Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 27, 2026

Monkey (zodiac)

The monkey is the ninth animal in the 12-year cycle of Chinese zodiac, which is part of the traditional Chinese calendar. The year of the monkey is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 申.

Last revised
Jun 27, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
434 w
Citations
2
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Monkey
"Monkey" in regular Chinese characters
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinhóu
Wade–Gileshou2
IPA[xǒʊ]
Hakka
Romanizationhèu
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanizationhàuh
Jyutpinghau4
IPA[hɐw˩]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJhiô / hô͘ / kâu
Eastern Min
Fuzhou BUChèu / gàu
Northern Min
Jian'ou Romanizedgě
Old Chinese
Baxter–Sagart (2014)*mə-ɡˤ(r)o
Zodiac monkey, showing the hóu (猴) character for monkey source ↗

The monkey (猴) is the ninth animal in the 12-year cycle of Chinese zodiac, which is part of the traditional Chinese calendar. The year of the monkey is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 申.

Years and the five elements

The three wise monkeys over the Tōshō-gū shrine in Nikkō, Japan source ↗
The monkey statue at the Shinto shrine in Tokyo source ↗

People born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the "year of the monkey", while bearing the following elemental sign:12

Start date End date Heavenly branch
6 February 1932 25 January 1933 Water Monkey
25 January 1944 12 February 1945 Wood Monkey
12 February 1956 30 January 1957 Fire Monkey
30 January 1968 16 February 1969 Earth Monkey
16 February 1980 4 February 1981 Metal Monkey
4 February 1992 22 January 1993 Water Monkey
22 January 2004 8 February 2005 Wood Monkey
8 February 2016 27 January 2017 Fire Monkey
26 January 2028 12 February 2029 Earth Monkey
12 February 2040 31 January 2041 Metal Monkey
1 February 2052 18 February 2053 Water Monkey
17 February 2064 4 February 2065 Wood Monkey
5 February 2076 23 January 2077 Fire Monkey
24 January 2088 9 February 2089 Earth Monkey
9 February 2100 28 January 2101 Metal Monkey

Basic astrology elements

Earthly Branches: Shen
The Five Elements: Metal
Yin Yang: Yang
Lunar Month: August 6 to September 5
Earthly Branch Ruling Hours: 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Lucky Numbers: 1, 3, 4, 7, 8; Avoid: 2, 5, 9
Lucky Colors: violet, royal blue, ultramarine, blue, white, and gold; Avoid: red, black, grey
Season: Summer
Lucky/Associated Countries: United States, France, Norway, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Tunisia
References

References

  1. "Year of the Monkey: Years, Personality, 2018 Horoscope, Love Compatibility, Lucky Elements". yourchineseastrology.com. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  2. "Chinese Zodiac – Monkey". Your Chinese Astrology. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
Further reading

Further reading

External links