Tiger Chinese Zodiac Sign
The Tiger is the third sign of the Chinese zodiac, fixed to the Wood element and classed as Yang. It corresponds to the double-hour of 3 am to 5 am, and recent Tiger years include 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022 and 2034.
| Earthly Branch | Yin (寅) |
|---|---|
| Recent and upcoming years | 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022, 2034 |
Old folk custom calls the Tiger "king of the beasts," and families in some regions still dress newborns in tiger-head shoes, hats, or pillows, a protective gesture meant to borrow some of the animal's boldness. That same association with courage and leadership carries into how oral tradition and almanac writing describe people born in Tiger years: confident, competitive, and quick to take charge when a decision needs making.
Tiger's Element: Wood, Yang
Separate from the beast-king imagery, traditional cosmology assigns the Tiger a fixed element and polarity: Wood, classed as Yang. This fixed pairing differs from the yearly stem-based element used in the Four Pillars system, so a Tiger year can carry a different elemental reading depending on that year's heavenly stem — 1986 and 1998 are both Tiger years read with different stems.
Tiger and the Wheel of Twelve
Almanacs group the Tiger with the Horse and the Dog in what is traditionally called the Fire frame, one of four three-sign "harmony" groupings on the wheel. The Tiger's dedicated Six Harmonies (liu he) partner is the Pig, and its clash partner directly opposite on the wheel is the Monkey — a pairing folklore also ties to an old rivalry between the two animals' cleverness and brute strength. These groupings are almanac record, not rules for relationships.
Reading the Tiger Sign Today
As with the other eleven signs, the Tiger's traits are a shared reference point for storytelling and festivals, not a fixed description of any individual born under the sign.
What years are Tiger years?
Recent Tiger years are 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022 and 2034. A zodiac year starts on Chinese New Year, not 1 January, so people born in January or early February may belong to the previous sign, the Ox.
What element is the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac?
In the traditional five-elements framework, the Tiger is fixed to the Wood element and classed as Yang; the sign is ranked number 3 in the traditional zodiac order and covers the hours of roughly 3–5 am in the old double-hour system.
Which signs traditionally get along well with the Tiger?
Folk tradition groups the Tiger with the Horse and Dog into what almanacs call the 'Fire frame,' a Three Harmonies (san he) triad, and pairs it specifically with the Pig in a Six Harmonies (liu he) match; these are traditional groupings, not guarantees.
Which sign does the Tiger traditionally clash with?
The Tiger is traditionally said to clash with the Monkey, its opposite on the zodiac wheel; folklore treats this as a point worth being mindful of rather than a fixed outcome.
Zodiac, year pillar (Gānzhī) and na yin element are computed from the lunar calendar with lunar-typescript · Last updated 2026-09-11