Born in 1945: the Rooster

Wood Rooster is the full name of the 1945 sign. Its traditional two-part year name is 乙酉 (yǐyǒu), which puts it at number 22 of 60, and 1945 is a yin year, the cycle's quieter, more reflective half. Expect the Rooster's usual traits (observant, hardworking, direct) with a cooperative, growth-minded and quietly generous edge from the Wood element.

The 1945 lunar year ran from February 13, 1945 up to the day before Chinese New Year 1946 (February 2, 1946). If you were born on or after February 13, 1945 you are a Rooster; if you were born earlier in 1945, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Monkey. Someone born in 1945 turns 81 in 2026 (or 80 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 1945's Chinese New Year fell on a Tuesday, and that lunar year ran 354 days — an ordinary 12-month lunar year.

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 Rooster year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1945 was 1885, and the next is 2005. People born in it are said to combine observant and hardworking with the element's cooperative nature. Every Rooster year is yin (the quieter, inward type). See the Wood element and the full Wood Rooster profile.

1945 at a glance

Animal	🐓 Rooster (鸡)
Element	Wood
Yin or yang	yin
Traditional year name	乙酉 (yǐyǒu)
Place in the 60-year cycle	22 of 60
Zodiac year runs	February 13, 1945 to February 1, 1946
Age in 2026	80–81
Traditional best match	Dragon
Traditional hardest match	Rabbit
Lucky numbers	5, 7, 8
Lucky colors	gold, brown, yellow

Rooster compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 1945 Rooster gets on best with the Dragon (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Ox and Snake. The hardest pairing is the Rabbit, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Rooster compatibility table.

Where a birthday around 1945 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 1945 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to February 12, 1945	Monkey (the 1944 year)
February 13, 1945 to December 31, 1945	Rooster
January 1, 1946 to February 1, 1946	Rooster (still the 1945 year)
February 2, 1946 onward	Dog (the 1946 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 1945 Rooster

The next own-sign year for someone born in 1945 is 2029, around age 84, then 2041, 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: 1945 and 1944

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

Other Rooster years

1933 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005 2017 2029 2041

Full Rooster personality profile →   Rooster compatibility with every sign →

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

What a Wood year changes for the Rooster

Talking. What marks a 1945 Rooster in conversation is the Wood element: it leans further into action, saying yes before thinking it all the way through.

Work. Expect a 1945 Rooster 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 1945's Wood version, the Rooster 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 Rooster communicates, works and loves in every element) see the Rooster profile. This page covers what is different about 1945.

Known Roosters

The Rooster's observant streak is often illustrated with names like Beyoncé, Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Gwen Stefani — none of whom was born in the 1945 lunar year. They illustrate the animal's general reputation, not this exact element combination.