Quick Answer: What Is the 2019 Chinese Zodiac Sign?
People born from February 5, 2019 through January 24, 2020 have the Earth Pig as their Chinese zodiac (生肖, shēngxiào). The date range includes both endpoints. The traditional year name is Ji-Hai (己亥, Jǐ-Hài).[1][2]
- Births before February 5. January 1 through February 4, 2019 falls in the preceding Earth Dog year.[1]
- Pig or Boar. Both names appear in English for the same zodiac animal.[4][8]
- Following year. The Metal Rat begins on January 25, 2020.[2]
The table uses Lunar New Year dates. Some Four Pillars charts apply the Start of Spring (立春, Lìchūn) solar boundary.[3]
The Pig year continues through January 24, 2020. To answer a January 2020 birth question, check the date of Lunar New Year rather than relying on the Gregorian year alone.
2019 Earth Pig Dates and the February Change
| Gregorian date of birth | Lunar New Year sign |
|---|---|
| January 1–February 4, 2019 | Earth Dog |
| February 5, 2019–January 24, 2020 | Earth Pig |
| January 25–December 31, 2020 | Metal Rat |
In 2019, Start of Spring occurred on February 4, one day before Lunar New Year. A February 4 birth belongs to the Dog in the lunar calendar. A Four Pillars lookup that uses the solar term can change the year sign during that same day.[1][3][4]
Why Ji-Hai Is Called the Earth Pig
Ji is the Heavenly Stem (天干, tiāngān) for Yin Earth (阴土, yīn tǔ) in Wuxing (五行, wǔxíng). Hai is the Earthly Branch (地支, dìzhī) for Pig (猪, zhū). The Gan-Zhi (干支, gānzhī) pairing recurs after 60 years, so the 1959 Earth Pig shares the 2019 year name.[3][4]
Flatland Wood (平地木, Píng Dì Mù) is the Na Yin (纳音, nà yīn) group shared with the preceding Earth Dog. Earth comes from the individual year stem. Wood comes from the name shared by the two consecutive years.[4][5]
Pig and Boar in New Year Art
A U.S. Lunar New Year stamp calls 2019 the Year of the Boar. Pink peach blossoms fill the design as a sign of approaching spring. Pig and Boar refer to one zodiac position here, and the blossoms show that a celebration can mark the year without putting the animal at the center of the design.[8]
Earth Pig readings often emphasize generosity and practicality. For the 2019 sign, one guide gives 2 and 9 as lucky numbers and golden yellow and black as lucky colors. In Pig compatibility traditions, Rabbit, Goat and Tiger commonly appear as favorable pairings.[4][6][7]
Earth Pig Readings for 2026 and 2027
A cohort-specific 2026 reading discusses settling into school. A 2027 reading concerned with ties among animal signs places Pig, Rabbit and Goat in a favorable group. The second reading explains the connection through the animal branch, so it applies to other Pig years as well.[4][6]
FAQs About the 2019 Chinese Zodiac
Is February 4, 2019 an Earth Pig date?
In the lunar calendar, it is the last day of the Earth Dog year. February 5 is the first day of the Pig year.[1]
Does the Year of the Boar count as a separate sign?
Boar and Pig are English names for the same position in this zodiac. You can see the Boar wording on the 2019 U.S. New Year stamp.[4][8]
Do 2007 and 2019 share the same element?
They share the Pig branch. The 2007 year has a Fire stem, while the 2019 year has an Earth stem.[3][4]
Sources
[1] Hong Kong Observatory. 2019 Gregorian–lunar calendar conversion table
[2] Hong Kong Observatory. 2020 Gregorian–lunar calendar conversion table
[3] Hong Kong Observatory. What year is it today?
[4] Zodiac Almanac. 2019 Earth Pig calendar labels and dated folk interpretation
[5] Liao Zhong. Wuxing Jingji, digital edition
[6] TravelChinaGuide. 2019 Earth Pig customs and dated readings
[7] China Highlights. Chinese zodiac compatibility chart
[8] U.S. Postal Service. Year of the Boar stamp announcement