Born in 2018: the Dog

Earth Dog is the full name of the 2018 sign. Its traditional two-part year name is 戊戌 (wùxū), which puts it at number 35 of 60, and 2018 is a yang year, the cycle's active, outgoing half. Expect the Dog's usual traits (loyal, honest, protective) with a grounded, practical and patient edge from the Earth element.

The 2018 lunar year ran from February 16, 2018 up to the day before Chinese New Year 2019 (February 5, 2019). If you were born on or after February 16, 2018 you are a Dog; if you were born earlier in 2018, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Rooster. Someone born in 2018 turns 8 in 2026 (or 7 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 2018's Chinese New Year fell on a Friday, and that lunar year ran 354 days — an ordinary 12-month lunar year.

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 Dog year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 2018 was 1958, and the next is 2078. People born in it are said to combine loyal and honest with the element's grounded nature. Every Dog year is yang (the active, outgoing type). See the Earth element and the full Earth Dog profile.

2018 at a glance

Animal	🐕 Dog (狗)
Element	Earth
Yin or yang	yang
Traditional year name	戊戌 (wùxū)
Place in the 60-year cycle	35 of 60
Zodiac year runs	February 16, 2018 to February 4, 2019
Age in 2026	7–8
Traditional best match	Rabbit
Traditional hardest match	Dragon
Lucky numbers	3, 4, 9
Lucky colors	green, red, purple

Dog compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 2018 Dog gets on best with the Rabbit (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Tiger and Horse. The hardest pairing is the Dragon, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Dog compatibility table.

Where a birthday around 2018 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 2018 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to February 15, 2018	Rooster (the 2017 year)
February 16, 2018 to December 31, 2018	Dog
January 1, 2019 to February 4, 2019	Dog (still the 2018 year)
February 5, 2019 onward	Pig (the 2019 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 2018 Dog

The next own-sign year for someone born in 2018 is 2030, around age 12, then 2042, 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: 2018 and 2019

Earth years come in pairs. 2018 is the yang year and 2019 is the yin year, the Pig. So a 2018 Dog and a 2019 Pig share an element and sit one year apart in the cycle. The traditional chart rates the Dog and Pig 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 Dog and Pig pairing.

Other Dog years

1934 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006 2030 2042

Full Dog personality profile →   Dog compatibility with every sign →

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

What an Earth year changes for the Dog

Talking. What marks a 2018 Dog in conversation is the Earth element: it gets steadier and more patient about it, in no hurry to make the point.

Work. Expect a 2018 Dog 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 2018's Earth version, the Dog 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 Dog communicates, works and loves in every element) see the Dog profile. This page covers what is different about 2018.

Known Dogs

The Dog's loyal streak is often illustrated with names like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Elvis Presley, Justin Bieber — none of whom was born in the 2018 lunar year. They illustrate the animal's general reputation, not this exact element combination.