Chinese Zodiac
Diagrams for Chinese Zodiac Animals: | |||
Rat Ox Tiger Rabbit |
Dragon Snake Horse Sheep |
Monkey Rooster Dog Pig |
The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar; thus, new year day is usually in late January or early February and it is on a day with a new moon (no moon). No one knows when the Chinese calendar officially began, but it is generally accepted that Year One corresponds to the time when Emperor Huang Di began ruling China (equivalent to 2697 BC). Thus, 2023 (after Jan 22) corresponds to the Chinese year 4721.
Januray 22, 2023 also begins the year of the Rabbit. In Chinese astrology, the zodiac is represented by a 12-year cycle of 12 animals (see below for list of animals).
Of all the animals in the world, why were these 12 chosen? There are many stories explaining this and they all share a similar theme: there was a race and the first 12 animals who arrived at the finish line were chosen.
Rat is small but he is clever. He convinces Ox to give him a ride, but just as Ox approaches the finish line, Rat jumps ahead of Ox making Rat 1st on the list and Ox 2nd.
One story says that Snake was curled around Horse’s leg, as Horse approached the finish line, Snake quickly sprang forward and arrived before Horse. That is why Snake is 6th on the list and Horse is 7th. See more about Chinese zodiac from wikipedia.com’s Chinese astrology.
Chinese astrology is a 60-year cycle because it involves 12 zodiac animals and 5 Earthly elements (5 x 12 = 60). In fact, your horoscope is determined by many aspects related to when you were born:
- odd-numbered years are “Yin” while even-numbered years are “Yang”
- 5 elements (metal, water, wood, fire, earth)
- 12 animals represent the year you were born
- the same 12 animals represent the month you were born
- and the same 12 animals represent the hour you were born
(2 hours per animal: 2 x 12 = 24 hours).
Thus, two people born in the same year do not share the same fate because their fortune is also determined by the month and hour in which they were born.
Chinese Zodiac Origami Diagrams:

Years of the Rat
…
1912, 1924, 1936, 1948,
1960, 1972, 1984, 1996,
2008, 2020, 2032,…
- Cow (S O’Hanlon)
- Cow (marcels-kid-crafts.com)
- Cattle (origami-club.com)
- Bull (J Zsebe)
- Bull (AF Petlewski)
- Bull (S Weber)
- Bull (D Boursin)
- Bull 1 (chine-culture.com)
- Bull 2 (chine-culture.com)
- Bull 3 (chine-culture.com)
- Bull/Toro (AO Avila)
- Bull/Toro (G Rohads)
with short or long horns - Bull Skull (J Cole)
- Buffalo (PD Huy)
- $Bull (A Anselmo)
- $Bull: 1, 2 (P Bailey)

Years of the Ox
…1901, 1913, 1925, 1937,
1949, 1961, 1973, 1985,
1997, 2009, 2021,…
- Tiger (Origami-Instructions.com)
- Tiger (TP Kong)
- Winged Tiger/Tigre alado (JA Voyer)

Years of the Tiger
…1902, 1914, 1926, 1938,
1950, 1962, 1974, 1986,
1998, 2010, 2022,…
with template

Years of the Rabbit
…1903, 1915, 1927, 1939,
1951, 1963, 1975,
1987, 1999, 2011, 2023,…
- Dragon (D Abbey)
- Dragon (S O’Hanlon)
- Dragon (H Pereira)
- Dragon (J Niemeyer)
- Dragon (J Zsebe)
- Dragon (M Jackson)
- Dragon (TP Kong)
- Dragon (K Weidner)
- Dragon (M Noboru)
- Dragao body, head or video (EN dos Santos)
- Dragon: page 1 , 2 (J Caboblanco)
- Dragon pg 10 (J Koppel)
- Dragon (FG Gomez)
- Dragon 2 (E Corrie)
- Dragon 02 (?)
- Dragon in Flight (C Esseltine)
- Dragon in the Water (P Bailey)
- Drake (M Case)
- Business Card Dragon:
page 1, 2, 3 (Macgyver) - Candy Wrapper Dragon (A Anselmo)
- Cartoon Dragon (P Bailey)
- Compact Dragon (P Bailey)
- Eastern Dragon (J Wu)
- Flapping Dragon (E Tan)
- Flying Dragon/Dragon Volador (MC Soto)
- Flying Dragon pg 9 (J Adams)
- SFlying Dragon (J Adams)
- Ian’s Dragon 1 (I Mitchell)
- Modular Dragon (FR Navarro)
- Old Dragon (S O’Hanlon)
- Origami Dragon (E Ha)
- Origami Dragon (D Quick)
- Orme Dragon (M Orme)
- Proud Dragon (AF Barbour): pg 1,
pg 2 - Rearing Dragon (J Allison)
- Royal Dragon (CM Cabello)
- Simple Dragon for Natasha (JC Nolan)
- Snake Dragon (MV Anglada)
- Fire Lizard (P Bailey)
- $Fan Tailed Dragon (P Bailey)

Years of the Dragon
…1904, 1916, 1928, 1940,
1952, 1964, 1976, 1988,
2000, 2012, 2024,…
- Cobra pg 4 (J Adams)
- Cobra pg 10 (J Koppel)
- Snake (L Stringer)
- Snake (A Anselmo)
- Snake (origami-club.com)
- Snake/Ular (H Tahir)
- Origami Snake (Origami-Instructions.com)
- Spiral Snake (KA Lundberg)
- Streaked Snake (R Foelker)
- $Serpent (C Randall)

Years of the Snake
…1905, 1917, 1929, 1941,
1953, 1965, 1977, 1989,
2001, 2013, 2025,…
- Horse (S O’Hanlon)
- Horse or here (CY Hung)
- Horse (D Petty)
- Horse (A Kastlunger)
- Horse (D Brill)
- Horse (TP Kong)
- Horse (N Miyajima)
- Caballo/Horse: here or here (JA Voyer)
- Horse (M Noboru)
- Caballo/Horse (M Maya)
- Caballo/Horse (R Diaz)
- Caballo/Horse (LP Martinez)
- Horse Heads/Cavalli (P D’Auria)
- Fantasy Horse/Pony (B Dunkan)
- Little Chinese White Horse (B Dunkan)
- Pony/Horse with Cut (A Walden)

Years of the Horse
…1906, 1918, 1930, 1942,
1954, 1966, 1978, 1990,
2002, 2014, 2026,…

Years of the Sheep
…1907, 1919, 1931, 1943,
1955, 1967, 1979, 1991,
2003, 2015, 2027,…
- Monkey (?)
- Monkey here or here (R Glynn)
- Monkey 1 or here with banana (CY Hung)
- Monkey 2 or here (CY Hung)
- Monkey Head (R Glynn)
- Origami Monkey (OrigamiWay.com)
- Chimpanzee Head (Q Trollip)
- Simple Monkey (Tavin)
- Gibon/Gibbon (from Kan-no-mado)

Years of the Monkey
…1908, 1920, 1932, 1944,
1956, 1968, 1980, 1992,
2004, 2016, 2028,…
- Rooster (TP Kong)
- Rooster (E Binzinger)
- Rooster (M Vigo)
- Easy Rooster (RHC Bristle)
- Gallo/Rooster (P Gallo)
- Good Morning Rooster (L Stringer)
- Le Coq/Rooster (C Boudias)
- Cock of Dresden (von KD Ennen)
- Chicken (origami-club.com)
- Chicken 2 (origami-club.com)

Years of the Rooster
…1909, 1921, 1933, 1945,
1957, 1969, 1981, 1993,
2005, 2017, 2029,…
- Dog (J Casoblanco)
- Dog (P Jackson)
- Dog (CY Hung)
- Doggie/perrito (V Dolz)
- Doggie/perrito (pg 10-15) (E Santos)
- Barking Dog (P Jackson)
- Basset Dog (FH Rojas)
- Begging Dog (E Corrie)
- Boxer (P Forcher)
- Dachshund (E Corrie)
- German Shepherd (P Forcher)
- Little Dog (B Dunkan)
- Little Terrier Dog (FJ Caboblanco)
- Nodding Dog (P Jackson)
- Nodding Dog (J Smith)
- Nodding Dog (N Robinson)
- Origami Dog Head (activityVillage)
- Scottish Terrier (P Forcher)
- Sitting Dog (J Villemaire)
- Simple Dog (B Dunkan)
- Husky (M Jackson)
- Puppy (M Case)
- Puppy/Cachorro (jj.supaman09)
- Puppy Dog (E Corrie)
- Puppy Pounce (P Bailey)
- Business Card Puppy (L Stevens)
- Postcard Pup (A Barbour)
- Pureland Pup (JC Nolan)
- Yet Another Dog (V Anglada)

Years of the Dog
…1910, 1922, 1934, 1946,
1958, 1970, 1982, 1994,
2006, 2018, 2030,…
Pig
- Pig (D Petty)
- Pig (CY Hung)
- Pig (S O’Hanlon)
- Pig (TP Kong)
- Pig/Schwein (S Weber)
- Pig: pg 1, 2, 3 (NG Cuong)
- Pig: pg 1, 2, 3, (HM Tai)
- Business Card Pig (Macgyver)
- Origami Pig (M Case)
- Little Piggy… (R Katz)
- Spotted Pig (H Birkeland)
- World’s Largest Origami Pig (Zmolek-Smith)

Years of the Pig
…1911, 1923, 1935, 1947,
1959,1971, 1983, 1995,
2007, 2019, 2031,…
![]() |
– Chinese Paper Lantern (left) – Paper Lantern: here and here (shown on right) – make Ying & Yang symbol – get free origami diagrams – go to Home Page – go to Site Map |
![]() |