Free Tool
Japanese Zodiac & Era Calculator
Every Japanese year has an animal. Enter your birthday to meet yours. You'll also see 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, so knowing you were born in “Heisei 12” is useful as well as 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.