--- title: "What Chinese Zodiac Is 2010? Year of the Metal Tiger" description: "2010 is the Year of the Metal Tiger in the Chinese zodiac, from February 14, 2010 to February 2, 2011. Personality, Lunar New Year dates and numerology." canonical: https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2010 last-updated: 2026-10-23 reviewed: false author: Unified Reading editorial --- # What Chinese Zodiac Is 2010? Year of the Metal Tiger In Chinese astrology, 2010 is the Year of the Metal Tiger, a Yang year. It began at Lunar New Year on February 14, 2010 and ended on February 2, 2011, so people born in 2010 before Feb 14 belong to the Earth Ox year. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | | --- | --- | | Animal · element · polarity | Tiger · Metal · Yang | | Starts (Lunar New Year) | February 14, 2010 | | Ends | February 2, 2011 | | Born in 2010 before Feb 14 | Earth Ox (the 2009 year) | | Tiger's fixed element | Wood (Metal controls Wood) | | Other Metal Tiger years (1924-2044) | 1950 | | Stem-branch name | Geng-Yin | | Lunar New Year weekday · Sun sign | Sunday · Aquarius | | Numerology year number | 3 | ## 2010 Lunar New Year: start and end dates Lunar New Year opened the Metal Tiger year on February 14, 2010, and the year ran to February 2, 2011. So a birth date of Feb 14, 2010 or later counts as Metal Tiger, and so do early 2011 birthdays through Feb 2; births in 2010 before Feb 14 still belong to the Earth Ox. That moving boundary comes from the lunisolar calendar, in which the new year starts with the second new moon after the winter solstice in most years, so its Gregorian date shifts by up to a month from one year to the next. Look sixty years either side and the pairing repeats: 1950 are Metal Tiger years too. That Sunday new year arrived with the Sun in Aquarius in the Western zodiac. ## What the Metal Tiger is like When Metal meets the Tiger, the result is said to be a champion with a blade's edge. The controlling relationship disciplines the Tiger's expansive nature into determined, conviction-driven energy. People born in this year are often formidable advocates. Seeking other perspectives before acting, and choosing battles carefully, help keep that intensity from turning into tunnel vision. Their loyalty to a cause can be extraordinary. Belonging to the west and to the clear, cool air of autumn, Metal adds edge, resolve and structure to any sign it colours. Classical texts connect it with righteousness, strength of will and the ability to see a situation without sentiment. A Metal stem often makes an animal more ambitious, more organised and more self-contained than usual. People born in Metal years are frequently described as loyal to their word and tireless once committed. The caution most readings add is a hardness that can isolate them, along with perfectionism and a reluctance to admit doubt or ask for help. ## 2010 in the animal cycle and in numerology In numerology the digits of this year reduce to 3, associated with expression, creativity and sociability, so a 3 year is described as lively and communicative. The digits of 2010 add up to 3. The Tiger holds the third place among the twelve animals and its fixed element is Wood. Set beside the year's Metal stem, metal controls Wood, which readings use to describe how settled or stretched the combination feels. The year before was the Earth Ox and the year after is the Metal Rabbit. Chinese almanacs name 2010 Geng-Yin, pairing the Metal stem Geng with the branch Yin. Both are Yang, as stem and branch always share a polarity, so of the hundred and twenty possible pairings only sixty ever occur, and each one names a single year in every cycle. ## Frequently asked questions ### What Chinese zodiac is 2010? 2010 is the Year of the Metal Tiger. It started on February 14, 2010 and ended on February 2, 2011. ### What if I was born in January or February 2010? Check the date against Feb 14. Born before February 14, 2010, you are a Earth Ox; born on or after it, you are a Metal Tiger. ### What element is 2010 in the Chinese zodiac? Metal, a Yang year. The Tiger's own fixed element is Wood; the year element changes every two years, while the fixed element stays with the animal. ### What is the traditional Chinese name for 2010? Geng-Yin. 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 Metal Tiger year? 2070, sixty years later, when the five elements and twelve animals line up again; the table also has 1950. ## Related pages - [Metal Tiger](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/metal-tiger) - [Tiger](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/tiger) - [Chinese zodiac years](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/years) - [2009 (Earth Ox)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2009) - [2011 (Metal Rabbit)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2011) - [1998 (Earth Tiger)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/1998) - [2022 (Water Tiger)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2022) - [1950 (Metal Tiger)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/1950) - [1986 (Fire Tiger)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/1986) - [2034 (Wood Tiger)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2034) - [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.