Year of the Rabbit: Personality, Years, and Compatibility

沉浸 TeamAugust 11, 20264 min read

The Year of the Rabbit is the fourth year in the Chinese zodiac's 12-year cycle. Recent Rabbit years are 2023, 2011, 1999, 1987, 1975, and the next one starts in 2035. In Chinese the rabbit is 兔 (tù), and someone born in a Rabbit year says 我属兔 (wǒ shǔ tù), "I'm a Rabbit."

Rabbits are gentle, tactful, and quietly elegant. They read a room instantly, avoid conflict when they can, and build beautiful, comfortable lives. Under the softness is real shrewdness; a Rabbit rarely ends up on the losing side of a deal.

Year of the Rabbit years and dates

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

1963: Water Rabbit (January 25, 1963 to February 12, 1964)
1975: Wood Rabbit (February 11, 1975 to January 30, 1976)
1987: Fire Rabbit (January 29, 1987 to February 16, 1988)
1999: Earth Rabbit (February 16, 1999 to February 4, 2000)
2011: Metal Rabbit (February 3, 2011 to January 22, 2012)
2023: Water Rabbit (January 22, 2023 to February 9, 2024)

2035 will be the next Rabbit year after that.

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 Tiger; check the start date of your year.

The Rabbit personality

Strengths:

Kind and considerate
Diplomatic peacemaker
Refined taste
Quietly shrewd

Weaknesses:

Avoids confrontation
Can seem detached
Overly cautious at times

Rabbits do well in design, diplomacy, law, publishing, and care work, anywhere tact and taste matter.

Not every Rabbit 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 Rabbit year carries a different element, which shades the core personality:

Water Rabbit (1963, 2023): adds adaptability, intuition, and quiet persuasion.
Wood Rabbit (1975): adds curiosity, generosity, and a builder's patience.
Fire Rabbit (1987): adds charisma, boldness, and a taste for the spotlight.
Earth Rabbit (1999): adds patience, reliability, and a practical, grounded streak.
Metal Rabbit (2011): adds discipline, high standards, and real persistence.

Rabbit 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 Goat and Pig, the Rabbit's trine partners, plus its secret friend the Dog.
Most challenging: the Rooster, directly opposite the Rabbit 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: 3, 4, 6
Lucky colors: red, pink, purple, blue

In a Rabbit 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 Rabbit 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 Rabbit finished fourth. It crossed the river by hopping across stepping stones and a floating log, quiet and clever.

How to say it in Chinese

兔 (tù): rabbit
兔年 (tù nián): Year of the Rabbit
生肖 (shēngxiào): Chinese zodiac sign
我属兔 (wǒ shǔ tù): "I'm a Rabbit"

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

Year of the Rabbit FAQ

When is the next Year of the Rabbit?

The next Rabbit year is 2035, beginning at Chinese New Year that year.

What years are Year of the Rabbit?

1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023, and next 2035. Remember that each zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, in late January or early-to-mid February.

Who should a Rabbit marry?

By tradition, the Goat, Pig, or Dog. The Rooster is the classic "difficult" pairing. Real compatibility, of course, is written by people rather than calendars.