | Apr 19 | 21:59 | |
| Start of Summer 立夏 Lixia | May 5 | 08:10 | 巳 Snake month begins |
| Grain Buds 小满 Xiaoman | May 20 | 20:59 | |
| Grain in Ear 芒种 Mangzhong | Jun 5 | 12:09 | 午 Horse month begins |
| Summer Solstice 夏至 Xiazhi | Jun 21 | 04:51 | |
| Minor Heat 小暑 Xiaoshu | Jul 6 | 22:20 | 未 Goat month begins |
| Major Heat 大暑 Dashu | Jul 22 | 15:44 | |
| Start of Autumn 立秋 Liqiu | Aug 7 | 08:09 | 申 Monkey month begins |
| End of Heat 处暑 Chushu | Aug 22 | 22:55 | |
| White Dew 白露 Bailu | Sep 7 | 11:11 | 酉 Rooster month begins |
| Autumn Equinox 秋分 Qiufen | Sep 22 | 20:43 | |
| Cold Dew 寒露 Hanlu | Oct 8 | 02:59 | 戌 Dog month begins |
| Frost's Descent 霜降 Shuangjiang | Oct 23 | 06:14 | |
| Start of Winter 立冬 Lidong | Nov 7 | 06:20 | 亥 Pig month begins |
| Minor Snow 小雪 Xiaoxue | Nov 22 | 03:56 | |
| Major Snow 大雪 Daxue | Dec 6 | 23:17 | 子 Rat month begins |
| Winter Solstice 冬至 Dongzhi | Dec 21 | 17:20 |
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 2024?
The Year of the Dragon began on February 10, 2024. Anyone born from January 1 to February 9, 2024 belongs to the previous year, the Water Rabbit (癸卯); anyone born on or after February 10, 2024 is a Wood Dragon. That is the popular Chinese New Year rule; under the Four Pillars (Lichun) rule the Dragon year began at 16:27 China Standard Time on February 4, 2024 instead.
When was the Mid-Autumn Festival in the 2024 lunar year?
The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, fell on Tuesday, September 17, 2024. The next one, on October 6, 2025, comes 19 days later in the Gregorian calendar, because a leap month falls between the two.
Did the 2024 lunar year have a leap month?
No. The 2024 lunar year has 12 months and 354 days: 6 long months of 30 days and 6 short months of 29 days.
What element is 2024 in the Chinese zodiac?
2024 is a Yang Wood year: its Heavenly Stem 甲 (Jia) carries Wood, and its Earthly Branch 辰 (Chen) is the Dragon. Together they make 甲辰, the 41st year of the 60-year cycle.
What about birthdays between Lichun and Chinese New Year in 2024?
Lichun came first, on February 4, 2024 at 16:27. Births from then until February 9, 2024 are a Water Rabbit under the popular New Year rule but a Wood Dragon 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.