Born in 1968: the Monkey

Anyone born in 1968 is an Earth Monkey. The year's traditional two-part name is 戊申 (wùshēn), number 45 in the 60-year cycle, and it is a yang year, the active, outgoing half of the cycle. The base Monkey traits (clever, playful, curious) come filtered through a grounded, practical and patient Earth tone.

The 1968 lunar year ran from January 30, 1968 up to the day before Chinese New Year 1969 (February 17, 1969). If you were born on or after January 30, 1968 you are a Monkey; if you were born earlier in 1968, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Goat. Someone born in 1968 turns 58 in 2026 (or 57 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 1968's Chinese New Year fell on a Tuesday, 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 Monkey year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1968 was 1908, and the next is 2028. People born in it are said to combine clever and playful with the element's grounded nature. Every Monkey year is yang (the active, outgoing type). See the Earth element and the full Earth Monkey profile.

1968 at a glance

Animal	🐒 Monkey (猴)
Element	Earth
Yin or yang	yang
Traditional year name	戊申 (wùshēn)
Place in the 60-year cycle	45 of 60
Zodiac year runs	January 30, 1968 to February 16, 1969
Age in 2026	57–58
Traditional best match	Snake
Traditional hardest match	Tiger
Lucky numbers	4, 9
Lucky colors	white, gold, blue

Monkey compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 1968 Monkey gets on best with the Snake (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Rat and Dragon. The hardest pairing is the Tiger, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Monkey compatibility table.

Where a birthday around 1968 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 1968 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to January 29, 1968	Goat (the 1967 year)
January 30, 1968 to December 31, 1968	Monkey
January 1, 1969 to February 16, 1969	Monkey (still the 1968 year)
February 17, 1969 onward	Rooster (the 1969 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 1968 Monkey

The next own-sign year for someone born in 1968 is 2028, around age 60, then 2040, around age 72. 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: 1968 and 1969

Earth years come in pairs. 1968 is the yang year and 1969 is the yin year, the Rooster. So a 1968 Monkey and a 1969 Rooster share an element and sit one year apart in the cycle. The traditional chart rates the Monkey and Rooster 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 Monkey and Rooster pairing.

Other Monkey years

1932 1944 1956 1980 1992 2004 2016 2028 2040

Full Monkey personality profile →   Monkey compatibility with every sign →

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

What an Earth year changes for the Monkey

Talking. The Earth element shows up in how a 1968 Monkey 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 1968 the Earth element steadies and grounds the Monkey'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 1968 Monkey 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 Monkey communicates, works and loves in every element) see the Monkey profile. This page covers what is different about 1968.

Known Monkeys

Will Smith and Celine Dion were born in the 1968 lunar year, exact Earth Monkey matches for this page. Other well-known Monkeys, from other years, include Tom Hanks and Kim Kardashian. A shared sign says nothing about how anyone's life goes; these are simply familiar names to put to the sign.