Born in 2011: the Rabbit

2011 is a yin year, a Metal Rabbit. In the traditional calendar it carries the two-part name 辛卯 (xīnmǎo), year 28 of the 60-year cycle. The Metal element adds a determined, disciplined and self-reliant streak to the Rabbit's base character (gentle, tactful, observant), and this is the quieter, more reflective half of the cycle.

The 2011 lunar year ran from February 3, 2011 up to the day before Chinese New Year 2012 (January 23, 2012). If you were born on or after February 3, 2011 you are a Rabbit; if you were born earlier in 2011, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Tiger. Someone born in 2011 turns 15 in 2026 (or 14 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 2011's Chinese New Year fell on a Thursday, 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 Rabbit year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 2011 was 1951, and the next is 2071. People born in it are said to combine gentle and tactful with the element's determined nature. Every Rabbit year is yin (the quieter, inward type). See the Metal element and the full Metal Rabbit profile.

2011 at a glance

Animal	🐇 Rabbit (兔)
Element	Metal
Yin or yang	yin
Traditional year name	辛卯 (xīnmǎo)
Place in the 60-year cycle	28 of 60
Zodiac year runs	February 3, 2011 to January 22, 2012
Age in 2026	14–15
Traditional best match	Dog
Traditional hardest match	Rooster
Lucky numbers	3, 4, 6
Lucky colors	pink, red, purple, blue

Rabbit compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 2011 Rabbit gets on best with the Dog (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Goat and Pig. The hardest pairing is the Rooster, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Rabbit compatibility table.

Where a birthday around 2011 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 2011 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to February 2, 2011	Tiger (the 2010 year)
February 3, 2011 to December 31, 2011	Rabbit
January 1, 2012 to January 22, 2012	Rabbit (still the 2011 year)
January 23, 2012 onward	Dragon (the 2012 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 2011 Rabbit

The next own-sign year for someone born in 2011 is 2035, around age 24, then 2047, 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: 2011 and 2010

Metal years come in pairs. 2011 is the yin year and 2010 is the yang year, the Tiger. So a 2011 Rabbit and a 2010 Tiger share an element and sit one year apart in the cycle. The traditional chart rates the Rabbit and Tiger 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 Rabbit and Tiger pairing.

Other Rabbit years

1939 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999 2023 2035

Full Rabbit personality profile →   Rabbit compatibility with every sign →

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

What a Metal year changes for the Rabbit

Talking. In conversation, a Metal Rabbit gets more guarded about it, saying less than it's actually thinking, which is the main way 2011's version differs from the same animal born under another element.

Work. Metal sharpens and hardens the Rabbit's usual working style, so a 2011 Rabbit 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 Rabbit shows affection through direct, no-nonsense gestures.

For the sign as a whole (how the Rabbit communicates, works and loves in every element) see the Rabbit profile. This page covers what is different about 2011.

Known Rabbits

Well-known Rabbits — sharing the animal though not this exact 2011 birth year or Metal element — include Angelina Jolie, David Beckham, Michael Jordan, Brad Pitt. None of the people listed here were born in the 2011 lunar year, but they're commonly cited as examples of the Rabbit's gentle streak.