2024 Chinese zodiac: Wood Dragon
Born on or after February 10, 2024, you are a Wood Dragon. Born January 1 to February 9, 2024, you are a Water Rabbit.
Wood Dragon · 2024
01 · DATES
Why 2024 has two signs
The Chinese year does not start on 1 January. It starts at Chinese New Year, which was February 10, 2024 in 2024. So the people born in 2024 split across two animals.
| Born | Sign | Chinese year |
|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2024 to February 9, 2024 | Water Rabbit | 2023 (癸卯) |
| February 10, 2024 to December 31, 2024 | Wood Dragon | 2024 (甲辰) |
Dates follow the calendar in China. Five Elements (BaZi) charts change year at the start of spring, around 4 February, so a BaZi chart can give a different animal for an early-February birthday. See the Five Elements tool.
Chinese New Year 2024 is on a Saturday, February 10, 2024, and the Lantern Festival closes the celebration on February 24, 2024. The Wood Dragon year lasts 354 days, until January 28, 2025. The same sign and element came round in 1964 and come round again in 2084. A 2024 birthday turns 2 in 2026 and 3 in 2027. Before it came the Water Rabbit year, from January 22, 2023. After it comes the Wood Snake year, from January 29, 2025.
02 · THIS YEAR
What sets 2024 apart
Chinese New Year came 19 days later on the calendar than in 2023. The Sun entered Aquarius on January 20, 2024, 21 days earlier, so the Wood Dragon year opens in Aquarius season.
40 days of 2024, from January 1 to February 9, 2024, still belong to the Water Rabbit year. The other 326 belong to the Wood Dragon.
Chinese New Year came 6 days after 4 February, the usual start of spring. For those 6 days, from February 4, 2024 to February 9, 2024, the Chinese calendar still counts a Water Rabbit where a Five Elements chart already counts a Wood Dragon.
03 · ELEMENT
What the Wood adds to the Dragon
The Wood Dragon is the builder. Wood gives the Dragon growth and generosity, so this is the Dragon that gathers people and projects around it. The risk is spreading wide before the roots are down. It is a Yang year (even), the outward, active side.
The year's stem is Wood and the Dragon's own branch is Earth. Wood controls Earth in the cycle, so the element presses on the animal. Traditionally that reads as a wood-driven Dragon that pushes against its own nature.
Every Dragon year has a different element, so a Wood Dragon is not the same as the other Dragons. The cycle repeats every 60 years. Read the full Dragon guide, or see all 12 signs and every year on the Chinese zodiac overview.
The Dragon year before this one was 2012, a Water Dragon year that began on January 23, 2012. Chinese New Year was 18 days earlier then, and the element moved on from Water to Wood.
Your own year, the year your animal comes round again, repeats every 12 years: 2036 (Fire Dragon), 2048 (Earth Dragon), 2060 (Metal Dragon), 2072 (Water Dragon), 2084 (Wood Dragon).
| Year | Sign | Starts |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Wood Dragonthis page | February 10, 2024 |
| 2012 | Water Dragon | January 23, 2012 |
| 2000 | Metal Dragon | February 5, 2000 |
| 1988 | Earth Dragon | February 17, 1988 |
| 1976 | Fire Dragon | January 31, 1976 |
| 1964 | Wood Dragon | February 13, 1964 |
| 1952 | Water Dragon | January 27, 1952 |
| 1940 | Metal Dragon | February 8, 1940 |
| 1928 | Earth Dragon | January 23, 1928 |
04 · THE SIGN
The Dragon behind the Wood
The Dragon's best matches are Rat and Monkey (triple harmony) and Rooster (secret friend). Dog sits opposite on the wheel and is the traditional clash.
Strengths and blind spots, every compatible sign, and the full 2026 and 2027 reading are on the Dragon guide.
05 · 2026 AND 2027
What 2026 and 2027 mean for a Wood Dragon
Every year carries its own animal and element. Here is how each one sits next to a Wood Dragon, read the traditional way. Treat it as something to think with, not a forecast.
2026
Fire Horse year
Animal. Dragon and Horse have no special tie, so the year reads as neutral. The Horse's Fire feeds the Dragon's own Earth, which supports the sign. Tradition reads a steady, productive year: the Dragon sets the pace and the year does not get in the way.
Element. Wood feeds Fire in the cycle, so you give more energy than you get back. Pace yourself.
2027
Fire Goat year
Animal. Dragon and Goat have no special tie, and the year's Fire feeds the Dragon's own Earth. Tradition reads 2027 as a calm year for the Dragon, good for finishing what was started in 2026. Large moves go better when they are patient ones.
Element. Wood feeds Fire in the cycle, so you give more energy than you get back. Pace yourself.
Your sign is where it starts
Your Annual Report
A Wood Dragon year is shared by a lot of people, and no two of them live it the same way. Your Annual Report reads your Five Elements and Western chart together, then draws your year as one curve. You can see the months that carry you forward, the ones that ask you to slow down, and how the year builds from January to December.
06 · FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the Chinese zodiac for 2024?
Birthdays from February 10, 2024 to December 31, 2024 fall in the Chinese year of the Wood Dragon, which runs until January 28, 2025. Birthdays from January 1 to February 9, 2024 belong to the year before: Water Rabbit.
What if I was born in January or February 2024?
The Chinese year starts at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January. In 2024 that was February 10, 2024. Born before it, you are a Water Rabbit. Born on or after it, you are a Wood Dragon. 40 days of 2024, from January 1 to February 9, 2024, still belong to the Water Rabbit year. The other 326 belong to the Wood Dragon.
When is Chinese New Year 2024?
Saturday, February 10, 2024. Chinese New Year came 19 days later on the calendar than in 2023. The Lantern Festival, on the 15th day, is February 24, 2024.
How long is the Wood Dragon year?
354 days, from February 10, 2024 to January 28, 2025. That is 11 days shorter than a 365-day calendar year, because it has twelve lunar months and no leap month.
What element is the 2024 Dragon?
Wood, with Yang polarity. Wood adds growth and generosity, plus a restless urge to build. The Dragon years are 2024 (Wood), 2012 (Water), 2000 (Metal), 1988 (Earth), 1976 (Fire), 1964 (Wood), 1952 (Water), 1940 (Metal), 1928 (Earth).
Does Wood work against the Dragon in a Wood Dragon?
The year's stem is Wood and the Dragon's own branch is Earth. Wood controls Earth in the cycle, so the element presses on the animal. Traditionally that reads as a wood-driven Dragon that pushes against its own nature.
When does the Dragon come round again after 2024?
Your own year, the year your animal comes round again, repeats every 12 years: 2036 (Fire Dragon), 2048 (Earth Dragon), 2060 (Metal Dragon), 2072 (Water Dragon), 2084 (Wood Dragon).
How old is a 2024 Dragon in 2027?
A birthday in 2024 turns 2 in 2026 and 3 in 2027, counted the Western way. The sign does not change with age: you stay a Wood Dragon for life.
Who is a Wood Dragon compatible with?
The Dragon's best matches are Rat and Monkey (triple harmony) and Rooster (secret friend). Dog sits opposite on the wheel and is the traditional clash. These are old zodiac-wheel relations, and they describe tendencies, not outcomes.
What do 2026 and 2027 mean for a Wood Dragon?
Dragon and Horse have no special tie, so the year reads as neutral. The Horse's Fire feeds the Dragon's own Earth, which supports the sign. Tradition reads a steady, productive year: the Dragon sets the pace and the year does not get in the way. Wood feeds Fire in the cycle, so you give more energy than you get back. Pace yourself. For 2027, a Fire Goat year: Dragon and Goat have no special tie, and the year's Fire feeds the Dragon's own Earth. Tradition reads 2027 as a calm year for the Dragon, good for finishing what was started in 2026. Large moves go better when they are patient ones. Wood feeds Fire in the cycle, so you give more energy than you get back. Pace yourself.
Updated November 2026
Know your Timing
Add your birth details once. Open Timing each morning to see how your day looks.
Download for iPhone