Born in 1944: the Monkey

Wood Monkey is the full name of the 1944 sign. Its traditional two-part year name is 甲申 (jiǎshēn), which puts it at number 21 of 60, and 1944 is a yang year, the cycle's active, outgoing half. Expect the Monkey's usual traits (clever, playful, curious) with a cooperative, growth-minded and quietly generous edge from the Wood element.

The 1944 lunar year ran from January 25, 1944 up to the day before Chinese New Year 1945 (February 13, 1945). If you were born on or after January 25, 1944 you are a Monkey; if you were born earlier in 1944, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Goat. Someone born in 1944 turns 82 in 2026 (or 81 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 1944's Chinese New Year fell on a Tuesday, and that lunar year ran 385 days — a long, 13-month year with an inserted leap month.

What the Wood element adds

Wood is the element of spring, growth and cooperation. A Wood year tends to soften an animal's sharper edges and push it toward teamwork, patience and building things that last rather than chasing quick wins.

The full 60-year cycle pairs each of the 12 animals with each of the 5 elements, so a Wood Monkey year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1944 was 1884, and the next is 2004. People born in it are said to combine clever and playful with the element's cooperative nature. Every Monkey year is yang (the active, outgoing type). See the Wood element and the full Wood Monkey profile.

1944 at a glance

Animal	🐒 Monkey (猴)
Element	Wood
Yin or yang	yang
Traditional year name	甲申 (jiǎshēn)
Place in the 60-year cycle	21 of 60
Zodiac year runs	January 25, 1944 to February 12, 1945
Age in 2026	81–82
Traditional best match	Snake
Traditional hardest match	Tiger
Lucky numbers	4, 9
Lucky colors	white, gold, blue

Monkey compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 1944 Monkey gets on best with the Snake (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Rat and Dragon. The hardest pairing is the Tiger, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Monkey compatibility table.

Where a birthday around 1944 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 1944 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to January 24, 1944	Goat (the 1943 year)
January 25, 1944 to December 31, 1944	Monkey
January 1, 1945 to February 12, 1945	Monkey (still the 1944 year)
February 13, 1945 onward	Rooster (the 1945 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 1944 Monkey

The next own-sign year for someone born in 1944 is 2028, around age 84, then 2040, 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: 1944 and 1945

Wood years come in pairs. 1944 is the yang year and 1945 is the yin year, the Rooster. So a 1944 Monkey and a 1945 Rooster share an element and sit one year apart in the cycle. The traditional chart rates the Monkey and Rooster 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 Monkey and Rooster pairing.

Other Monkey years

1932 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004 2016 2028 2040

Full Monkey personality profile →   Monkey compatibility with every sign →

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

What a Wood year changes for the Monkey

Talking. What marks a 1944 Monkey in conversation is the Wood element: it leans further into action, saying yes before thinking it all the way through.

Work. Expect a 1944 Monkey to work with more willingness to cooperate than most, because Wood softens and adds patience to the sign's usual approach. The element affects execution more than the field.

Love. In 1944's Wood version, the Monkey shows affection through steady cooperation over time, since wood is the element of spring, growth and cooperation.

For the sign as a whole (how the Monkey communicates, works and loves in every element) see the Monkey profile. This page covers what is different about 1944.

Known Monkeys

The Monkey's clever streak is often illustrated with names like Will Smith, Celine Dion, Tom Hanks, Kim Kardashian — none of whom was born in the 1944 lunar year. They illustrate the animal's general reputation, not this exact element combination.