Chinese Zodiac Element Calculator

The five-element layer beneath the animal signs

Alongside the well-known 12-year animal cycle, the Chinese zodiac assigns one of five elements to each year based on its final digit, cycling through the elements every two years.

Worked example

For someone born in 1990 (a Year of the Metal Horse):

Result = Metal

Year Ends In	Element
0 or 1	Metal
2 or 3	Water
4 or 5	Wood
6 or 7	Fire
8 or 9	Earth

Combined with the 12-year animal cycle, this 5-element pattern produces the full 60-year sexagenary cycle traditionally used in the Chinese calendar - meaning each specific animal-element combination (like "Metal Horse") only recurs once every 60 years.