What Chinese zodiac is 1978?
Year of the Earth Horse戊午 · Wu Wu · Sky Fire
1978 is the Year of the Earth Horse — 戊午 (Wu Wu) in the Chinese calendar. The heavenly stem 戊 belongs to Earth, and the year's nayin ("sound") element is Sky Fire.
Animal sign · Stem-branch
- Animal sign
- Horse
- Stem-branch
- 戊午 (Wu Wu)
- Element (heavenly stem)
- 戊 · Earth
- Nayin element
- Sky Fire · Fire
Chinese New Year · Start of Spring (Lichun)
- Chinese New Year
- Feb 7, 1978
- Start of Spring (Lichun)
- Feb 4, 1978
- This Horse year
- Feb 7, 1978 – Jan 27, 1979
Born in January or February 1978?
| Born | By Chinese New Year (common use) | By Start of Spring (BaZi) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 – Feb 3 | Snake | Snake |
| Feb 4 – Feb 6 | Snake | Horse |
| Feb 7 – Dec 31 | Horse | Horse |
Most people switch animals at Chinese New Year; BaZi (Four Pillars) uses Start of Spring as the year boundary, so early-year birthdays can have two answers. Not sure? A free BaZi chart shows your exact year pillar.
How old is someone born in 1978?
- In 2026
- 48 after their birthday (47 before)
- East Asian age (xusui)
- 49 after Chinese New Year
Horse return years (benmingnian)
- 2002 (age 24)
- 2014 (age 36)
- 2026 (age 48) · this year
- 2038 (age 60)
- 2050 (age 72)
A benmingnian is a year that shares your birth animal; it comes round every 12 years. Wearing red is a folk custom for it — tradition, not something to worry about.
Which signs get along with the Horse?
These are traditional branch relations, shared as culture — they don't decide whether two people get along. Tap one for the full match.
Earth Horse personality
The Earth element gives this Horse its own flavor. Earth is about steadiness: traditionally an Earth year adds patience, reliability and a generous heart.
At noon, in the hour of Wu, horses run across the open plain. People born in the Year of the Horse are warm, outspoken and restless, in love with freedom and speed. You are ready to go at a moment's notice, and you lift the spirits of everyone around you.
- Strengths
- Enthusiastic, frank, quick to act
- Watch for
- Your patience runs short, and you dislike being reined in
- In love
- You love sincerely and passionately, and you both need room to breathe.
- At work
- Fast-paced work on the move suits you. With a goal ahead, you will outrun anyone.
The Horse in 2027, Year of the Fire Goat
Partnerships flow, good things come in pairs
Horse and Goat form one of the classic 'Six Harmonies' pairs, so tradition sees the Horse as one of the best-matched animals for a Goat year. You're warm and quick to act, and working with others feels especially natural in 2027. Like-minded partners are easy to find.
Ideal for partnerships, negotiations and team projects. Together achieves more than solo this year.
Traditional views shared as culture and for fun — not a prediction or advice.
FAQ
What Chinese zodiac is 1978?
1978 is the Year of the Horse (戊午, Wu Wu). This Horse year runs from Feb 7, 1978 (Chinese New Year) to Jan 27, 1979.
What is my sign if I was born in January 1978?
Born before Feb 7, 1978? By the usual Chinese New Year rule you belong to 1977, the Year of the Snake. BaZi switches at Start of Spring (Feb 4), so a birthday before that also gets the 丁巳 year pillar.
What element is a 1978 Horse?
By the heavenly stem 戊, 1978 is a Earth Horse year. By the older nayin system, 戊午 is "Sky Fire". Neither is good or bad — your personal elements come from the full BaZi chart.
How old is someone born in 1978 in 2026?
48 after their birthday in 2026; by East Asian reckoning (xusui) they are 49 after Chinese New Year.
When is the next Year of the Horse?
2026 is a Horse year; the next one is 2038.
Make it about you
Your Chinese zodiac only looks at your birth year. Enter your date and hour of birth for a free BaZi chart and see your own chart and yearly cycles.
Other Horse years
Nearby years
Animal signs, stem-branches and nayin follow the traditional Chinese calendar; Chinese New Year and Start of Spring dates are Beijing time, computed with lunar-javascript. Traditional culture, for reference only.