Born in 2010: the Tiger

2010 is a yang year, a Metal Tiger. In the traditional calendar it carries the two-part name 庚寅 (gēngyín), year 27 of the 60-year cycle. The Metal element adds a determined, disciplined and self-reliant streak to the Tiger's base character (brave, confident, competitive), and this is the active, outgoing half of the cycle.

The 2010 lunar year ran from February 14, 2010 up to the day before Chinese New Year 2011 (February 3, 2011). If you were born on or after February 14, 2010 you are a Tiger; if you were born earlier in 2010, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Ox. Someone born in 2010 turns 16 in 2026 (or 15 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 2010's Chinese New Year fell on a Sunday, and that lunar year ran 354 days — an ordinary 12-month lunar year.

What the Metal element adds

Metal is the element of autumn, structure and resolve. A Metal year sharpens focus and independence: a Metal animal knows what it wants and pursues it directly, sometimes at the cost of flexibility.

The full 60-year cycle pairs each of the 12 animals with each of the 5 elements, so a Metal Tiger year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 2010 was 1950, and the next is 2070. People born in it are said to combine brave and confident with the element's determined nature. Every Tiger year is yang (the active, outgoing type). See the Metal element and the full Metal Tiger profile.

2010 at a glance

Animal	🐅 Tiger (虎)
Element	Metal
Yin or yang	yang
Traditional year name	庚寅 (gēngyín)
Place in the 60-year cycle	27 of 60
Zodiac year runs	February 14, 2010 to February 2, 2011
Age in 2026	15–16
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 2010 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 2010 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 2010 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to February 13, 2010	Ox (the 2009 year)
February 14, 2010 to December 31, 2010	Tiger
January 1, 2011 to February 2, 2011	Tiger (still the 2010 year)
February 3, 2011 onward	Rabbit (the 2011 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 2010 Tiger

The next own-sign year for someone born in 2010 is 2034, around age 24, then 2046, 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: 2010 and 2011

Metal years come in pairs. 2010 is the yang year and 2011 is the yin year, the Rabbit. So a 2010 Tiger and a 2011 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 1998 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 Metal year changes for the Tiger

Talking. In conversation, a Metal Tiger gets more guarded about it, saying less than it's actually thinking, which is the main way 2010's version differs from the same animal born under another element.

Work. Metal sharpens and hardens the Tiger's usual working style, so a 2010 Tiger tends to run things with a sharper, less negotiable edge than most. The kind of work the sign suits stays the same; the element changes how the job gets done.

Love. Metal is the element of autumn, structure and resolve, so in a relationship a Metal Tiger shows affection through direct, no-nonsense gestures.

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 2010.

Known Tigers

Well-known Tigers — sharing the animal though not this exact 2010 birth year or Metal element — include Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Penélope Cruz, Lady Gaga. None of the people listed here were born in the 2010 lunar year, but they're commonly cited as examples of the Tiger's brave streak.