Born in 1998: the Tiger

Earth Tiger is the full name of the 1998 sign. Its traditional two-part year name is 戊寅 (wùyín), which puts it at number 15 of 60, and 1998 is a yang year, the cycle's active, outgoing half. Expect the Tiger's usual traits (brave, confident, competitive) with a grounded, practical and patient edge from the Earth element.

The 1998 lunar year ran from January 28, 1998 up to the day before Chinese New Year 1999 (February 16, 1999). If you were born on or after January 28, 1998 you are a Tiger; if you were born earlier in 1998, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Ox. Someone born in 1998 turns 28 in 2026 (or 27 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 1998'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 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 Tiger year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1998 was 1938, and the next is 2058. People born in it are said to combine brave and confident with the element's grounded nature. Every Tiger year is yang (the active, outgoing type). See the Earth element and the full Earth Tiger profile.

1998 at a glance

Animal	🐅 Tiger (虎)
Element	Earth
Yin or yang	yang
Traditional year name	戊寅 (wùyín)
Place in the 60-year cycle	15 of 60
Zodiac year runs	January 28, 1998 to February 15, 1999
Age in 2026	27–28
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 1998 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 1998 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 1998 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to January 27, 1998	Ox (the 1997 year)
January 28, 1998 to December 31, 1998	Tiger
January 1, 1999 to February 15, 1999	Tiger (still the 1998 year)
February 16, 1999 onward	Rabbit (the 1999 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 1998 Tiger

The next own-sign year for someone born in 1998 is 2034, around age 36, then 2046, around age 48. 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: 1998 and 1999

Earth years come in pairs. 1998 is the yang year and 1999 is the yin year, the Rabbit. So a 1998 Tiger and a 1999 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 1974 1986 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 an Earth year changes for the Tiger

Talking. What marks a 1998 Tiger in conversation is the Earth element: it gets steadier and more patient about it, in no hurry to make the point.

Work. Expect a 1998 Tiger to work slower but with more staying power than most, because Earth steadies and grounds the sign's usual approach. The element affects execution more than the field.

Love. In 1998's Earth version, the Tiger shows affection through consistency and follow-through, since earth is the element of the harvest, stability and realism.

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 1998.

Known Tigers

The Tiger's brave streak is often illustrated with names like Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Penélope Cruz, Lady Gaga — none of whom was born in the 1998 lunar year. They illustrate the animal's general reputation, not this exact element combination.