How it works
The 12 Western signs come first on this random zodiac sign generator: each press draws one with its dates, element, modality and ruling planet. Element and modality buttons are under More filters. Choose Chinese zodiac animals in the list to draw from the Rat to the Pig.
Read the full guide
What is on a card
A Western card shows the symbol, dates, element, modality and ruling planet. Scorpio, Aquarius and Pisces list two rulers, because the classic scheme is older than the discovery of Pluto, Uranus and Neptune. An animal card shows its place in the cycle, yin or yang, its fixed element and the dates two of its years start.
Why your dates can be a day off
Western signs are twelve equal 30-degree slices of the Sun's yearly path, counted from the March equinox. The equinox falls between March 19 and 21, so a sign's first day can move by a day between years. We print the commonly used dates. For a random date with its sign worked out, try the birthday generator.
- Writing a character? One sign gives a birthday window of about 30 days. Fire with Fixed, under More filters, leaves only Leo: each pair names one sign.
- Party game: draw three signs and have everyone guess who has each. Birthdays settle it.
- Born in January or early February? Your animal may belong to the year before. The zodiac year starts at Lunar New Year, and the Dragon year began on February 10, 2024.
Questions and answers
Why do some people say there are 13 zodiac signs?
The Sun's path also crosses the constellation Ophiuchus, and the constellations are unequal: the Sun spends 45 days in Virgo and 7 in Scorpius. Signs are not constellations but equal slices of sky, and Ophiuchus is not one. A slow wobble of Earth's axis has moved the slices, so the sign Aries now lies over the constellation Pisces.
How did the Chinese zodiac animals get their order?
In the folktale, the Jade Emperor named the years in the order the animals reached him. The Rat rode the Ox and jumped ahead, so it is first. The Dragon came fifth because it stopped to bring rain. Some countries swap an animal: Vietnam has the Cat for the Rabbit, and Japan and Korea the Sheep for the Goat.
Can a random zodiac generator tell me anything about myself?
No. Every sign has the same 1 in 12 chance, and the draw knows nothing about your birthday. Scientific tests of astrology have found no evidence that signs predict personality, so cards carry only what the tradition assigns. To find your own sign, check the dates in the full list below.