Born in 1950: the Tiger

Metal Tiger is the full name of the 1950 sign. Its traditional two-part year name is 庚寅 (gēngyín), which puts it at number 27 of 60, and 1950 is a yang year, the cycle's active, outgoing half. Expect the Tiger's usual traits (brave, confident, competitive) with a determined, disciplined and self-reliant edge from the Metal element.

The 1950 lunar year ran from February 17, 1950 up to the day before Chinese New Year 1951 (February 6, 1951). If you were born on or after February 17, 1950 you are a Tiger; if you were born earlier in 1950, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Ox. Someone born in 1950 turns 76 in 2026 (or 75 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 1950's Chinese New Year fell on a Friday, and that lunar year ran 354 days — an ordinary 12-month lunar year.

What the Metal element adds

Metal is the element of autumn, structure and resolve. A Metal year sharpens focus and independence: a Metal animal knows what it wants and pursues it directly, sometimes at the cost of flexibility.

The full 60-year cycle pairs each of the 12 animals with each of the 5 elements, so a Metal Tiger year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1950 was 1890, and the next is 2010. People born in it are said to combine brave and confident with the element's determined nature. Every Tiger year is yang (the active, outgoing type). See the Metal element and the full Metal Tiger profile.

1950 at a glance

Animal	🐅 Tiger (虎)
Element	Metal
Yin or yang	yang
Traditional year name	庚寅 (gēngyín)
Place in the 60-year cycle	27 of 60
Zodiac year runs	February 17, 1950 to February 5, 1951
Age in 2026	75–76
Traditional best match	Pig
Traditional hardest match	Monkey
Lucky numbers	1, 3, 4
Lucky colors	blue, gray, orange

Tiger compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 1950 Tiger gets on best with the Pig (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Horse and Dog. The hardest pairing is the Monkey, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Tiger compatibility table.

Where a birthday around 1950 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 1950 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to February 16, 1950	Ox (the 1949 year)
February 17, 1950 to December 31, 1950	Tiger
January 1, 1951 to February 5, 1951	Tiger (still the 1950 year)
February 6, 1951 onward	Rabbit (the 1951 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 1950 Tiger

The next own-sign year for someone born in 1950 is 2034, around age 84, then 2046, 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: 1950 and 1951

Metal years come in pairs. 1950 is the yang year and 1951 is the yin year, the Rabbit. So a 1950 Tiger and a 1951 Rabbit share an element and sit one year apart in the cycle. The traditional chart rates the Tiger and Rabbit 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 Tiger and Rabbit pairing.

Other Tiger years

1938 1962 1974 1986 1998 2010 2022 2034

Full Tiger personality profile →   Tiger compatibility with every sign →

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

What a Metal year changes for the Tiger

Talking. What marks a 1950 Tiger in conversation is the Metal element: it gets more guarded about it, saying less than it's actually thinking.

Work. Expect a 1950 Tiger to work with a sharper, less negotiable edge than most, because Metal sharpens and hardens the sign's usual approach. The element affects execution more than the field.

Love. In 1950's Metal version, the Tiger shows affection through direct, no-nonsense gestures, since metal is the element of autumn, structure and resolve.

For the sign as a whole (how the Tiger communicates, works and loves in every element) see the Tiger profile. This page covers what is different about 1950.

Known Tigers

The Tiger's brave streak is often illustrated with names like Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Penélope Cruz, Lady Gaga — none of whom was born in the 1950 lunar year. They illustrate the animal's general reputation, not this exact element combination.