The Chinese calendar consists of a 12 year revolving cycle that constantly repeats itself over and over again throughout time. Each year within this 12 year cycle is named after a different animal, and the animals rotate between yin and yang natures based on the number of toes on their feet. Odd numbers are yang and even numbers are yin.

For instance a rat has five toes (yang), while an oxen has a cloven foot (2 parts, which is yin). Tigers have five toes (yang), while rabbits have four toes on their feet (yin).

Each year of the Chinese calendar is thus labeled with an animal sign that imparts special characteristics to that year. These twelve animals or signs are what make up the Chinese zodiac, and we can say that each animal sign roughly corresponds to the meaning of the planet Jupiter in an astrological sign of the Western zodiac.

What are the Chinese calendar animal signs, or zodiac signs? They are the Rat (Mouse), Oxen, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake (Serpent), Horse, Sheep (Ram, Goat), Monkey, Chicken (Cock, Rooster), Dog and Pig.

Which animal sign are you? It's easy to tell. Every Chinese New Year starts on a different day, which you can find listed in the table below. If you're born between any two of these days, your Chinese zodiac animal sign is the animal listed:

Remember, in many simple tables an animal is listed for each year, but if you are born before the Chinese New Year for that year, your animal sign is actually that of the previous year. So if you were born Jan 6, 2016, you're not a Chicken but a Monkey!

One more thing to know - the Chinese New Year starts on a different date each year, usually between January and February, but the START of an astrological year in many Chinese fortune systems, like the Karma Calculator Fortune Reading system, begins February 4/5, which is the first day of Chinese Spring. So your new Karma Calculator fortune only begins after Feb. 4/5 each new year. That's roughly smack in the middle of the time when Chinese New Years appears, so for practical purposes the imprecision doesn't really matter.