Born in 1939: the Rabbit

Anyone born in 1939 is an Earth Rabbit. The year's traditional two-part name is 己卯 (jǐmǎo), number 16 in the 60-year cycle, and it is a yin year, the quieter, more reflective half of the cycle. The base Rabbit traits (gentle, tactful, observant) come filtered through a grounded, practical and patient Earth tone.

The 1939 lunar year ran from February 19, 1939 up to the day before Chinese New Year 1940 (February 8, 1940). If you were born on or after February 19, 1939 you are a Rabbit; if you were born earlier in 1939, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Tiger. Someone born in 1939 turns 87 in 2026 (or 86 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 1939's Chinese New Year fell on a Sunday, and that lunar year ran 354 days — an ordinary 12-month lunar year.

What the Earth element adds

Earth is the element of the harvest, stability and realism. An Earth year makes an animal steadier and more dependable, focused on security and the long game, though it can also make it slower to change course.

The full 60-year cycle pairs each of the 12 animals with each of the 5 elements, so an Earth Rabbit year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1939 was 1879, and the next is 1999. People born in it are said to combine gentle and tactful with the element's grounded nature. Every Rabbit year is yin (the quieter, inward type). See the Earth element and the full Earth Rabbit profile.

1939 at a glance

Animal	🐇 Rabbit (兔)
Element	Earth
Yin or yang	yin
Traditional year name	己卯 (jǐmǎo)
Place in the 60-year cycle	16 of 60
Zodiac year runs	February 19, 1939 to February 7, 1940
Age in 2026	86–87
Traditional best match	Dog
Traditional hardest match	Rooster
Lucky numbers	3, 4, 6
Lucky colors	pink, red, purple, blue

Rabbit compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 1939 Rabbit gets on best with the Dog (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Goat and Pig. The hardest pairing is the Rooster, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Rabbit compatibility table.

Where a birthday around 1939 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 1939 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to February 18, 1939	Tiger (the 1938 year)
February 19, 1939 to December 31, 1939	Rabbit
January 1, 1940 to February 7, 1940	Rabbit (still the 1939 year)
February 8, 1940 onward	Dragon (the 1940 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 1939 Rabbit

The next own-sign year for someone born in 1939 is 2035, around age 96, then 2047, 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: 1939 and 1938

Earth years come in pairs. 1939 is the yin year and 1938 is the yang year, the Tiger. So a 1939 Rabbit and a 1938 Tiger share an element and sit one year apart in the cycle. The traditional chart rates the Rabbit and Tiger pairing as moderate: it has no special bond or conflict, so how well it goes depends on the two people more than on the calendar. See the Rabbit and Tiger pairing.

Other Rabbit years

1951 1963 1975 1987 1999 2011 2023 2035

Full Rabbit personality profile →   Rabbit compatibility with every sign →

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

What an Earth year changes for the Rabbit

Talking. The Earth element shows up in how a 1939 Rabbit speaks: it gets steadier and more patient about it, in no hurry to make the point. Another element on the same animal would sound different.

Work. In 1939 the Earth element steadies and grounds the Rabbit's habits at work, so this version runs things slower but with more staying power than most. It changes the style, not the choice of career.

Love. A 1939 Rabbit shows affection through consistency and follow-through. That follows from the element: earth is the element of the harvest, stability and realism.

For the sign as a whole (how the Rabbit communicates, works and loves in every element) see the Rabbit profile. This page covers what is different about 1939.

Known Rabbits

Angelina Jolie, David Beckham, Michael Jordan, Brad Pitt are among the names most often cited as Rabbits, though none of them was born in the 1939 lunar year. They're referenced here as examples of the animal's gentle streak generally, not proof of what a Earth Rabbit specifically looks like.