2042 Chinese Zodiac: Water Dog

01 / Check the boundary

What is my Chinese zodiac if I was born in 2042?

Two zodiac signs fall within the Gregorian year 2042. 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.

2042 birth dates and zodiac signs
Gregorian birthday	Animal & year element
January 1, 2042 – January 21, 2042	Metal Rooster 鸡
January 22, 2042 – December 31, 2042	Water Dog 狗

The full 2042 lunar year continues into 2043, through February 9, 2043. A birthday on January 21, 2042 belongs to the Rooster; a birthday one day later, on January 22, 2042, belongs to the Dog.

YOUR STORY STARTS HERE

When were you born?

02 / The story of the year

What kind of Dog is 2042?

2042 is a Water Dog year. Its stem-branch name is 壬戌 (rén-xū): the heavenly stem 壬 carries yang water, and the earthly branch 戌 corresponds to the Dog.

Zodiac animal: Dog · 狗
Year element: Water
Stem & branch: 壬戌 · rén-xū
Lunar year length: 384 days

Dog personality in tradition

The Dog commonly symbolizes loyalty and companionship in popular accounts of the zodiac.

The phrase “loyal & sincere” describes a traditional association with this animal, rather than a rule about everyone born in 2042. The year element is one part of the calendar; it does not establish a person's complete five-elements or Bāzì chart.

我属狗。

Wǒ shǔ gǒu. “I was born in the Year of the Dog.”

Dog compatibility in folklore

Dog, Tiger and Horse form a traditional harmony group of three. Dragon sits opposite Dog, 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

2042 lunar calendar at a glance

This Dog year contains 13 lunar months and 384 days. Month 2 repeats as a leap month, starting March 22, 2042. A leap month keeps the same animal and year element. The table follows the full lunar year, so its final months extend into 2043.

Lunar months of 2042: Gregorian start and end dates
Lunar month	Begins	Ends	Days
Month 1	January 22, 2042	February 19, 2042	29
Month 2	February 20, 2042	March 21, 2042	30
Leap month 2	March 22, 2042	April 19, 2042	29
Month 3	April 20, 2042	May 18, 2042	29
Month 4	May 19, 2042	June 17, 2042	30
Month 5	June 18, 2042	July 16, 2042	29
Month 6	July 17, 2042	August 15, 2042	30
Month 7	August 16, 2042	September 13, 2042	29
Month 8	September 14, 2042	October 13, 2042	30
Month 9	October 14, 2042	November 12, 2042	30
Month 10	November 13, 2042	December 11, 2042	29
Month 11	December 12, 2042	January 10, 2043	30
Month 12	January 11, 2043	February 9, 2043	30

04 / Follow the cycle

Other Years of the Dog

The Dog returns every 12 years; the same Water Dog combination returns every 60. These are the other Dog years in our 1901–2100 directory. Their New Year dates differ, so open a year to check its exact birthday boundary.

1910Metal Dog 1922Water Dog 1934Wood Dog 1946Fire Dog 1958Earth Dog 1970Metal Dog 1982Water Dog 1994Wood Dog 2006Fire Dog 2018Earth Dog 2030Metal Dog 2054Wood Dog 2066Fire Dog 2078Earth Dog 2090Metal Dog

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.