Zodiac Signs in Chinese: All 12 Star Signs Translated (with Pinyin)
沉浸 TeamAugust 26, 20264 min readThe 12 zodiac signs in Chinese all end in 座 (zuò), which means "seat" or "constellation." So Aries is 白羊座 (Báiyángzuò, "white sheep constellation"), Scorpio is 天蝎座 (Tiānxiēzuò, "heavenly scorpion constellation"), and your whole star sign vocabulary is one word pattern away. Here's the full list with pinyin, plus how to ask someone's sign in Mandarin.
Quick list first, details below:
- Aries: 白羊座 (Báiyángzuò)
- Taurus: 金牛座 (Jīnniúzuò)
- Gemini: 双子座 (Shuāngzǐzuò)
- Cancer: 巨蟹座 (Jùxièzuò)
- Leo: 狮子座 (Shīzizuò)
- Virgo: 处女座 (Chǔnǚzuò)
- Libra: 天秤座 (Tiānchèngzuò)
- Scorpio: 天蝎座 (Tiānxiēzuò)
- Sagittarius: 射手座 (Shèshǒuzuò)
- Capricorn: 摩羯座 (Mójiézuò)
- Aquarius: 水瓶座 (Shuǐpíngzuò)
- Pisces: 双鱼座 (Shuāngyúzuò)
Don't confuse these with the animal zodiac: star signs are 星座 (xīngzuò), assigned by birth date, while the 12-animal 生肖 (shēngxiào) is assigned by birth year. Young people in China talk about both, but 星座 dominates dating-app small talk, and 生肖 rules the family calendar. For the animals, see the Chinese zodiac guide.
How to ask someone's sign in Mandarin
- 你是什么星座的？(Nǐ shì shénme xīngzuò de?): "What's your star sign?"
- 我是天蝎座的。(Wǒ shì Tiānxiēzuò de.): "I'm a Scorpio."
- 星座 (xīngzuò): star sign, constellation
- 星座运势 (xīngzuò yùnshì): horoscope, literally "star sign fortune trend"
Grammar note: the 的 at the end of both sentences marks "the (sign) type of person"; it's the same pattern as 我是属马的 for the animal zodiac.
All 12 zodiac signs in Chinese
Aries in Chinese: 白羊座
白羊座 (Báiyángzuò), literally "white sheep seat," covers March 21 to April 19. 白 (bái) is "white" and 羊 (yáng) is "sheep," so the ram becomes a white sheep in Chinese.
Taurus in Chinese: 金牛座
金牛座 (Jīnniúzuò), literally "golden ox seat," covers April 20 to May 20. 金 (jīn) means "gold" or "metal," making the bull a golden ox; 牛 is the same character as the zodiac Ox.
Gemini in Chinese: 双子座
双子座 (Shuāngzǐzuò), literally "twin seat," covers May 21 to June 21. 双 (shuāng) means "pair" and 子 (zǐ) "child": the twins are literally "the pair of children."
Cancer in Chinese: 巨蟹座
巨蟹座 (Jùxièzuò), literally "giant crab seat," covers June 22 to July 22. 巨 (jù) means "giant" and 蟹 (xiè) "crab." No relation to the disease, which is 癌症 (áizhèng).
Leo in Chinese: 狮子座
狮子座 (Shīzizuò), literally "lion seat," covers July 23 to August 22. 狮子 (shīzi) is simply "lion," one of the most common animal words worth knowing on its own.
Virgo in Chinese: 处女座
处女座 (Chǔnǚzuò), literally "maiden seat," covers August 23 to September 22. 处女 (chǔnǚ) means "maiden." In Chinese pop culture 处女座 is the famous perfectionist sign.
Libra in Chinese: 天秤座
天秤座 (Tiānchèngzuò), literally "heavenly scales seat," covers September 23 to October 23. 天秤 (tiānchèng) is "heavenly scales." Note 秤 (chèng), a scale for weighing, not 平 (píng).
Scorpio in Chinese: 天蝎座
天蝎座 (Tiānxiēzuò), literally "heavenly scorpion seat," covers October 24 to November 22. 天蝎 (tiānxiē) is "heavenly scorpion," widely stereotyped online as the intense, magnetic sign.
Sagittarius in Chinese: 射手座
射手座 (Shèshǒuzuò), literally "archer seat," covers November 23 to December 21. 射手 (shèshǒu) means "archer" or "shooter," from 射 (shè, "to shoot") plus 手 (shǒu, "hand").
Capricorn in Chinese: 摩羯座
摩羯座 (Mójiézuò), literally "sea-goat seat," covers December 22 to January 19. 摩羯 (mójié) transliterates the mythological sea-goat makara from Sanskrit, a rare loanword sign.
Aquarius in Chinese: 水瓶座
水瓶座 (Shuǐpíngzuò), literally "water jug seat," covers January 20 to February 18. 水瓶 (shuǐpíng) is "water bottle" in everyday Mandarin, so Aquarius doubles as a handy real-world word.
Pisces in Chinese: 双鱼座
双鱼座 (Shuāngyúzuò), literally "twin fish seat," covers February 19 to March 20. 双鱼 (shuāngyú) is "pair of fish," the same 双 as Gemini's twins.
Star-sign culture in China
Western astrology arrived in China in the internet era and stuck hard. 星座 personality talk fills social media, workplace icebreakers, and dating profiles, with Virgo (处女座) carrying an unfair national reputation for nitpicking perfectionism. If you're learning Mandarin, your star sign is one of the most reliable small-talk cards you can play: everyone has an opinion about theirs.
Want to go beyond the zodiac? Create a free Chenjin account to hear words like 星座 and 座 pronounced by native-quality audio, save them as flashcards, and start reading real Chinese stories at your level.
Zodiac signs in Chinese FAQ
How do you say "zodiac sign" in Chinese?
For star signs, 星座 (xīngzuò). For the 12-animal Chinese zodiac, 生肖 (shēngxiào). A "what's your sign?" question about 星座 wants Scorpio or Leo; about 生肖 it wants Horse or Rooster.
How do you say horoscope in Chinese?
星座运势 (xīngzuò yùnshì), "star sign fortunes." Daily horoscope columns are 每日星座运势.
Why do all the signs end in 座?
座 (zuò) is the measure word and suffix for constellations, literally a "seat" in the sky. Every constellation name in Chinese ends with it, so learning one sign teaches you the pattern for all 88 constellations.
