Year of the Monkey: Personality, Years, and Compatibility

沉浸 TeamAugust 16, 20264 min read

The Year of the Monkey is the ninth year in the Chinese zodiac's 12-year cycle. Recent Monkey years are 2028, 2016, 2004, 1992, 1980, and the next one starts in 2028. In Chinese the monkey is 猴 (hóu), and someone born in a Monkey year says 我属猴 (wǒ shǔ hóu), "I'm a Monkey."

Monkeys are the zodiac's clever tricksters: curious, playful, and endlessly inventive. They learn anything fast, joke their way out of trouble, and get bored the moment a puzzle is solved. Life around a Monkey is never dull.

Year of the Monkey years and dates

Each zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, not January 1, so the exact dates matter for January and February birthdays:

1968: Earth Monkey (January 30, 1968 to February 16, 1969)
1980: Metal Monkey (February 16, 1980 to February 4, 1981)
1992: Water Monkey (February 4, 1992 to January 22, 1993)
2004: Wood Monkey (January 22, 2004 to February 8, 2005)
2016: Fire Monkey (February 8, 2016 to January 27, 2017)
2028: Earth Monkey (January 26, 2028 to February 12, 2029)

Click your birth year above for that year's full profile. Born in early January or February? You may belong to the previous animal, the Year of the Goat; check the start date of your year.

The Monkey personality

Strengths:

Brilliant problem-solver
Witty and fun
Versatile and fast-learning
Bounces back from anything

Weaknesses:

Mischievous with the truth
Restless and scattered
Can seem unserious

Monkeys excel in engineering, comedy, science, media, and startups, anywhere cleverness is the job.

Not every Monkey is the same: the five elements

The zodiac runs on a 60-year cycle: 12 animals times five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water). Each Monkey year carries a different element, which shades the core personality:

Earth Monkey (1968, 2028): adds patience, reliability, and a practical, grounded streak.
Metal Monkey (1980): adds discipline, high standards, and real persistence.
Water Monkey (1992): adds adaptability, intuition, and quiet persuasion.
Wood Monkey (2004): adds curiosity, generosity, and a builder's patience.
Fire Monkey (2016): adds charisma, boldness, and a taste for the spotlight.

Monkey compatibility

Traditional matchmaking groups the animals into trines (three signs with a shared temperament) and gives each sign a secret friend and a clash:

Best matches: the Rat and Dragon, the Monkey's trine partners, plus its secret friend the Snake.
Most challenging: the Tiger, directly opposite the Monkey on the zodiac wheel.

It's folk wisdom, not destiny, but it still shapes wedding dates, business partnerships, and a lot of good-natured family teasing across the Chinese-speaking world.

Lucky numbers and colors

Lucky numbers: 4, 9
Lucky colors: white, blue, gold

In a Monkey person's own zodiac year (本命年 běnmìngnián), tradition calls for wearing red, especially red given to you by someone else, to ward off bad luck.

The Monkey in the Great Race

The order of the 12 animals comes from the legend of the Great Race, in which the Jade Emperor invited all the animals to cross a river. The Monkey finished ninth. It shared the raft with the Goat and Rooster, solving problems the whole way across.

How to say it in Chinese

猴 (hóu): monkey
猴年 (hóu nián): Year of the Monkey
生肖 (shēngxiào): Chinese zodiac sign
我属猴 (wǒ shǔ hóu): "I'm a Monkey"

Want to go beyond the zodiac? Create a free Chenjin account to hear words like 猴 and 生肖 pronounced by native-quality audio, save them as flashcards, and start reading real Chinese stories at your level.

Year of the Monkey FAQ

When is the next Year of the Monkey?

The next Monkey year is 2028, starting on January 26, 2028 and running to February 12, 2029.

What years are Year of the Monkey?

1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028. Remember that each zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, in late January or early-to-mid February.

Who should a Monkey marry?

By tradition, the Rat, Dragon, or Snake. The Tiger is the classic "difficult" pairing. Real compatibility, of course, is written by people rather than calendars.