--- title: "What Chinese Zodiac Is 2028? Year of the Earth Monkey" description: "2028 is the Year of the Earth Monkey in the Chinese zodiac, from January 26, 2028 to February 12, 2029. Personality, Lunar New Year dates and numerology." canonical: https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2028 last-updated: 2026-10-23 reviewed: false author: Unified Reading editorial --- # What Chinese Zodiac Is 2028? Year of the Earth Monkey In Chinese astrology, 2028 is the Year of the Earth Monkey, a Yang year. It began at Lunar New Year on January 26, 2028 and ended on February 12, 2029, so people born in 2028 before Jan 26 belong to the Fire Goat year. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | | --- | --- | | Animal · element · polarity | Monkey · Earth · Yang | | Starts (Lunar New Year) | January 26, 2028 | | Ends | February 12, 2029 | | Born in 2028 before Jan 26 | Fire Goat (the 2027 year) | | Monkey's fixed element | Metal (Earth generates Metal) | | Other Earth Monkey years (1924-2044) | 1968 | | Stem-branch name | Wu-Shen | | Lunar New Year weekday · Sun sign | Wednesday · Aquarius | | Numerology year number | 3 | ## 2028 Lunar New Year: start and end dates Lunar New Year opened the Earth Monkey year on January 26, 2028, and the year ran to February 12, 2029. So a birth date of Jan 26, 2028 or later counts as Earth Monkey, and so do early 2029 birthdays through Feb 12; births in 2028 before Jan 26 still belong to the Fire Goat. 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: 1968 are Earth Monkey years too. That Wednesday new year arrived with the Sun in Aquarius in the Western zodiac. ## What the Earth Monkey is like Brilliance with both feet on the ground: that is the classic image of this Monkey year. With Earth generating Metal, readings describe dependable, intelligent people who excel at mentoring and practical innovation. Those born now are trusted to deliver. Saying no occasionally and making room for pure play keep their nimble spirit alive. Puzzles, games and travel keep their minds playful as well as productive. In classical thought, Earth belongs to the centre and to the late-summer pause between seasons, the point where things ripen and settle. As a year stem, it tends to slow an animal down in a useful way, adding prudence, loyalty and a strong sense of responsibility. People born under an Earth stem are often described as dependable, sensible and protective of the people they love. They value security and tend to build carefully. The caution traditionally attached to Earth is caution itself: overthinking, clinging to the familiar and carrying other people's problems as though they were their own. ## 2028 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 2028 add up to 12, which reduces to 3. The Monkey holds the ninth place among the twelve animals and its fixed element is Metal. Set beside the year's Earth stem, earth generates Metal, which readings use to describe how settled or stretched the combination feels. The year before was the Fire Goat and the year after is the Earth Rooster. Chinese almanacs name 2028 Wu-Shen, pairing the Earth stem Wu with the branch Shen. 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 2028? 2028 is the Year of the Earth Monkey. It started on January 26, 2028 and ended on February 12, 2029. ### What if I was born in January or February 2028? Check the date against Jan 26. Born before January 26, 2028, you are a Fire Goat; born on or after it, you are a Earth Monkey. ### What element is 2028 in the Chinese zodiac? Earth, a Yang year. The Monkey's own fixed element is Metal; the year element changes every two years, while the fixed element stays with the animal. ### What is the traditional Chinese name for 2028? Wu-Shen. 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 Monkey year? 2088, sixty years later, when the five elements and twelve animals line up again; the table also has 1968. ## Related pages - [Earth Monkey](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/earth-monkey) - [Monkey](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/monkey) - [Chinese zodiac years](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/years) - [2027 (Fire Goat)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2027) - [2029 (Earth Rooster)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2029) - [2016 (Fire Monkey)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2016) - [2040 (Metal Monkey)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2040) - [1968 (Earth Monkey)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/1968) - [2004 (Wood Monkey)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2004) - [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.