Born in 1942: the Horse

1942 is a yang year, a Water Horse. In the traditional calendar it carries the two-part name 壬午 (rénwǔ), year 19 of the 60-year cycle. The Water element adds an adaptable, perceptive and persuasive streak to the Horse's base character (free-spirited, energetic, sociable), and this is the active, outgoing half of the cycle.

The 1942 lunar year ran from February 15, 1942 up to the day before Chinese New Year 1943 (February 5, 1943). If you were born on or after February 15, 1942 you are a Horse; if you were born earlier in 1942, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Snake. Someone born in 1942 turns 84 in 2026 (or 83 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 1942's Chinese New Year fell on a Sunday, and that lunar year ran 355 days — an ordinary 12-month lunar year.

What the Water element adds

Water is the element of winter, depth and adaptability. A Water year makes an animal more intuitive and persuasive, better at reading people and bending around obstacles rather than confronting them head-on.

The full 60-year cycle pairs each of the 12 animals with each of the 5 elements, so a Water Horse year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1942 was 1882, and the next is 2002. People born in it are said to combine free-spirited and energetic with the element's adaptable nature. Every Horse year is yang (the active, outgoing type). See the Water element and the full Water Horse profile.

1942 at a glance

Animal	🐎 Horse (马)
Element	Water
Yin or yang	yang
Traditional year name	壬午 (rénwǔ)
Place in the 60-year cycle	19 of 60
Zodiac year runs	February 15, 1942 to February 4, 1943
Age in 2026	83–84
Traditional best match	Goat
Traditional hardest match	Rat
Lucky numbers	2, 3, 7
Lucky colors	yellow, green

Horse compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 1942 Horse gets on best with the Goat (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Tiger and Dog. The hardest pairing is the Rat, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Horse compatibility table.

Where a birthday around 1942 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 1942 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to February 14, 1942	Snake (the 1941 year)
February 15, 1942 to December 31, 1942	Horse
January 1, 1943 to February 4, 1943	Horse (still the 1942 year)
February 5, 1943 onward	Goat (the 1943 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 1942 Horse

The next own-sign year for someone born in 1942 is 2026 (this year), around age 84, then 2038, around age 96. 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: 1942 and 1943

Water years come in pairs. 1942 is the yang year and 1943 is the yin year, the Goat. So a 1942 Horse and a 1943 Goat share an element and sit one year apart in the cycle. The traditional chart rates the Horse and Goat pairing as excellent: one of the six classic 'secret friend' pairings — a naturally supportive, stabilizing match. See the Horse and Goat pairing.

Other Horse years

1930 1954 1966 1978 1990 2002 2014 2026 2038

Full Horse personality profile →   Horse compatibility with every sign →

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

What a Water year changes for the Horse

Talking. In conversation, a Water Horse gets more strategic about it, choosing words to manage how the other person reacts, which is the main way 1942's version differs from the same animal born under another element.

Work. Water deepens and adds subtlety to the Horse's usual working style, so a 1942 Horse tends to run things with more patience for reading the room than most. The kind of work the sign suits stays the same; the element changes how the job gets done.

Love. Water is the element of winter, depth and adaptability, so in a relationship a Water Horse shows affection in quieter, more perceptive ways.

For the sign as a whole (how the Horse communicates, works and loves in every element) see the Horse profile. This page covers what is different about 1942.

Known Horses

Barbra Streisand and Harrison Ford were born in the 1942 lunar year, exact Water Horse matches for this page. Other well-known Horses, from other years, include Emma Watson and Clint Eastwood. A shared sign says nothing about how anyone's life goes; these are simply familiar names to put to the sign.