Chinese Calendar Converter

The Chinese lunar calendar follows both the moon and the sun. A lunar cycle is about 29.5 days, so a lunar year is roughly 354 days long, about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar. As a result, the Gregorian date for a lunar date shifts each year until a leap month realigns the calendars. This is why your lunar birthday appears to move around on the standard calendar.

Many Chinese people eat "Long Life Noodles" (Changshou Mian) on this day to symbolize longevity. You can also celebrate in any way that feels right to you. For many people, it simply means having two meaningful birthday dates each year: one solar and one lunar.

To keep the Lunar calendar synchronized with the seasons (since a lunar year is shorter than a solar year), 7 "Leap Months" are inserted roughly every 19 years. If you were born in a Leap Month (e.g., Leap April), consider it a rare destiny! In years without that specific Leap Month, you usually celebrate in the normal month (e.g., April). If a year happens to have that Leap Month again, some people even celebrate their Lunar birthday twice! (Note: This tool automatically handles these complex calculation rules for you).

This is called "Nominal Age" (Xu Sui). In traditional Chinese culture, out of respect for the time spent nurturing life in the womb, a baby is considered 1 year old at birth. Furthermore, everyone's age increases by one year together at Chinese New Year, not on their individual birthdays. So, if you were born just a few days before the New Year, you become "2 years old" as soon as the New Year arrives!

Please use the "Solar → Lunar" function on this page.

1. Enter your birth date (e.g., 1995-05-20).
2. The tool will instantly display your Lunar date (e.g., 4th Month, 21st Day).
3. Note this Lunar date; you can use it to check the corresponding Gregorian date for any year.

This is a very technical question! There are generally two ways to define the start of a Zodiac year:

1. By Chinese New Year: This is the most popular method among the general public.
2. By Start of Spring (Li Chun): This is the method used in traditional fortune-telling (like Feng Shui and Ba Zi).

Since Chinese New Year and the Start of Spring are rarely on the same day, if your birthday falls between them, your sign will differ depending on the system. Our tool shows you both results so you won't be confused.

"Gan-Zhi" is short for "Heavenly Stems" (Tian Gan) and "Earthly Branches" (Di Zhi).

• 10 Heavenly Stems: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui.
• 12 Earthly Branches: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai (corresponding to the 12 Zodiac animals).

These pair up in sequence (e.g., Jia-Zi, Yi-Chou, Bing-Yin...) to form a cycle of 60 combinations, known as the "Sixty Jiazi."

You might wonder: Variables of 10 and 12 should theoretically create 120 combinations (10x12), right?

Actually, no. Because they roll simultaneously: The 1st Stem pairs with the 1st Branch, the 2nd with the 2nd... When the 10th Stem is used, the Branches are at 10, leaving 2 Branches to start the next round with the 1st Stem again. Since the Least Common Multiple of 10 and 12 is 60, the cycle resets to the beginning (Jia-Zi) after 60 steps. This also explains why only "Yang" pairs with "Yang" and "Yin" with "Yin" exist.

We use this system to record years, months, days, and hours. It's not just for counting; in Chinese philosophy, they correspond to the "Five Elements" (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth) and are used to analyze energy and destiny.

This is part of the Almanac (Huang Li). "Yi" generally lists activities suitable for the day (e.g., Wedding, Moving, Haircut), while "Ji" lists activities to avoid (e.g., Breaking Ground, Long Travel). While modern people mainly treat it as a fun "Cosmic Forecast," many still choose a "Lucky Day" for major life events!

This is because of the "Gan-Zhi" system. Each Zodiac animal (Earthly Branch) is paired with a Heavenly Stem, and each Stem has an associated Element.

For example, both are "Tiger" years:

• Bing-Yin Year: Bing belongs to Fire, so it's a "Fire Tiger."
• Wu-Yin Year: Wu belongs to Earth, so it's an "Earth Tiger."

This allows you to describe your birth year's characteristics more precisely than just saying "Tiger."

Using the "Birthday Converter" feature, you can calculate the Gregorian dates for your Lunar birthday for the next 10 years.

By clicking the Download .ics button, you get a calendar file. Import it into your iPhone Calendar, Google Calendar, or Outlook, and the system will remind you every year: "Hey, today is your Chinese Lunar Birthday!" No need to check manually every year.

Many traditional families (especially elders) primarily celebrate their Lunar birthday. The younger generation usually celebrates their Gregorian birthday, or sometimes both (double the joy, double the gifts!). Knowing your Lunar birthday is also a fun window into understanding Chinese culture.

Yes! This typically happens around the ages of 19, 38, 57, etc., which are multiples of 19 (due to the "19-year 7-leap-month" cycle). You can use our tool to check which year your two birthdays will be on the same day (or very close)!

Yes! This is a cool fun fact. Traditional timekeeping divides a day into 12 "Shi-Chen" (each lasting 2 hours). The first Shi-Chen is "Zi Shi" (Rat Hour), covering 23:00 to 01:00. So, from a traditional perspective, 11:30 PM is actually the beginning of the next day. If your birthday falls in this window, your Ba Zi (Eight Characters) calculation might change completely!