Born in 2028: the Monkey

Earth Monkey is the full name of the 2028 sign. Its traditional two-part year name is 戊申 (wùshēn), which puts it at number 45 of 60, and 2028 is a yang year, the cycle's active, outgoing half. Expect the Monkey's usual traits (clever, playful, curious) with a grounded, practical and patient edge from the Earth element.

The 2028 lunar year runs from January 26, 2028 up to the day before Chinese New Year 2029 (February 13, 2029). Anyone born on or after January 26, 2028 will be a Monkey; a baby born earlier in 2028 belongs to the previous year's sign, the Goat.

Calendar note: 2028's Chinese New Year falls on a Wednesday, and that lunar year will run 384 days — a long, 13-month year with an inserted leap month.

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 Monkey year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 2028 was 1968, and the next is 2088. People born in it are said to combine clever and playful with the element's grounded nature. Every Monkey year is yang (the active, outgoing type). See the Earth element and the full Earth Monkey profile.

2028 at a glance

Animal	🐒 Monkey (猴)
Element	Earth
Yin or yang	yang
Traditional year name	戊申 (wùshēn)
Place in the 60-year cycle	45 of 60
Zodiac year runs	January 26, 2028 to February 12, 2029
Traditional best match	Snake
Traditional hardest match	Tiger
Lucky numbers	4, 9
Lucky colors	white, gold, blue

Monkey compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 2028 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 2028 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 2028 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to January 25, 2028	Goat (the 2027 year)
January 26, 2028 to December 31, 2028	Monkey
January 1, 2029 to February 12, 2029	Monkey (still the 2028 year)
February 13, 2029 onward	Rooster (the 2029 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 2028 Monkey

Someone born in 2028 reaches their first own-sign year at 12, in 2040, and again in 2052. 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: 2028 and 2029

Earth years come in pairs. 2028 is the yang year and 2029 is the yin year, the Rooster. So a 2028 Monkey and a 2029 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 2004 2016 2040

Full Monkey personality profile →   Monkey compatibility with every sign →

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

What an Earth year changes for the Monkey

Talking. What marks a 2028 Monkey in conversation is the Earth element: it gets steadier and more patient about it, in no hurry to make the point.

Work. Expect a 2028 Monkey 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 2028's Earth version, the Monkey 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 Monkey communicates, works and loves in every element) see the Monkey profile. This page covers what is different about 2028.

Known Monkeys

The Monkey's clever streak is often illustrated with names like Will Smith, Celine Dion, Tom Hanks, Kim Kardashian — none of whom was born in the 2028 lunar year. They illustrate the animal's general reputation, not this exact element combination.