Free Tool
Japanese Zodiac & Era Calculator
Every Japanese year has an animal. Enter your birthday to meet yours — plus your birth year in the Japanese era calendar (wareki), your full 60-cycle sign, and the traditional birthdays worth celebrating.
FAQ
Is the Japanese zodiac the same as the Chinese zodiac?
Same twelve animals in the same order, with two differences: Japan switches animals on January 1 (not at Lunar New Year), and the last animal is the wild boar rather than the pig. The eighth animal 未 is usually read as sheep in Japan, where elsewhere it's the goat.
What is wareki, the Japanese era calendar?
Japan counts years by imperial era names (gengō): Reiwa began on May 1, 2019, so 2026 is Reiwa 8. Official forms in Japan still ask for your birth year in wareki — knowing you were born in “Heisei 12” is genuinely useful, not just fun.
What is kanreki — the 60th birthday?
The full cycle combines 10 celestial stems with the 12 animals, giving 60 unique year signs. At 60 your birth-year sign comes around again — kanreki means “the calendar returns.” It's celebrated with red clothing, the color of newborns, to mark a fresh start.
What are yakudoshi, the “unlucky years”?
A separate folk tradition: ages 25, 42 and 61 for men and 19, 33, 37 and 61 for women (counted in the traditional kazoe system, where you're 1 at birth) are considered years to be careful. Many people visit a shrine for a purification blessing — it's folklore, taken with a smile.
Do Japanese people actually use the zodiac today?
Every New Year, yes: nengajō greeting cards carry the year's animal, shops fill with zodiac charms, and “what's your animal?” works as a polite way to guess someone's age. For daily fortune-telling, though, Japan famously prefers blood types.