Chinese zodiac
Year of the Dog
The next Year of the Dog is 2030 — the Metal Dog. People born in a Year of the Dog are traditionally said to be loyal, honest and protective.
Dog personality
The Dog is the zodiac's faithful friend — loyal, honest, protective and fair, with a strong sense of right and wrong and a readiness to defend those it cares about. Sincere and principled, Dogs value trust above almost everything. They can also be anxious, wary of strangers and prone to worry, but their loyalty rarely wavers.
The Dog and the five elements
Each Year of the Dog carries a different heavenly-stem element, so no two Dogs are quite alike. The current cycle’s 2030 is the Metal Dog.
- Wood Doggrowth-minded, generous and cooperative, taking the long view
- Fire Dogdynamic, passionate and bold, quick to lead
- Earth Doggrounded, patient and dependable, building to last
- Metal Dogdisciplined, determined and principled, holding a firm line
- Water Dogintuitive, adaptable and persuasive, reading people well
Dog birth years and ages
Each zodiac year recurs every 12 years, with a different heavenly-stem element each time. Ages are the age reached during the year.
Dog compatibility
Traditional matches follow the trine (San He), the secret-friend pair (Liu He) and the clash (Liu Chong), all set by the Dog’s place in the twelve-year cycle.
- Trine — natural allies
- Tiger and Horse. Signs four places apart share the Dog’s pace and outlook, and tend to understand each other quickly.
- Secret friend
- Rabbit. The single strongest one-to-one bond — supportive even when the two are not in the same trine.
- Clash — most tension
- Dragon. The opposite sign, six places away — not doomed, but the pairing that asks for the most communication and patience.
The Dog in Singapore
The loyal Dog anchors a warm, family-themed light-up when its year arrives, along Eu Tong Sen and New Bridge Road in Chinatown. CNY is gazetted for two days as a public holiday in Singapore.