Born in 2004: the Monkey

2004 is a yang year, a Wood Monkey. In the traditional calendar it carries the two-part name 甲申 (jiǎshēn), year 21 of the 60-year cycle. The Wood element adds a cooperative, growth-minded and quietly generous streak to the Monkey's base character (clever, playful, curious), and this is the active, outgoing half of the cycle.

The 2004 lunar year ran from January 22, 2004 up to the day before Chinese New Year 2005 (February 9, 2005). If you were born on or after January 22, 2004 you are a Monkey; if you were born earlier in 2004, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Goat. Someone born in 2004 turns 22 in 2026 (or 21 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 2004's Chinese New Year fell on a Thursday, 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 Monkey year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 2004 was 1944, and the next is 2064. People born in it are said to combine clever and playful with the element's cooperative nature. Every Monkey year is yang (the active, outgoing type). See the Wood element and the full Wood Monkey profile.

2004 at a glance

Animal	🐒 Monkey (猴)
Element	Wood
Yin or yang	yang
Traditional year name	甲申 (jiǎshēn)
Place in the 60-year cycle	21 of 60
Zodiac year runs	January 22, 2004 to February 8, 2005
Age in 2026	21–22
Traditional best match	Snake
Traditional hardest match	Tiger
Lucky numbers	4, 9
Lucky colors	white, gold, blue

Monkey compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 2004 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 2004 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 2004 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to January 21, 2004	Goat (the 2003 year)
January 22, 2004 to December 31, 2004	Monkey
January 1, 2005 to February 8, 2005	Monkey (still the 2004 year)
February 9, 2005 onward	Rooster (the 2005 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 2004 Monkey

The next own-sign year for someone born in 2004 is 2028, around age 24, then 2040, around age 36. 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: 2004 and 2005

Wood years come in pairs. 2004 is the yang year and 2005 is the yin year, the Rooster. So a 2004 Monkey and a 2005 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 1968 1980 1992 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 a Wood year changes for the Monkey

Talking. In conversation, a Wood Monkey leans further into action, saying yes before thinking it all the way through, which is the main way 2004's version differs from the same animal born under another element.

Work. Wood softens and adds patience to the Monkey's usual working style, so a 2004 Monkey tends to run things with more willingness to cooperate than most. The kind of work the sign suits stays the same; the element changes how the job gets done.

Love. Wood is the element of spring, growth and cooperation, so in a relationship a Wood Monkey shows affection through steady cooperation over time.

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 2004.

Known Monkeys

Well-known Monkeys — sharing the animal though not this exact 2004 birth year or Wood element — include Will Smith, Celine Dion, Tom Hanks, Kim Kardashian. None of the people listed here were born in the 2004 lunar year, but they're commonly cited as examples of the Monkey's clever streak.