Chinese zodiac Rabbit
The fourth sign and the gentlest: every Rabbit year, five kinds of Rabbit, and who it pairs with.
Rabbit
01 · THE SIGN
Why the Rabbit is the sign of grace
The Rabbit takes fourth place on the wheel and brings a different energy from the three signs before it. Where the Rat is quick, the Ox strong and the Tiger fierce, the Rabbit is refined: careful with words, careful with space, and alert to what a room needs. In Chinese culture the Rabbit is a gentle creature, and the sign is read as one of tact and taste.
The Jade Rabbit lives on the Moon in Chinese folklore, which ties the sign to the Mid-Autumn Festival and to the quiet, reflective side of the calendar. The Rabbit's branch, Mao, covers 5 to 7 am: sunrise. In Vietnam's version of the zodiac the Cat takes this place, a reminder that the wheel travelled and changed as it went.
The Rabbit on the wheel
- Triple harmony: Goat and Pig
- Secret friend: Dog
- Clash: Rooster
- Place
- 4 of 12
- Branch
- Mao
- Hours
- 5 to 7 am
- Polarity
- Yin
- Own element
- Wood
- Month
- early March to early April
02 · YEARS
Every Rabbit year
You are a Rabbit if you were born in one of these Chinese years. Each starts at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January. Born in January or February? Check the start date for your year. The other eleven animals are on the Chinese zodiac overview.
03 · ELEMENTS
The five kinds of Rabbit
Every Rabbit carries two elements. The sign itself is Wood, fixed, because the Rabbit's earthly branch (Mao) belongs to Wood. The year then adds a second element, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal or Water. That second element is what makes a 1987 Rabbit different from a 1999 Rabbit, even though both are the same animal.
Wood Rabbit
1975
The Wood Rabbit is the most nurturing. Wood on Wood means kindness, creativity, and a gift for making other people feel at ease. The risk is saying yes when it means no.
Fire Rabbit
1987 · 1927
The Fire Rabbit is the most expressive. Fire brings colour and nerve to a gentle sign, so this Rabbit speaks up, charms a crowd, and is more ambitious than it looks.
Earth Rabbit
1999 · 1939
The Earth Rabbit is the most dependable. Earth adds steadiness, so this Rabbit is the one people lean on. It is practical, cautious, and slow to be rushed.
Metal Rabbit
2011 · 1951
The Metal Rabbit is the most precise. Metal adds a steel core under the soft manner, so this Rabbit has strong taste, firm limits, and a quiet determination.
Water Rabbit
2023 · 1963
The Water Rabbit is the most intuitive. Water deepens the Rabbit's sensitivity, which means empathy, imagination, and a strong sense of timing. It feels the mood of a room before anyone speaks.
04 · TRAITS
What the tradition says about the Rabbit
Strengths
- Tactful. A Rabbit says hard things in a way people can hear.
- Good taste, and an eye for what makes a space or a plan feel right.
- Calming company, and a natural peacemaker.
- Observant and quick to notice what is out of place.
- Kind, and loyal to a small circle.
Blind spots
- Avoids conflict until it cannot be avoided.
- Retreats rather than confronts.
- Over-careful. Waits for the perfect moment, and the moment passes.
- Takes criticism more personally than it shows.
- Needs more quiet time than other people realise.
05 · COMPATIBILITY
Rabbit compatibility
The Rabbit's best matches are Goat and Pig (triple harmony) and Dog (secret friend). Rooster sits opposite on the wheel and is the traditional clash. Every tie below comes from where the two animals sit on the zodiac wheel.
- Triple harmonyGoat and Pig
- The strongest traditional match. You want the same things and move at the same speed.
- Secret friendDog
- A balancing pair. Each one fills in what the other lacks.
- ClashRooster
- Opposite on the wheel. Strong pull and plenty of friction.
- HarmDragon
- Small misreadings that add up. Say things out loud.
- PenaltyRat
- Old habits rub against each other. It works with patience.
- BreakHorse
- Good plans can slip through small gaps. Check the details together.
- No special tieOx, Tiger, Snake and Monkey
- No special tie in either direction. The two people matter more than the signs.
06 · 2026 AND 2027
The Rabbit in 2026 and 2027
2026 is a Fire Horse year and 2027 a Fire Goat year. Both carry Fire, so the animal sets the tone and the element sets the pace.
2026
Fire Horse year
Rabbit and Horse form a break tie, a crack in a plan rather than a collision. Tradition reads a year in which arrangements shift at the last minute: dates move, partners change their mind, and the Rabbit has to be flexible. Keep plans light, keep a back-up, and do not take a change of plan as a verdict on you.
2027
Fire Goat year
Rabbit and Goat form a triple harmony with the Pig, one of the best ties a sign can have. Tradition reads 2027 as the Rabbit's year to feel at ease: friendships warm up, creative work flows, and help arrives from people who like you. It is a good year to make the move you have been weighing quietly.
How a Fire year meets each kind of Rabbit
- Wood Rabbit
- Wood feeds Fire, so the Wood Rabbit gives generously and tires. Protect quiet time.
- Fire Rabbit
- Fire meets Fire. The Fire Rabbit speaks up and is noticed. Use the visibility on purpose.
- Earth Rabbit
- Fire feeds Earth, so the Earth Rabbit is supported. A reliable year to lean on.
- Metal Rabbit
- Fire melts Metal, so the Metal Rabbit's firm limits feel pressed. Hold the line gently.
- Water Rabbit
- Water meets Fire head on. The Water Rabbit senses the mood early and can steer around trouble.
Your sign is where it starts
Your Annual Report
A Rabbit 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.
07 · FAMOUS
Famous Rabbits
Counted with the same Chinese New Year table as this page, so early-year birthdays land in the right sign.
- 50 Cent · Wood Rabbit, July 6, 1975
- Angelina Jolie · Wood Rabbit, June 4, 1975
- Sabrina Carpenter · Earth Rabbit, May 11, 1999
- Michael B. Jordan · Fire Rabbit, February 9, 1987
- Kendrick Lamar · Fire Rabbit, June 17, 1987
- Whitney Houston · Water Rabbit, August 9, 1963
- Brad Pitt · Water Rabbit, December 18, 1963
- Johnny Depp · Water Rabbit, June 9, 1963
- Hilary Duff · Fire Rabbit, September 28, 1987
- Madison Beer · Earth Rabbit, March 5, 1999
- David Harbour · Wood Rabbit, April 10, 1975
08 · FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What years are Rabbit years?
2023, 2011, 1999, 1987, 1975, 1963, 1951, 1939, 1927. Each Rabbit year starts at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January, so a January or February birthday may belong to the animal before.
What element is the Rabbit?
Every Rabbit carries two elements. The sign itself is Wood, fixed, because the Rabbit's earthly branch (Mao) belongs to Wood. The year then adds a second element, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal or Water. That second element is what makes a 1987 Rabbit different from a 1999 Rabbit, even though both are the same animal.
Who is the Rabbit compatible with?
Goat and Pig are in the same triple harmony, the strongest traditional match. Dog is the secret friend. Rooster is the traditional clash. Each tie comes from where the two animals sit on the zodiac wheel.
Is the Rabbit the same as the Cat in the Vietnamese zodiac?
Yes, it is the same position on the wheel. Vietnam's zodiac replaces the Rabbit with the Cat, and the two signs share the fourth place and the Mao branch. Chinese astrology uses the Rabbit.
Is the Rabbit a weak sign?
No. The Rabbit's strength is a quiet one: tact, patience, and good judgement. The tradition describes it as the sign most skilled at avoiding trouble, and it keeps a steel core under a soft manner.
How do I know if I am a Rabbit?
Use your Chinese year, not your calendar year. If you were born in January or February, check the date of Chinese New Year in your birth year: before it, you belong to the animal of the year before. The Chinese zodiac calculator on this site does the check for you.
Where does the Chinese zodiac come from?
It is one of the oldest ways people have kept time. The ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches were already counting days on Shang dynasty oracle bones more than 3,000 years ago. The earliest written pairings of the twelve branches with animals appear on bamboo slips from the Qin dynasty, over 2,200 years old. Stems and branches together make a 60-year cycle, and the twelve-animal wheel travelled across East Asia, where Vietnam swaps the Rabbit for a Cat. Legend gives it a story: the Jade Emperor called a great race, and the Rat won by riding on the Ox's back, which is why the Rat opens the wheel. It is a living tradition, read here as a mirror for reflection.
Updated November 2026
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