Year of the Goat tattoo
The Chinese zodiac Goat is 羊 (yáng). It is the eighth of the twelve animals, and people born in Goat years are creative, gentle and compassionate.
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The Goat · Chinese zodiac
What 羊 means.
羊 covers both goats and sheep, so in English the sign is called the Goat, the Sheep or the Ram. All three are the same Chinese sign.
- Character
- 羊goat, sheep
- Traditional
- Written the same in simplified and traditional Chinese
- Born in
- 属羊“born in the year of the Goat”
- Year branch
- 未the Earthly Branch of Goat years
- Fixed element
- Earth 土
Years of the Goat
- 1943Water Goat
- 1955Wood Goat
- 1967Fire Goat
- 1979Earth Goat
- 1991Metal Goat
- 2003Water Goat
- 2015Wood Goat
- 2027Fire Goat
- 2039Earth Goat
In everyday use the animal changes at Chinese New Year, between 21 January and 20 February; Chinese astrology changes it at the start of spring, around 4 February. If you were born in January or early February, your sign may be the previous year's animal; the Chinese element calculator works it out from your exact birth date.
Lucky matches and clashes
The Goat shares a “three harmonies” group with the Rabbit and the Pig, the signs that bring the Goat luck. Its opposite in the cycle is the Ox, its classic clash. A full reading compares whole charts, not just signs.
About the Goat in Chinese
What is the Chinese character for the Goat?
The zodiac Goat is 羊 (yáng), meaning goat, sheep. It is written the same in simplified and traditional Chinese.
Which years are Goat years?
1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027 and 2039. In everyday use each year begins at Chinese New Year (between 21 January and 20 February), and in Chinese astrology at the start of spring (around 4 February), so a birthday in January or early February may belong to the previous sign.
How do you say “born in the year of the Goat” in Chinese?
属羊 (shǔ yáng). 属 means “to belong to”, so 我属羊 (wǒ shǔ yáng) is how a Chinese speaker says “I was born in the year of the Goat”.
Which signs go well with the Goat?
The Goat shares a “three harmonies” group with the Rabbit and the Pig, the signs that bring it luck. Its opposite in the cycle is the Ox, its classic clash. A full reading compares whole charts, not just signs.
What element is the Goat?
The Goat's year branch, 未 (wèi), belongs to Earth. Each Goat year also has its own element from the year's last digit: 2015 was a Wood Goat. Your personal element in Chinese astrology comes from your full birth chart, which the free element calculator works out.
Is 羊 a good Chinese tattoo?
Yes. 羊 is the real character Chinese speakers use for the Goat, and as a single character it works even at small sizes. Choose a readable style such as Kaishu, bring a clean reference to your artist, and show it to a fluent reader before your appointment.