Born in 1949: the Ox

Anyone born in 1949 is an Earth Ox. The year's traditional two-part name is 己丑 (jǐchǒu), number 26 in the 60-year cycle, and it is a yin year, the quieter, more reflective half of the cycle. The base Ox traits (dependable, patient, methodical) come filtered through a grounded, practical and patient Earth tone.

The 1949 lunar year ran from January 29, 1949 up to the day before Chinese New Year 1950 (February 17, 1950). If you were born on or after January 29, 1949 you are an Ox; if you were born earlier in 1949, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Rat. Someone born in 1949 turns 77 in 2026 (or 76 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 1949's Chinese New Year fell on a Saturday, and that lunar year ran 384 days — a long, 13-month year with an inserted leap month.

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 Ox year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1949 was 1889, and the next is 2009. People born in it are said to combine dependable and patient with the element's grounded nature. Every Ox year is yin (the quieter, inward type). See the Earth element and the full Earth Ox profile.

1949 at a glance

Animal	🐂 Ox (牛)
Element	Earth
Yin or yang	yin
Traditional year name	己丑 (jǐchǒu)
Place in the 60-year cycle	26 of 60
Zodiac year runs	January 29, 1949 to February 16, 1950
Age in 2026	76–77
Traditional best match	Rat
Traditional hardest match	Goat
Lucky numbers	1, 4
Lucky colors	white, yellow, green

Ox compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 1949 Ox gets on best with the Rat (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Snake and Rooster. The hardest pairing is the Goat, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Ox compatibility table.

Where a birthday around 1949 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 1949 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to January 28, 1949	Rat (the 1948 year)
January 29, 1949 to December 31, 1949	Ox
January 1, 1950 to February 16, 1950	Ox (still the 1949 year)
February 17, 1950 onward	Tiger (the 1950 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 1949 Ox

The next own-sign year for someone born in 1949 is 2033, around age 84, then 2045, 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: 1949 and 1948

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

Other Ox years

1937 1961 1973 1985 1997 2009 2021 2033

Full Ox personality profile →   Ox compatibility with every sign →

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

What an Earth year changes for the Ox

Talking. The Earth element shows up in how a 1949 Ox 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 1949 the Earth element steadies and grounds the Ox'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 1949 Ox 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 Ox communicates, works and loves in every element) see the Ox profile. This page covers what is different about 1949.

Known Oxs

Meryl Streep was born in the 1949 lunar year, an exact Earth Ox match for this page. Other well-known Oxs, from other years, include Barack Obama, Eddie Murphy and Peter Jackson. A shared sign says nothing about how anyone's life goes; these are simply familiar names to put to the sign.