2008 / Chinese zodiac
2008 Chinese Zodiac: Earth Rat
2008 is the Year of the Earth Rat. It begins on February 7, 2008 and ends on January 25, 2009. If you were born before February 7, 2008, your sign is the Fire Pig.
01 / Check the boundary
What is my Chinese zodiac if I was born in 2008?
Two zodiac signs fall within the Gregorian year 2008. Choose the row containing your birthday. These dates include both the first and last day; the animal changes at Chinese New Year, not on January 1.
| Gregorian birthday | Animal & year element |
|---|---|
| – | Fire Pig 猪 |
| – | Earth Rat 鼠 |
The full 2008 lunar year continues into 2009, through January 25, 2009. A birthday on February 6, 2008 belongs to the Pig; a birthday one day later, on February 7, 2008, belongs to the Rat.
YOUR STORY STARTS HERE
When were you born?
YOUR RESULT
02 / The story of the year
What kind of Rat is 2008?
2008 is a Earth Rat year. Its stem-branch name is 戊子 (wù-zǐ): the heavenly stem 戊 carries yang earth, and the earthly branch 子 corresponds to the Rat.
- Zodiac animal
- Rat · 鼠
- Year element
- Earth
- Stem & branch
- 戊子 · wù-zǐ
- Lunar year length
- 354 days
Rat personality in tradition
The Rat begins the twelve-animal cycle. Folklore often associates it with quick thinking and adaptability.
The phrase “resourceful & observant” describes a traditional association with this animal, rather than a rule about everyone born in 2008. The year element is one part of the calendar; it does not establish a person's complete five-elements or Bāzì chart.
我属鼠。
Wǒ shǔ shǔ. “I was born in the Year of the Rat.”
Rat compatibility in folklore
Rat, Dragon and Monkey form a traditional harmony group of three. Horse sits opposite Rat, six places away in the twelve-animal cycle. These describe symbolic positions, not evidence of who will make a good partner.
Explore traditional pairings →03 / A closer look at the dates
2008 lunar calendar at a glance
This Rat year contains 12 lunar months and 354 days. There is no leap lunar month in this year. A leap month keeps the same animal and year element. The table follows the full lunar year, so its final months extend into 2009.
| Lunar month | Begins | Ends | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 30 | ||
| Month 2 | 29 | ||
| Month 3 | 29 | ||
| Month 4 | 30 | ||
| Month 5 | 29 | ||
| Month 6 | 29 | ||
| Month 7 | 30 | ||
| Month 8 | 29 | ||
| Month 9 | 30 | ||
| Month 10 | 30 | ||
| Month 11 | 29 | ||
| Month 12 | 30 |
Sources & calendar convention
Dates are calculated from our local lunar-month dataset. The links below provide the Observatory’s calendar for this Gregorian year and an explanation of the stem-branch cycle. Cultural interpretations are introductory folklore, not predictions.