Chinese Wood Rabbit Zodiac: Years, Traits, Compatibility, and Luck

Quick answer: The Wood Rabbit years in the modern 60-year cycle are 1915, 1975, and 2035. Under the Lunar New Year convention, their date ranges are February 14, 1915–February 2, 1916; February 11, 1975–January 30, 1976; and January 24, 2035–February 10, 2036. If your birthday falls in January or early February, use the lunar-year cutoff instead of January 1. “Wood Rabbit” is a traditional calendar label; personality, compatibility, career, and luck descriptions are cultural interpretations, not established predictions.

Step 1: Check whether your birthday falls in a Wood Rabbit year

Chinese zodiac years follow the traditional lunisolar calendar, whose months track the Moon while leap months keep the calendar aligned with the seasons. The year changes at Lunar New Year, not on January 1. Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables identify 1915 as Yi-mao, the Year of the Rabbit, and show Lunar New Year on February 14. The next lunar year began February 3, 1916. The 1975 table identifies another Yi-mao year beginning February 11; the following year began January 31, 1976. The 2035 and 2036 tables show the next cycle beginning January 24, 2035, and the following year beginning February 11, 2036.

Use the official tables to confirm a boundary date: 1915, 1916, 1975, 1976, 2035, and 2036. For example, a person born February 1, 1975, is still in the preceding zodiac year under this convention; a person born February 11, 1975, is in the Wood Rabbit year.

There is one nuance for people consulting Chinese astrology. Some practitioners who use the Four Pillars system mark the annual change at Li Chun, or “Beginning of Spring,” a solar term that usually falls in early February. Hong Kong Observatory’s calendar practice uses the first day of the first lunar month for the Gan-Zhi year changeover and explains that different users may follow different conventions. This article uses Lunar New Year because it is the clearest convention for a general zodiac guide. If you consult a practitioner, ask which boundary they use before comparing results.

Step 2: Understand what “Wood Rabbit” means

“Rabbit” is the animal sign, paired with the earthly branch Mao. “Wood” comes from the year’s heavenly stem, Yi. Heavenly stems and earthly branches are two traditional sequences—ten stems and twelve branches—that combine into a repeating 60-year cycle. The pairing Yi-Mao therefore appears once every 60 years. The Hong Kong Observatory lists the stems, branches, and cycle; its calendar tables label 1915 and 1975 Yi-mao. The traditional element mapping pairs Yi with Wood. See the Observatory’s reference to heavenly stems and earthly branches and this Chinese culture reference table for the stems and their elements.

Within traditional Five Element symbolism, Wood is often associated with growth, flexibility, initiative, and connection. Rabbit symbolism is commonly described through tact, gentleness, discretion, and a preference for harmony. The combined Wood Rabbit image is therefore often read as considerate and cooperative, with an interest in steady development and supportive relationships. These are themes in a symbolic system, not scientific personality findings. Your upbringing, choices, circumstances, and individual character matter more than a year label.

Explore the Rabbit sign · Read the Wood Rabbit element-animal guide · See the 1975 birth-year guide

Step 3: Use personality descriptions as reflection, not diagnosis

Traditional Rabbit descriptions often emphasize diplomacy: listening before reacting, noticing social cues, and looking for a low-conflict solution. Wood adds a theme of collaboration and growth. In a practical setting, these ideas can prompt useful questions. Do you bring people together? Do you prefer to prepare carefully before acting? Are you avoiding a necessary conversation because you want to keep the peace?

There is a tradeoff in every trait description. Tact can help preserve trust, but too much caution can delay a decision. A collaborative instinct can make a strong teammate, but it can also make boundaries harder to set. Rather than assuming a sign explains your behavior, choose one pattern you recognize and one action to try. For instance, if you tend to defer, write down your preference before a group discussion and state it clearly.

Compatibility: what the traditional matchups say

A well-known Chinese zodiac framework groups Rabbit, Goat (also called Sheep or Ram), and Pig as a harmonious trio. In the same tradition, Rabbit and Rooster sit opposite each other on the zodiac wheel and are sometimes described as a challenging pairing. The British Library’s International Dunhuang Programme documents these traditional groupings and also notes that some readings take account of the birth month, day, and hour. Those layers show why a single year-animal match is a simplified cultural framework, not a complete compatibility assessment.

For relationships, use the framework as a conversation starter. If you are dating, married, or working with someone, compare how you handle disagreement, share responsibilities, discuss money, and make plans. A supposedly favorable sign does not guarantee a healthy relationship, and a supposedly difficult one does not doom it. Respect, safety, communication, and aligned expectations are more useful measures. Read the British Library overview of zodiac compatibility and our Chinese zodiac compatibility guide.

Love and relationships

In a traditional Wood Rabbit reading, patience and consideration are strengths in close relationships. A possible caution is avoiding directness when something needs to change. If you recognize that tendency, try a calm, specific request: describe what happened, how it affected you, and what you would like next time. If you are looking for a partner, judge consistency and respect over time rather than using animal signs as a screening rule.

Career: where the symbolism may be useful

Wood Rabbit descriptions are often associated with collaborative work, thoughtful communication, organization, and sensitivity to a group’s needs. These themes may feel relevant in roles that involve coordination, advising, design, negotiation, research, or customer relationships. They do not establish that a person is suited to any particular profession. For a career decision, compare the real work with your skills, training, working conditions, pay needs, and opportunities to grow. If you are unsure about a path, test it with a small project, course, or conversation with someone in the field.

A practical caution: being agreeable is not the same as being effective. Track results you can point to, such as a project completed, a process improved, or a client problem solved. That evidence helps you advocate for a raise or new responsibility more reliably than any zodiac forecast.

Money and luck

Traditional “lucky” associations vary among sources and do not reliably predict financial results. This guide does not assign lucky numbers, dates, or colors as facts. There is no established evidence that being born in a Wood Rabbit year causes wealth or changes investment outcomes. Treat lucky symbols as cultural customs if they matter to you, but do not let them decide whether to borrow, invest, or make a major purchase.

A grounded way to work with the idea of luck is to prepare for opportunities: know your regular expenses, keep a savings plan that fits your situation, and give important financial choices time for review. When a decision is complex, use trustworthy financial information or consult a qualified adviser. Those habits cannot guarantee a windfall, but they can make your choices more deliberate.

What to avoid when reading your sign

• Using January 1 as the cutoff. Check the Lunar New Year table for the year you were born, especially if your birthday falls in January or early February.
• Treating a year sign as a full chart. The year animal is one piece of traditional astrology. Other systems consider additional birth details, and practitioners may use a different boundary.
• Reading a personality description as proof. These are inherited cultural interpretations, not validated measures of your character. Keep what helps you reflect and set aside what does not.
• Making consequential choices based on a lucky claim. Use compatibility or luck language for cultural interest, not as a substitute for evidence, conversation, professional advice, or your own judgment.

Looking ahead to 2027

For readers comparing years, the Hong Kong Observatory’s 2027 conversion table identifies 2027 as Ding-wei, the Year of the Goat, with Lunar New Year on February 6. Goat is the primary English name used here; Sheep and Ram are also common translations. Some traditional compatibility frameworks place Goat in the Rabbit–Goat–Pig group, but that association cannot establish what a specific year will bring to an individual Wood Rabbit. Use it as cultural context, not a forecast or a reason to expect a particular outcome. See the official 2027 conversion table, our 2027 Chinese zodiac guide, and the Goat sign guide.

A simple way to get started

First, match your full birth date to the Lunar New Year boundary in the relevant calendar. Next, confirm that the year is Yi-Mao if you are checking for Wood Rabbit. Then read Rabbit and Wood descriptions as traditional symbolism, and decide whether any theme gives you a useful question about your habits, relationships, or goals. Avoid using the sign as a fixed identity or prediction. That approach lets you learn the calendar accurately while keeping real-life decisions grounded in what you know about yourself and your circumstances.