Born in 1974: the Tiger

Wood Tiger is the full name of the 1974 sign. Its traditional two-part year name is 甲寅 (jiǎyín), which puts it at number 51 of 60, and 1974 is a yang year, the cycle's active, outgoing half. Expect the Tiger's usual traits (brave, confident, competitive) with a cooperative, growth-minded and quietly generous edge from the Wood element.

The 1974 lunar year ran from January 23, 1974 up to the day before Chinese New Year 1975 (February 11, 1975). If you were born on or after January 23, 1974 you are a Tiger; if you were born earlier in 1974, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Ox. Someone born in 1974 turns 52 in 2026 (or 51 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 1974's Chinese New Year fell on a Wednesday, and that lunar year ran 384 days — a long, 13-month year with an inserted leap month.

What the Wood element adds

Wood is the element of spring, growth and cooperation. A Wood year tends to soften an animal's sharper edges and push it toward teamwork, patience and building things that last rather than chasing quick wins.

The full 60-year cycle pairs each of the 12 animals with each of the 5 elements, so a Wood Tiger year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1974 was 1914, and the next is 2034. People born in it are said to combine brave and confident with the element's cooperative nature. Every Tiger year is yang (the active, outgoing type). See the Wood element and the full Wood Tiger profile.

1974 at a glance

Animal	🐅 Tiger (虎)
Element	Wood
Yin or yang	yang
Traditional year name	甲寅 (jiǎyín)
Place in the 60-year cycle	51 of 60
Zodiac year runs	January 23, 1974 to February 10, 1975
Age in 2026	51–52
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 1974 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 1974 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 1974 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to January 22, 1974	Ox (the 1973 year)
January 23, 1974 to December 31, 1974	Tiger
January 1, 1975 to February 10, 1975	Tiger (still the 1974 year)
February 11, 1975 onward	Rabbit (the 1975 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 1974 Tiger

The next own-sign year for someone born in 1974 is 2034, around age 60, then 2046, 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: 1974 and 1975

Wood years come in pairs. 1974 is the yang year and 1975 is the yin year, the Rabbit. So a 1974 Tiger and a 1975 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 1962 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 Wood year changes for the Tiger

Talking. What marks a 1974 Tiger in conversation is the Wood element: it leans further into action, saying yes before thinking it all the way through.

Work. Expect a 1974 Tiger to work with more willingness to cooperate than most, because Wood softens and adds patience to the sign's usual approach. The element affects execution more than the field.

Love. In 1974's Wood version, the Tiger shows affection through steady cooperation over time, since wood is the element of spring, growth and cooperation.

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 1974.

Known Tigers

Leonardo DiCaprio and Penélope Cruz were born in the 1974 lunar year, exact Wood Tiger matches for this page. Other well-known Tigers, from other years, include Tom Cruise and Lady Gaga. A shared sign says nothing about how anyone's life goes; these are simply familiar names to put to the sign.