Lunar Age Calculator
In traditional Chinese age (虚岁, xūsuì) a baby is 1 at birth and everyone gains a year at Lunar New Year, which falls between late January and mid-February. The zodiac animal also changes at Lunar New Year, not January 1, so people born in January or early February often belong to the previous animal.
Before you start
Method : Count of Lunar New Years passed, using the browser's Chinese calendar.
Checked : Lunar New Year dates for 1901, 1949, 1985, 2000, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2033 and 2100 tested against Hong Kong Observatory tables. Supported range 1901–2100 (the Observatory's published span). Traditional (xusui) age is a cultural count, not a legal age in mainland China, Hong Kong or Taiwan, which use completed years.
Review : not independently reviewed by an expert or by the organisation whose rules are used.
Your entries stay in this browser tab; nothing is sent or stored.
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the birth date.
- Change the "calculate on" date if needed.
- Press Calculate.
Methodology & assumptions
The browser's built-in Chinese calendar (from the Unicode ICU library) gives the lunar year containing each date. Traditional age = lunar year on the calculate-on date − lunar year of birth + 1. Zodiac animal = position of the birth lunar year in the 12-year cycle (2020 = Rat).
Worked examples
Born February 16, 2026 (the day before Lunar New Year, February 17): age 1 at birth, 2 the next day; zodiac Snake (lunar year 2025).
Born February 4 vs 5, 2000 (Lunar New Year was February 5): Rabbit vs Dragon.
Understanding your result
For family or cultural use. Regions and families differ in how they count; legal age in China is the ordinary birthday age.
Sources & further reading
- Hong Kong Observatory. Gregorian–Lunar calendar conversion table.Official tables to check Lunar New Year dates.
- Unicode CLDR / ICU calendar support (Chinese calendar).Calendar implementation used by the browser.
Frequently Asked Questions
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