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Zodiac Sign Calculator
Your sign, its element and your Chinese zodiac animal from one date
Pick your date of birth and this zodiac sign calculator tells you your sun sign, its element, its ruling planet, the compatible signs and your Chinese zodiac animal.
The key idea
Your sign is not set by the calendar: it is set by the position of the Sun
The dates for each sign shift by a day or so depending on the year, because the calendar year is not exactly 365 days long. That is why, if you were born on the 22nd or 23rd of a month, you may be on the cusp between two signs. And it is a cultural tradition: take it as curiosity and entertainment.
How it is calculated
Your sun sign depends on where the Sun was on the ecliptic on the day you were born. Western tradition splits the year into 12 stretches of about 30 days that begin, roughly, between the 19th and the 23rd of each month, when the Sun enters each sign.
The change dates are not fixed: they move by a day or so depending on the year, because the calendar year is not exactly 365 days long. If you were born right on a boundary (the “cusp”), we let you know.
Each sign is linked to an element (fire, earth, air or water), a modality (cardinal, fixed or mutable) and a ruling planet. The compatible signs are those of your own element and of the complementary element (fire with air, earth with water), except your opposite sign, the one directly across the wheel.
The Chinese zodiac goes by year: a cycle of 12 animals combined with 5 elements. The Chinese year begins between January 21 and February 20, so if you were born in those weeks you may get the previous year's animal.
Worked example
If you were born on August 5, 2000, the Sun was in Leo (July 23 to August 22): a fire sign, fixed and ruled by the Sun. Compatible signs: Aries and Sagittarius (fire), and Gemini and Libra (air). Its opposite sign is Aquarius. In the Chinese zodiac, 2000 was the year of the Metal Dragon.
Typical cases
Zodiac sign dates
The dates of each sign of the Western zodiac, with its element, modality and ruling planet. If you were born on the first or last day, check the cusp in the calculator.
| Sign | Dates | Element | Modality | Ruling planet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquarius | January 20 to February 18 | Air | Fixed | Uranus (and Saturn) |
| Pisces | February 19 to March 20 | Water | Mutable | Neptune (and Jupiter) |
| Aries | March 21 to April 19 | Fire | Cardinal | Mars |
| Taurus | April 20 to May 20 | Earth | Fixed | Venus |
| Gemini | May 21 to June 20 | Air | Mutable | Mercury |
| Cancer | June 21 to July 22 | Water | Cardinal | the Moon |
| Leo | July 23 to August 22 | Fire | Fixed | the Sun |
| Virgo | August 23 to September 22 | Earth | Mutable | Mercury |
| Libra | September 23 to October 22 | Air | Cardinal | Venus |
| Scorpio | October 23 to November 21 | Water | Fixed | Pluto (and Mars) |
| Sagittarius | November 22 to December 21 | Fire | Mutable | Jupiter |
| Capricorn | December 22 to January 19 | Earth | Cardinal | Saturn |
Save or share this table as an image Common questions
Frequently asked questions
What is my sign if I was born on the cusp between two signs?
It depends on the year and the exact time, because the moment the Sun changes signs varies. To know for sure you need a birth chart with your time and place of birth.
What about my rising sign?
Your rising sign, or ascendant, is the sign that was rising on the eastern horizon at the exact moment you were born. To work it out you need your time and place of birth, not just the date.
Is astrology scientific?
No. Astrology is a cultural tradition, and there is no evidence that your sign shapes your personality. This calculator is for curiosity and entertainment.
Is there a 13th sign, Ophiuchus?
Not in Western astrology, which uses 12 signs of 30 degrees each. The Sun also passes through the constellation Ophiuchus in late November and early December, but it is not counted as a sign.
How is the Chinese zodiac animal worked out?
It goes by your year of birth: a cycle of 12 animals combined with 5 elements. Since Chinese New Year falls between January 21 and February 20, if you were born in those weeks you may get the previous year's animal.
What are compatible signs?
They are the signs of your own element and of the complementary element (fire with air, earth with water), except your opposite sign. It is a rule of astrological tradition, not a real prediction of compatibility.
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