Born in 1973: the Ox

1973 is a yin year, a Water Ox. In the traditional calendar it carries the two-part name 癸丑 (guǐchǒu), year 50 of the 60-year cycle. The Water element adds an adaptable, perceptive and persuasive streak to the Ox's base character (dependable, patient, methodical), and this is the quieter, more reflective half of the cycle.

The 1973 lunar year ran from February 3, 1973 up to the day before Chinese New Year 1974 (January 23, 1974). If you were born on or after February 3, 1973 you are an Ox; if you were born earlier in 1973, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Rat. Someone born in 1973 turns 53 in 2026 (or 52 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 1973's Chinese New Year fell on a Saturday, 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 Ox year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1973 was 1913, and the next is 2033. People born in it are said to combine dependable and patient with the element's adaptable nature. Every Ox year is yin (the quieter, inward type). See the Water element and the full Water Ox profile.

1973 at a glance

Animal	🐂 Ox (牛)
Element	Water
Yin or yang	yin
Traditional year name	癸丑 (guǐchǒu)
Place in the 60-year cycle	50 of 60
Zodiac year runs	February 3, 1973 to January 22, 1974
Age in 2026	52–53
Traditional best match	Rat
Traditional hardest match	Goat
Lucky numbers	1, 4
Lucky colors	white, yellow, green

Ox compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 1973 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 1973 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 1973 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to February 2, 1973	Rat (the 1972 year)
February 3, 1973 to December 31, 1973	Ox
January 1, 1974 to January 22, 1974	Ox (still the 1973 year)
January 23, 1974 onward	Tiger (the 1974 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 1973 Ox

The next own-sign year for someone born in 1973 is 2033, around age 60, then 2045, 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: 1973 and 1972

Water years come in pairs. 1973 is the yin year and 1972 is the yang year, the Rat. So a 1973 Ox and a 1972 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 1949 1961 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 a Water year changes for the Ox

Talking. In conversation, a Water Ox gets more strategic about it, choosing words to manage how the other person reacts, which is the main way 1973's version differs from the same animal born under another element.

Work. Water deepens and adds subtlety to the Ox's usual working style, so a 1973 Ox 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 Ox shows affection in quieter, more perceptive ways.

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 1973.

Known Oxs

Well-known Oxs — sharing the animal though not this exact 1973 birth year or Water element — include Barack Obama, Meryl Streep, Eddie Murphy, Peter Jackson. None of the people listed here were born in the 1973 lunar year, but they're commonly cited as examples of the Ox's dependable streak.