Born in 1983: the Pig

Anyone born in 1983 is a Water Pig. The year's traditional two-part name is 癸亥 (guǐhài), number 60 in the 60-year cycle, and it is a yin year, the quieter, more reflective half of the cycle. The base Pig traits (generous, easy-going, diligent) come filtered through an adaptable, perceptive and persuasive Water tone.

The 1983 lunar year ran from February 13, 1983 up to the day before Chinese New Year 1984 (February 2, 1984). If you were born on or after February 13, 1983 you are a Pig; if you were born earlier in 1983, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Dog. Someone born in 1983 turns 43 in 2026 (or 42 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 1983's Chinese New Year fell on a Sunday, 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 Pig year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1983 was 1923, and the next is 2043. People born in it are said to combine generous and easy-going with the element's adaptable nature. Every Pig year is yin (the quieter, inward type). See the Water element and the full Water Pig profile.

1983 at a glance

Animal	🐖 Pig (猪)
Element	Water
Yin or yang	yin
Traditional year name	癸亥 (guǐhài)
Place in the 60-year cycle	60 of 60
Zodiac year runs	February 13, 1983 to February 1, 1984
Age in 2026	42–43
Traditional best match	Tiger
Traditional hardest match	Snake
Lucky numbers	2, 5, 8
Lucky colors	yellow, gray, brown, gold

Pig compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 1983 Pig gets on best with the Tiger (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Rabbit and Goat. The hardest pairing is the Snake, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Pig compatibility table.

Where a birthday around 1983 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 1983 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to February 12, 1983	Dog (the 1982 year)
February 13, 1983 to December 31, 1983	Pig
January 1, 1984 to February 1, 1984	Pig (still the 1983 year)
February 2, 1984 onward	Rat (the 1984 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 1983 Pig

The next own-sign year for someone born in 1983 is 2031, around age 48, then 2043, around age 60. 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: 1983 and 1982

Water years come in pairs. 1983 is the yin year and 1982 is the yang year, the Dog. So a 1983 Pig and a 1982 Dog share an element and sit one year apart in the cycle. The traditional chart rates the Pig and Dog 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 Pig and Dog pairing.

Other Pig years

1935 1947 1959 1971 1995 2007 2019 2031 2043

Full Pig personality profile →   Pig compatibility with every sign →

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

What a Water year changes for the Pig

Talking. The Water element shows up in how a 1983 Pig speaks: it gets more strategic about it, choosing words to manage how the other person reacts. Another element on the same animal would sound different.

Work. In 1983 the Water element deepens and adds subtlety to the Pig's habits at work, so this version runs things with more patience for reading the room than most. It changes the style, not the choice of career.

Love. A 1983 Pig shows affection in quieter, more perceptive ways. That follows from the element: water is the element of winter, depth and adaptability.

For the sign as a whole (how the Pig communicates, works and loves in every element) see the Pig profile. This page covers what is different about 1983.

Known Pigs

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hillary Clinton, Elton John, Ricky Martin are among the names most often cited as Pigs, though none of them was born in the 1983 lunar year. They're referenced here as examples of the animal's generous streak generally, not proof of what a Water Pig specifically looks like.