The 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals and Why They're in That Order
The twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, the order they sit in, and the folk story of the Great Race that explains why the Rat comes first and the Pig last.
The Chinese zodiac is a twelve-year cycle, each year named for an animal. The animals are not random — they sit in a fixed order, and the most common explanation for that order is a folk tale called the Great Race. Here is the list and the story behind it.
The twelve, in order
| Position | Animal | Recent years |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rat | 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 |
| 2 | Ox | 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 |
| 3 | Tiger | 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022 |
| 4 | Rabbit | 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023 |
| 5 | Dragon | 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024 |
| 6 | Snake | 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025 |
| 7 | Horse | 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026 |
| 8 | Goat | 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027 |
| 9 | Monkey | 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028 |
| 10 | Rooster | 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029 |
| 11 | Dog | 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030 |
| 12 | Pig | 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031 |
The Great Race story
The legend says the Jade Emperor held a race across a river and assigned years to the animals in the order they finished. The Rat, knowing it could not swim the distance, persuaded the good-natured Ox to carry it, then hopped off at the bank to claim first place. The Ox came second. The Tiger and Rabbit followed, the Dragon arrived fifth (having paused to make rain and help others), and so the order was set — down to the Pig, who stopped for a meal and a nap and limped in last.
Why a Dragon among the rest
Eleven of the twelve are real animals; the Dragon is the exception, and its inclusion is deliberate. The Dragon is the supreme auspicious creature in Chinese culture — linked to water, weather, and imperial authority. Putting it in the zodiac places the most powerful symbolic animal among the everyday ones, which is exactly the kind of mixing the tradition enjoys.
The cycle and the elements
The animal cycle is twelve years; after the Pig it returns to the Rat. But each animal year is also paired with one of the Five Elements on its own rotation, so the full animal-plus-element combination returns only every sixty years. That is why your 'year of the Metal Rat' (e.g. 2020) is not the same as the plain 'year of the Rat' (e.g. 2008) in a full reading.
How the animals are used
Beyond the new year, the animals show up as a quick age-and-cohort shorthand, in compatibility reads, and as decorations. Knowing the order and your own animal is the entry point to the rest of the system — compatibility, elements and the lunar-new-year cutoff for January births.
Twelve animals, one fixed order, and a river race to remember it by. The Rat wins not by strength but by riding the Ox — which is the whole point of the story.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 12 Chinese zodiac animals in order?
Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig. That is the fixed cycle; after the Pig it loops back to the Rat.
Why is the Rat first if it is small?
The popular folk story says the animals raced across a river to win places in the calendar. The Rat, too small to swim well, rode on the Ox's back and jumped off at the bank to finish first. The story is a legend, not history, but it is the standard explanation for the ordering.
Is the zodiac animal order based on anything real?
The legendary order comes from the Great Race story. In practice the cycle is a fixed cultural counting system tied to the lunar calendar; the 'why' is folklore, and the order is simply the order everyone uses.
Why is there a Dragon among ordinary animals?
The Dragon is the only mythological creature in the twelve, included because it is the supreme auspicious animal in Chinese culture — associated with rain, imperial power and good fortune. Its place (fifth) in the race story is earned by arriving late after stopping to help others.
How long is a full zodiac cycle?
Twelve years for the animal cycle alone. Because each animal year also carries one of the five elements on a separate rotation, the full combination of animal and element repeats every sixty years.
Try it yourself
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