Random Zodiac Sign Generator: 12 Western Signs and 12 Chinese Animals: 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. Chips narrow the draw by element or modality, and Wheel spins all 12. Tap Chinese zodiac animals to draw from the Rat to the Pig.
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.
Tips
Writing a character? Draw 1 for a birthday window of about 30 days, or tap Fire and Fixed to get Leo: each element and modality pair names one sign.
Party game: draw 3 and have everyone guess who in the room has each sign. 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.
♒AquariusThe Water-bearer, January 20 to February 18. A fixed air sign ruled by Uranus, classically by Saturn.
♈AriesThe Ram, March 21 to April 19. A cardinal fire sign ruled by Mars.
♋CancerThe Crab, June 21 to July 22. A cardinal water sign ruled by the Moon.
♑CapricornThe Goat, December 22 to January 19. A cardinal earth sign ruled by Saturn.
♊GeminiThe Twins, May 21 to June 20. A mutable air sign ruled by Mercury.
♌LeoThe Lion, July 23 to August 22. A fixed fire sign ruled by the Sun.
♎LibraThe Scales, September 23 to October 22. A cardinal air sign ruled by Venus.
♓PiscesThe Fish, February 19 to March 20. A mutable water sign ruled by Neptune, classically by Jupiter.
♐SagittariusThe Archer, November 22 to December 21. A mutable fire sign ruled by Jupiter.
♏ScorpioThe Scorpion, October 23 to November 21. A fixed water sign ruled by Pluto, classically by Mars.
♉TaurusThe Bull, April 20 to May 20. A fixed earth sign ruled by Venus.
♍VirgoThe Maiden, August 23 to September 22. A mutable earth sign ruled by Mercury.
Chinese zodiac animals 12
🐕DogEleventh in the cycle. Yang, fixed element earth. Dog years start February 16, 2018 and February 3, 2030.
🐉DragonFifth in the cycle. Yang, fixed element earth. Dragon years start January 23, 2012 and February 10, 2024.
🐐GoatEighth in the cycle. Yin, fixed element earth. Goat years start February 19, 2015 and February 6, 2027.
🐎HorseSeventh in the cycle. Yang, fixed element fire. Horse years start January 31, 2014 and February 17, 2026.
🐒MonkeyNinth in the cycle. Yang, fixed element metal. Monkey years start February 8, 2016 and January 26, 2028.
🐂OxSecond in the cycle. Yin, fixed element earth. Ox years start January 26, 2009 and February 12, 2021.
🐖PigTwelfth in the cycle. Yin, fixed element water. Pig years start February 5, 2019 and January 23, 2031.
🐇RabbitFourth in the cycle. Yin, fixed element wood. Rabbit years start February 3, 2011 and January 22, 2023.
🐀RatFirst in the cycle. Yang, fixed element water. Rat years start February 7, 2008 and January 25, 2020.
🐓RoosterTenth in the cycle. Yin, fixed element metal. Rooster years start January 28, 2017 and February 13, 2029.
🐍SnakeSixth in the cycle. Yin, fixed element fire. Snake years start February 10, 2013 and January 29, 2025.
🐅TigerThird in the cycle. Yang, fixed element wood. Tiger years start February 14, 2010 and February 1, 2022.
How this list was compiled: Closed set: the 12 signs of the Western tropical zodiac and the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. We wrote every line. Western dates are the tropical column of the comparison table at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac ; symbol, element, modality and modern and classic ruling bodies are from the table at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrological_sign , whose own date column differs by a day for some signs because the March equinox falls between March 19 and 21. Animal order, yin or yang, fixed element and the start and end date of every zodiac year from 2008 to 2032, and the Sheep, Cat and wild boar variants, are from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac . The sentence on scientific tests of astrology follows https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrology . All four checked 2026-09-18, and the zodiac year dates again on 2026-09-19. Year dates follow Chinese New Year; schools that start the year at lichun, about February 4, will differ. Licence: own work