Quick Answer: What Is the 2023 Chinese Zodiac Sign?
The 2023 Chinese zodiac (生肖, shēngxiào) is the Water Rabbit from January 22, 2023 through February 9, 2024, inclusive. Its traditional year name is Gui-Mao (癸卯, Guǐ-Mǎo).[1][2]
- Before January 22. January 1–21, 2023 belongs to the Water Tiger year.[1]
- The name Water Rabbit. Gui supplies Water and Mao supplies Rabbit.[4]
- The following year. The Wood Dragon starts on February 10, 2024.[2]
The date range follows Lunar New Year. Some Four Pillars charts instead use Start of Spring (立春, Lìchūn) for the year change.[3]
A February 2024 birth can belong to the Water Rabbit even if a 2024 calendar shows a Dragon for the year. Check the first day of the new lunar month to find out which side of the boundary applies.
Which Birthdays Fall in the 2023 Water Rabbit Year?
| Gregorian date of birth | Lunar New Year sign |
|---|---|
| January 1–21, 2023 | 水の虎 |
| January 22, 2023–February 9, 2024 | 水の兎 |
| February 10–December 31, 2024 | 木の龍 |
Lunar New Year and Start of Spring fell nearly two weeks apart in 2023. A January 28 birthday is Water Rabbit by the festival calendar. A chart using the February 4 solar term still places that birth in the Water Tiger year.[1][3][4]
Gui-Mao, Yin Water and the Gold Leaf Label
Gui is the Heavenly Stem (天干, tiāngān) for Yin Water (阴水, yīn shuǐ) in Wuxing (五行, wǔxíng). Mao is the Earthly Branch (地支, dìzhī) for Rabbit (兔, tù). Their Gan-Zhi (干支, gānzhī) pair identifies the 1963年・水の兎 as well. The 2011 Rabbit has the same branch with a different stem, Xin, which gives Metal.[3][4]
Gold Leaf (金箔金, Jīn Bó Jīn) is the Na Yin (纳音, nà yīn) group shared by the 2022 Water Tiger and 2023 Water Rabbit. Look up the whole pair for Gold Leaf and the stem alone for the Water in Water Rabbit.[4][5]
The Water Rabbit and the Rabbit on the Moon
A late-Ming fan painting on silk depicts the lunar goddess Chang’e (嫦娥, Cháng’é) with a white rabbit on the terrace. In moon stories the rabbit prepares an immortality elixir with a mortar and pestle. The 玉兎 is a figure from folklore that can appear in art from any year.[8]
In popular Water Rabbit readings, attentiveness and discretion are recurring themes. The 2023 guide gives 2 and 6 as lucky numbers and green and blue as lucky colors. Compatibility guides group Rabbit with signs such as Goat, Pig and Dog.[4][6][7]
How a 2027 Reading Uses the Rabbit Sign
Some 2027 zodiac readings place Rabbit, Goat and Pig in a traditionally favorable grouping. In the Goat year, this approach applies the same branch relationship to every Rabbit, from the 2011 Metal Rabbit to the 2023 Water Rabbit. It describes how the Rabbit and Goat are grouped within the animal cycle.[4][7]
FAQs About the 2023 Chinese Zodiac
Is February 9, 2024 a Water Rabbit birthday?
Yes. The Wood Dragon begins the next day, on February 10.[2]
What makes the 2023 Rabbit different from the 2011 Rabbit?
The animal branch is the same. The stem in 2011 gives Metal, while the stem in 2023 gives Water.[3][4]
Why do the 2022 Tiger and 2023 Rabbit share Gold Leaf?
Na Yin assigns one label to those two consecutive stem-and-branch combinations. Each year still has its own animal.[4][5]
出典
[1] Hong Kong Observatory. 2023 Gregorian–lunar calendar conversion table
[2] Hong Kong Observatory. 2024 Gregorian–lunar calendar conversion table
[3] Hong Kong Observatory（香港天文台）。What year is it today?（今日は何年？）
[4] Zodiac Almanac. 2023 Water Rabbit calendar labels and dated folk interpretation
[5] Liao Zhong. Wuxing Jingji, digital edition
[6] TravelChinaGuide. 2023 Water Rabbit associations
[7] China Highlights. Chinese zodiac compatibility chart
[8] National Museum of Asian Art. The Goddess Chang’e in the Lunar Palace