Born in 1948: the Rat

Anyone born in 1948 is an Earth Rat. The year's traditional two-part name is 戊子 (wùzǐ), number 25 in the 60-year cycle, and it is a yang year, the active, outgoing half of the cycle. The base Rat traits (quick-witted, resourceful, adaptable) come filtered through a grounded, practical and patient Earth tone.

The 1948 lunar year ran from February 10, 1948 up to the day before Chinese New Year 1949 (January 29, 1949). If you were born on or after February 10, 1948 you are a Rat; if you were born earlier in 1948, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Pig. Someone born in 1948 turns 78 in 2026 (or 77 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 1948's Chinese New Year fell on a Tuesday, 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 Rat year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1948 was 1888, and the next is 2008. People born in it are said to combine quick-witted and resourceful with the element's grounded nature. Every Rat year is yang (the active, outgoing type). See the Earth element and the full Earth Rat profile.

1948 at a glance

Animal	🐀 Rat (鼠)
Element	Earth
Yin or yang	yang
Traditional year name	戊子 (wùzǐ)
Place in the 60-year cycle	25 of 60
Zodiac year runs	February 10, 1948 to January 28, 1949
Age in 2026	77–78
Traditional best match	Ox
Traditional hardest match	Horse
Lucky numbers	2, 3
Lucky colors	blue, gold, green

Rat compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 1948 Rat gets on best with the Ox (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Dragon and Monkey. The hardest pairing is the Horse, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Rat compatibility table.

Where a birthday around 1948 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 1948 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to February 9, 1948	Pig (the 1947 year)
February 10, 1948 to December 31, 1948	Rat
January 1, 1949 to January 28, 1949	Rat (still the 1948 year)
January 29, 1949 onward	Ox (the 1949 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 1948 Rat

The next own-sign year for someone born in 1948 is 2032, around age 84, then 2044, 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: 1948 and 1949

Earth years come in pairs. 1948 is the yang year and 1949 is the yin year, the Ox. So a 1948 Rat and a 1949 Ox share an element and sit one year apart in the cycle. The traditional chart rates the Rat and Ox pairing as excellent: one of the six classic 'secret friend' pairings — a naturally supportive, stabilizing match. See the Rat and Ox pairing.

Other Rat years

1936 1960 1972 1984 1996 2008 2020 2032 2044

Full Rat personality profile →   Rat compatibility with every sign →

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

What an Earth year changes for the Rat

Talking. The Earth element shows up in how a 1948 Rat 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 1948 the Earth element steadies and grounds the Rat'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 1948 Rat 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 Rat communicates, works and loves in every element) see the Rat profile. This page covers what is different about 1948.

Known Rats

King Charles III was born in the 1948 lunar year, an exact Earth Rat match for this page. Other well-known Rats, from other years, include Cameron Diaz, Eminem and Katy Perry. A shared sign says nothing about how anyone's life goes; these are simply familiar names to put to the sign.