Born in 1931: the Goat

Metal Goat is the full name of the 1931 sign. Its traditional two-part year name is 辛未 (xīnwèi), which puts it at number 8 of 60, and 1931 is a yin year, the cycle's quieter, more reflective half. Expect the Goat's usual traits (gentle, creative, empathetic) with a determined, disciplined and self-reliant edge from the Metal element.

The 1931 lunar year ran from February 17, 1931 up to the day before Chinese New Year 1932 (February 6, 1932). If you were born on or after February 17, 1931 you are a Goat; if you were born earlier in 1931, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Horse. Someone born in 1931 turns 95 in 2026 (or 94 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 1931's Chinese New Year fell on a Tuesday, and that lunar year ran 354 days — an ordinary 12-month lunar year.

What the Metal element adds

Metal is the element of autumn, structure and resolve. A Metal year sharpens focus and independence: a Metal animal knows what it wants and pursues it directly, sometimes at the cost of flexibility.

The full 60-year cycle pairs each of the 12 animals with each of the 5 elements, so a Metal Goat year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1931 was 1871, and the next is 1991. People born in it are said to combine gentle and creative with the element's determined nature. Every Goat year is yin (the quieter, inward type). See the Metal element and the full Metal Goat profile.

1931 at a glance

Animal	🐐 Goat (羊)
Element	Metal
Yin or yang	yin
Traditional year name	辛未 (xīnwèi)
Place in the 60-year cycle	8 of 60
Zodiac year runs	February 17, 1931 to February 5, 1932
Age in 2026	94–95
Traditional best match	Horse
Traditional hardest match	Ox
Lucky numbers	3, 4, 9
Lucky colors	green, red, purple

Goat compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 1931 Goat gets on best with the Horse (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Rabbit and Pig. The hardest pairing is the Ox, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Goat compatibility table.

Where a birthday around 1931 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 1931 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to February 16, 1931	Horse (the 1930 year)
February 17, 1931 to December 31, 1931	Goat
January 1, 1932 to February 5, 1932	Goat (still the 1931 year)
February 6, 1932 onward	Monkey (the 1932 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 1931 Goat

The next own-sign year for someone born in 1931 is 2027, around age 96, then 2039, around age 108. Tradition calls this your běnmìngnián. Despite being "your" year, it is thought to clash with Tài Suì (the God of Age) and to carry a higher chance of setbacks, so many people wear red through it for protection.

The element pair: 1931 and 1930

Metal years come in pairs. 1931 is the yin year and 1930 is the yang year, the Horse. So a 1931 Goat and a 1930 Horse share an element and sit one year apart in the cycle. The traditional chart rates the Goat and Horse pairing as excellent: one of the six classic 'secret friend' pairings — a naturally supportive, stabilizing match. See the Goat and Horse pairing.

Other Goat years

1943 1955 1967 1979 1991 2003 2015 2027 2039

Full Goat personality profile →   Goat compatibility with every sign →

Know your exact birth date? Use the calculator for your full combination →

What a Metal year changes for the Goat

Talking. What marks a 1931 Goat in conversation is the Metal element: it gets more guarded about it, saying less than it's actually thinking.

Work. Expect a 1931 Goat to work with a sharper, less negotiable edge than most, because Metal sharpens and hardens the sign's usual approach. The element affects execution more than the field.

Love. In 1931's Metal version, the Goat shows affection through direct, no-nonsense gestures, since metal is the element of autumn, structure and resolve.

For the sign as a whole (how the Goat communicates, works and loves in every element) see the Goat profile. This page covers what is different about 1931.

Known Goats

The Goat's gentle streak is often illustrated with names like Bill Gates, Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, Mick Jagger — none of whom was born in the 1931 lunar year. They illustrate the animal's general reputation, not this exact element combination.