--- title: "What Chinese Zodiac Is 1949? Year of the Earth Ox" description: "1949 is the Year of the Earth Ox in the Chinese zodiac, from January 29, 1949 to February 16, 1950. Personality, Lunar New Year dates and numerology." canonical: https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/1949 last-updated: 2026-10-23 reviewed: false author: Unified Reading editorial --- # What Chinese Zodiac Is 1949? Year of the Earth Ox In Chinese astrology, 1949 is the Year of the Earth Ox, a Yin year. It began at Lunar New Year on January 29, 1949 and ended on February 16, 1950, so people born in 1949 before Jan 29 belong to the Earth Rat year. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | | --- | --- | | Animal · element · polarity | Ox · Earth · Yin | | Starts (Lunar New Year) | January 29, 1949 | | Ends | February 16, 1950 | | Born in 1949 before Jan 29 | Earth Rat (the 1948 year) | | Ox's fixed element | Earth (Earth year element matches the fixed element) | | Other Earth Ox years (1924-2044) | 2009 | | Stem-branch name | Ji-Chou | | Lunar New Year weekday · Sun sign | Saturday · Aquarius | | Numerology year number | 5 | ## When the 1949 Earth Ox year starts and ends The 1949 Earth Ox year began at Lunar New Year on January 29, 1949 and lasted until February 16, 1950, the day before the next new year. Anyone born between January 1 and Jan 29 1949 therefore belongs to the Earth Rat year that started in 1948, while someone born in early 1950, up to Feb 16, is still a Earth Ox. The Chinese calendar is lunisolar, which is why the start date moves between January 21 and February 20 instead of staying on January 1. The same Earth Ox combination also falls in 2009, sixty years apart, because five elements and twelve animals realign only once in each sixty-year cycle. Lunar New Year 1949 fell on a Saturday, while the Western Sun was in Aquarius. ## Earth Ox personality Here is the Ox in its purest form, since the Ox's fixed element is Earth and the year doubles it. Patience, honesty and an almost limitless capacity for steady work define the traditional portrait. People born in this year are often a calm presence in emergencies and keep promises meticulously. Tradition advises them to invite novelty and to voice affection rather than only demonstrate it. Earth sits at the centre of the five-element wheel, and an Earth year is traditionally said to give any animal steadiness, patience and a practical turn of mind. Descriptions associate it with reliability, honesty and a talent for holding things together, whether that means a family, a budget or a team in a difficult season. Earth-year people are often portrayed as grounded, fair and good at turning ideas into workable plans. The element is linked with nourishment and care, so it carries a quiet generosity. Its shadow, in most readings, is heaviness: worry, stubbornness and a reluctance to move until every risk has been weighed twice. ## 1949 in numerology and the twelve-year cycle In numerology the year reduces to 5, the number of change, freedom and movement, and a 5 year is usually described as restless and full of variety. The digits of 1949 add up to 23, which reduces to 5. In the twelve-year cycle the Ox is the second animal, earthly branch Chou, with Earth as its fixed element and Yin polarity. The year element is Earth, and in the five-element cycles earth year element matches the fixed element. The year before was the Earth Rat and the year after is the Metal Tiger. In the traditional sexagenary count the year is called Ji-Chou: Ji is the Earth heavenly stem and Chou is the Ox's earthly branch. Stems and branches alternate between yang and yin together, which is why yin stems only ever meet yin animals. ## Frequently asked questions ### What Chinese zodiac is 1949? 1949 is the Year of the Earth Ox. It started on January 29, 1949 and ended on February 16, 1950. ### What if I was born in January or February 1949? Check the date against Jan 29. Born before January 29, 1949, you are a Earth Rat; born on or after it, you are a Earth Ox. ### What element is 1949 in the Chinese zodiac? Earth, a Yin year. The Ox's own fixed element is Earth; the year element changes every two years, while the fixed element stays with the animal. ### What is the traditional Chinese name for 1949? Ji-Chou. The first part is the heavenly stem, which carries the year's element and polarity; the second is the earthly branch, which carries the animal. Almanacs, calendars and Four Pillars charts identify years this way rather than by animal alone. ### When is the next Earth Ox year? 2009, sixty years later, when the five elements and twelve animals line up again; the table also has 2009. ## Related pages - [Earth Ox](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/earth-ox) - [Ox](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/ox) - [Chinese zodiac years](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/years) - [1948 (Earth Rat)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/1948) - [1950 (Metal Tiger)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/1950) - [1937 (Fire Ox)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/1937) - [1961 (Metal Ox)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/1961) - [2009 (Earth Ox)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2009) - [1925 (Wood Ox)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/1925) - [1973 (Water Ox)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/1973) - [Chinese zodiac calculator](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac-calculator) - [Chinese zodiac](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac) ## About Unified Reading Unified Reading combines Pythagorean numerology, the Western Sun sign (Moon and rising with a birth time), the Chinese zodiac and life-stage context in one reading. The preview is free at https://unifiedreading.com/#details; the full reading is $4.99, paid once through Stripe, with no subscription. A fictional sample is at https://unifiedreading.com/sample. With a birth time and place it adds whole sign houses and the chart ruler; it does not calculate planetary aspects or transits, and it is a framework for reflection, not a prediction.