Year of the Rooster: Fortune, Personality, Horoscope (2025)
Rooster is the 10th animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac signs, coming after the Monkey and before the Dog. Recent years of the Rooster include 2017, 2005, 1993, 1981, 1969, 1957, and 1945, with the next Rooster year in 2029 (Year of the Earth Rooster). It is associated with the earthly branch sign yǒu.
Rooster is a capable and serious organizer, characterized by the ability to quickly come to the right decision. They’re outspoken, especially against any injustice or amoral behavior they perceive, as well as perfectionist and rule-abiding.
Chinese Zodiac Years for Rooster
Based on the Chinese lunar calendar, often found in ancient Chinese culture, the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac animals does not perfectly match the Gregorian calendar. You can use our zodiac calculator below to find your Chinese sign.
Chinese zodiac calculator
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When determining your Chinese zodiac, pay special attention to when the Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, begins, in particular if you were born in January or February, as your animal sign may be from the previous year (see the chart below).
Chart of Years, Dates, and Elements for Rooster Zodiac Signs
Rooster Year | Lunar Year Start Date | Lunar Year End Date | Element |
|---|---|---|---|
1921 | February 8, 1921 | January 27, 1922 | Metal |
1933 | January 26, 1933 | February 13, 1934 | Water |
1945 | February 13, 1945 | February 1, 1946 | Wood |
1957 | January 31, 1957 | February 17, 1958 | Fire |
1969 | February 17, 1969 | February 15, 1970 | Earth |
1981 | February 5, 1981 | January 24, 1982 | Metal |
1993 | January 23, 1993 | February 9, 1994 | Water |
2005 | February 9, 2005 | January 28, 2006 | Wood |
2017 | January 28, 2017 | February 15, 2018 | Fire |
2029 | February 13, 2029 | February 2, 2030 | Earth |
Rooster’s 2025 Horoscope (Year of the Snake)
2025 is a prosperous and rewarding year for Roosters, with excellent career and financial prospects. Stay focused on your goals, maintain positive relationships, and navigate challenges carefully for steady progress throughout the year.
Read more: Rooster’s 2025 Horoscope (Love, Career, Wealth, Health)
Personality Traits of Rooster Signs
Roosters are efficient and capable when the goings are good as well as when they are bad. In times of emergency, many look to them to keep their calm and immediately come up with the most appropriate measures.
They’re also smart, ambitious, and competitive, although their ambition is defined by a surprising compassion for others and a sense of justice. Ultimately, Roosters want to fight on the side of the right and protect others.
Roosters are complex people who seem strong but, deep down, need validation from loved ones.
This morality and sense of mission make them excellent advocates and lend them a romantic passion in social settings. Other characteristics that make Roosters magnetic are their charisma, decisiveness, attention to detail, and organizational skills.
Because of their punctuality and ambition, Roosters can rise to leadership positions and gain the recognition and trust of the public. When that happens, their higher social status will endow them with an urgency to do right by the world.
Rooster Strengths
Roosters won’t wait around for others to step up. Instead, they’ll charge into any situation with conviction since they always seem to know the right thing to do, which makes them excellent leaders at work.
In their personal lives, Rooster people are also quite magnetic because they’re charismatic and bold, socially at ease, and love to compliment others with frankness. They’re stylish and can somehow pull off any colorful or outlandish outfit.
Rooster Weaknesses
In their less developed stages, Roosters can appear cold and calculating. Every move they make—from the way they dress to what they say—seems aimed to attracting attention to themselves or gain some advantage.
If their ambitions don’t play out, they may also become braggarts who talk a big game yet never act. In this case, they may become temperamental and even duplicitous—all to serve their fragile self-esteem.
Rooster Zodiacs and the Five Elements Theory
The Chinese Five Elements Theory assigns one of the five elements—Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth—to each year, in addition to the zodiacs. So Roosters born in different years will have different personalities.
Lucky (and Unlucky) Things for Roosters
Rooster’s good fortune and luck are associated with earth tones like gold, brown and yellow, the numbers 5 and 7, and east and northeast. They should avoid red and purple, 2 and 6, and north for best results.
In Chinese astrology, your zodiac birth year, or Ben Ming Nian, is considered unlucky, and it is customary to wear red colors during your year (Year of the Rooster) to ward off any bad luck.
Lucky Things
Lucky numbers: 5, 7, 8
Lucky colors: Gold, Brown, Yellow
Lucky directions: Northeast, East
Lucky mineral: Strawberry Crystal
Lucky flowers: Cockscomb, Gladiola
Unlucky Things
Unlucky numbers: 2, 6
Unlucky colors: Red, Orange, Purple
Unlucky directions: North
Love and Compatibility for Roosters
Roosters are as active and ambitious in love as they are in their careers. They’ll work hard toward happiness in a relationship, but they must remember that true love should be felt deeply by the heart.
Audacious and wild in the beginning stages of a courtship, once they settle down, Roosters are generally very loyal to their other half. They must remember, however, not to be too exacting with their partners or it can interfere with their love compatibility.
❤️ Best Match: Rooster and Ox
Rooster and Ox are both workhorses of the zodiacs—once they fix upon a goal, nothing can stop them from diligently striving until it’s realized. How wonderful to find a partner who shares this ethic!
There’s little these two cannot achieve together since their temperaments also complement one another—Rooster is a little high-strung, but Ox is benevolent and forgiving, which goes a long way to ensure a smooth relationship.
❤️ Best Match: Rooster and Snake
Rooster and Snake will be the epitome of opposites attracting—Rooster being the most forthright of the zodiacs, while Snake is undeniably the most mysterious. Instead of vexing the partners, they mesh together very well.
Since Rooster has a dominant persona, they’ll appreciate the soft subtlety Snake brings. Snake, on the other hand, finds reassurance in Rooster’s honorable and frank character, knowing Rooster is the one person they can trust.
❤️ Best Match: Rooster and Dragon
Rooster and Dragon are a match made in heaven, even though both have strong personalities that might have clashed—if they didn’t also share a belief in justice and a moral compass between right and wrong.
What that looks like in love is that both will remain humble—if their partner points out an area for improvement, they’ll be open to change. The result is a beautiful and ultimately triumphant relationship.
Worst Matches: Rabbit, Dog
Rooster and Rabbit: These two have opposite personalities and values because Rabbit finds Rooster selfish and stubborn, while Rooster thinks Rabbit jealous and insecure. They can’t see eye-to-eye since their best qualities will be ignored by their partner.
They’ll most likely fight all the time, which could lead to serious health and psychological concerns. The only way to redeem the relationship is for this pair to live apart and only come together occasionally.
Rooster and Dog: This pair cannot make day-to-day life work together since they’re on such different wavelengths. In fact, they wouldn’t even make good roommates or friends, let alone good romantic partners who must face many challenges together.
Roosters often have larger-than-life personalities, while Dogs are more easygoing. The peace and quiet Dog looks for in life will feel rather dull to Rooster, and Dog will find Rooster’s showmanship very annoying and deceitful.
Careers For the Chinese Zodiac Rooster
Roosters possess a unique ability to synthesize information, both apparent and underlying. They’re also organized and analytical and deal with everything in a systematic fashion. Roosters truly shine in situations that may frazzle others.
They’re excellent with people and can quickly get along with anyone they meet, as well as come up with cunning solutions that have been synthesized from a vast and comprehensive knowledge base in any field.
Roosters aren’t suited for a career that requires constant dedication with little recognition. They like to be on stage—if not always literally—and for their efforts to be readily visible to an adoring audience.
Best careers for Roosters
Investor
Data Scientist
Realtor
Competitive Athlete
Politician
Worst careers for Roosters
Publishing
Academic Researcher
Copywriter
Psychologist
Artist
Health and Lifestyle Advice for Roosters
Roosters often start as sickly children, who grow more resilient and robust as time goes on— which is lucky since their fiery temperament often gets them into scuffles or at least rile up their blood.
As such, yoga, hiking, and meditation are good alternatives to the competitive sports all Roosters love. Also, because they’re workaholics, Roosters will need to learn how to manage stress and its attendant illnesses early on.
Rooster and the 12 Zodiac Animals (Origin Story)
Rooster is the 10th zodiac animal and the only non-mammal. How did it garner this honor? The Chinese have an origin story that explains why these animals were chosen and their order, too.
The legend tells how the Jade Emperor, to help people remember the passing of time, decided to hold a race across the celestial river to select the 12 zodiac animals that would mark the years.
Rooster didn’t know how to swim, but just like the clever Rat and Tiger, this analytical, tenacious, and proud creature would never give up. It found a piece of driftwood and, displaying its regal appearance to full advantage, floated across the finish line.
Famous People Born in the Year of the Rooster
Roosters are born to be adored and admired, so many Roosters end up famous in some way!
Andrew Cuomo: December 6, 1957, Fire Rooster
Ariana Grande: June 26, 1993, Water Rooster
Steve Martin: August 14, 1945, Wood Rooster
Jennifer Lopez: July 24, 1969, Earth Rooster
Beyonce: September 4, 1981, Metal Rooster
Yoko Ono: February 18, 1933, Water Rooster
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh: June 10, 1921, Metal Rooster
Serena Williams: September 26, 1981, Metal Rooster
Britney Spears: December 2, 1981, Metal Rooster