Born in 2017: the Rooster

Anyone born in 2017 is a Fire Rooster. The year's traditional two-part name is 丁酉 (dīngyǒu), number 34 in the 60-year cycle, and it is a yin year, the quieter, more reflective half of the cycle. The base Rooster traits (observant, hardworking, direct) come filtered through a dynamic, warm and a little restless Fire tone.

The 2017 lunar year ran from January 28, 2017 up to the day before Chinese New Year 2018 (February 16, 2018). If you were born on or after January 28, 2017 you are a Rooster; if you were born earlier in 2017, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Monkey. Someone born in 2017 turns 9 in 2026 (or 8 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 2017's Chinese New Year fell on a Saturday, and that lunar year ran 384 days — a long, 13-month year with an inserted leap month.

What the Fire element adds

Fire is the element of summer, energy and passion. A Fire year turns the volume up — more drive, more warmth, more willingness to take a risk — but also a shorter fuse and less patience for slow, routine work.

The full 60-year cycle pairs each of the 12 animals with each of the 5 elements, so a Fire Rooster year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 2017 was 1957, and the next is 2077. People born in it are said to combine observant and hardworking with the element's dynamic nature. Every Rooster year is yin (the quieter, inward type). See the Fire element and the full Fire Rooster profile.

2017 at a glance

Animal	🐓 Rooster (鸡)
Element	Fire
Yin or yang	yin
Traditional year name	丁酉 (dīngyǒu)
Place in the 60-year cycle	34 of 60
Zodiac year runs	January 28, 2017 to February 15, 2018
Age in 2026	8–9
Traditional best match	Dragon
Traditional hardest match	Rabbit
Lucky numbers	5, 7, 8
Lucky colors	gold, brown, yellow

Rooster compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 2017 Rooster gets on best with the Dragon (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Ox and Snake. The hardest pairing is the Rabbit, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Rooster compatibility table.

Where a birthday around 2017 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 2017 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to January 27, 2017	Monkey (the 2016 year)
January 28, 2017 to December 31, 2017	Rooster
January 1, 2018 to February 15, 2018	Rooster (still the 2017 year)
February 16, 2018 onward	Dog (the 2018 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 2017 Rooster

The next own-sign year for someone born in 2017 is 2029, around age 12, then 2041, around age 24. 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: 2017 and 2016

Fire years come in pairs. 2017 is the yin year and 2016 is the yang year, the Monkey. So a 2017 Rooster and a 2016 Monkey share an element and sit one year apart in the cycle. The traditional chart rates the Rooster and Monkey 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 Rooster and Monkey pairing.

Other Rooster years

1933 1945 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005 2029 2041

Full Rooster personality profile →   Rooster compatibility with every sign →

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

What a Fire year changes for the Rooster

Talking. The Fire element shows up in how a 2017 Rooster speaks: it leans further into action, saying yes before thinking it all the way through. Another element on the same animal would sound different.

Work. In 2017 the Fire element intensifies and adds urgency to the Rooster's habits at work, so this version runs things hotter and faster than most. It changes the style, not the choice of career.

Love. A 2017 Rooster shows affection loudly and quickly. That follows from the element: fire is the element of summer, energy and passion.

For the sign as a whole (how the Rooster communicates, works and loves in every element) see the Rooster profile. This page covers what is different about 2017.

Known Roosters

Beyoncé, Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Gwen Stefani are among the names most often cited as Roosters, though none of them was born in the 2017 lunar year. They're referenced here as examples of the animal's observant streak generally, not proof of what a Fire Rooster specifically looks like.