Born in 1962: the Tiger

1962 is a yang year, a Water Tiger. In the traditional calendar it carries the two-part name 壬寅 (rényín), year 39 of the 60-year cycle. The Water element adds an adaptable, perceptive and persuasive streak to the Tiger's base character (brave, confident, competitive), and this is the active, outgoing half of the cycle.

The 1962 lunar year ran from February 5, 1962 up to the day before Chinese New Year 1963 (January 25, 1963). If you were born on or after February 5, 1962 you are a Tiger; if you were born earlier in 1962, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Ox. Someone born in 1962 turns 64 in 2026 (or 63 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 1962's Chinese New Year fell on a Monday, and that lunar year ran 354 days — an ordinary 12-month lunar year.

What the Water element adds

Water is the element of winter, depth and adaptability. A Water year makes an animal more intuitive and persuasive, better at reading people and bending around obstacles rather than confronting them head-on.

The full 60-year cycle pairs each of the 12 animals with each of the 5 elements, so a Water Tiger year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1962 was 1902, and the next is 2022. People born in it are said to combine brave and confident with the element's adaptable nature. Every Tiger year is yang (the active, outgoing type). See the Water element and the full Water Tiger profile.

1962 at a glance

Animal	🐅 Tiger (虎)
Element	Water
Yin or yang	yang
Traditional year name	壬寅 (rényín)
Place in the 60-year cycle	39 of 60
Zodiac year runs	February 5, 1962 to January 24, 1963
Age in 2026	63–64
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 1962 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 1962 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 1962 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to February 4, 1962	Ox (the 1961 year)
February 5, 1962 to December 31, 1962	Tiger
January 1, 1963 to January 24, 1963	Tiger (still the 1962 year)
January 25, 1963 onward	Rabbit (the 1963 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 1962 Tiger

The next own-sign year for someone born in 1962 is 2034, around age 72, then 2046, around age 84. 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: 1962 and 1963

Water years come in pairs. 1962 is the yang year and 1963 is the yin year, the Rabbit. So a 1962 Tiger and a 1963 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 1950 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 Water year changes for the Tiger

Talking. In conversation, a Water Tiger gets more strategic about it, choosing words to manage how the other person reacts, which is the main way 1962's version differs from the same animal born under another element.

Work. Water deepens and adds subtlety to the Tiger's usual working style, so a 1962 Tiger tends to run things with more patience for reading the room than most. The kind of work the sign suits stays the same; the element changes how the job gets done.

Love. Water is the element of winter, depth and adaptability, so in a relationship a Water Tiger shows affection in quieter, more perceptive ways.

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 1962.

Known Tigers

Tom Cruise was born in the 1962 lunar year, an exact Water Tiger match for this page. Other well-known Tigers, from other years, include Leonardo DiCaprio, Penélope Cruz and Lady Gaga. A shared sign says nothing about how anyone's life goes; these are simply familiar names to put to the sign.