Born in 1979: the Goat
A Yin Earth Goat 🐐
Goats are warm, imaginative, and considerate. They are good listeners with a strong artistic streak and a steady inner calm. As a Earth-element year, 1979 adds a grounded, practical and patient streak to the usual Goat character.
The 1979 lunar year ran from January 28, 1979 to February 16, 1980. If you were born on or after January 28, 1979 you are a Goat; if you were born earlier in 1979, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Horse.
What the Earth element adds
Earth is the element of the harvest, stability and realism. An Earth year makes an animal steadier and more dependable, focused on security and the long game, though it can also make it slower to change course.
The full 60-year cycle pairs each of the 12 animals with each of the 5 elements, so a Earth Goat year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1979 was 1919, and the next is 2039. People born in it are said to combine gentle and creative with the element's grounded nature. Its Yin/Yang polarity is fixed as Yin for every Goat year. See the Earth element and the full Earth Goat profile.
1979 at a glance
| Animal | 🐐 Goat (羊) |
|---|---|
| Element | Earth |
| Polarity | Yin |
| Best match | Horse |
| Hardest match | Ox |
| Lucky numbers | 3, 4, 9 |
| Lucky colors | green, red, purple |
Goat compatibility
In the traditional chart, a 1979 Goat gets on best with the Horse (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Rabbit and Pig. The hardest pairing is the Ox, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Goat compatibility table.
Your zodiac years
The Goat returns every 12 years, so someone born in 1979 is back in their own zodiac year in 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027 and so on. Tradition calls this your běnmìngnián — despite being "your" year, it is thought to clash with Tài Suì (the God of Age) and to carry a higher chance of setbacks, so many people wear red through it for protection.
Other Goat years
1931 1943 1955 1967 1991 2003 2015 2027 2039
Full Goat personality profile → Goat compatibility with every sign →
Know your exact birth date? Use the calculator for your full combination →
Frequently asked questions
What Chinese zodiac sign is 1979?
1979 is the year of the Goat (Earth Goat, Yin polarity). Anyone born on or after January 28, 1979 is a Goat; a birthday earlier in 1979 belongs to the previous sign, the Horse.
What element is the 1979 zodiac year?
1979 is a Earth-element year. Earth is the element of the harvest, stability and realism. An Earth year makes an animal steadier and more dependable, focused on security and the long game, though it can also make it slower to change course.
Who is a 1979 Goat most compatible with?
Best matches are the Horse (the "secret friend"), plus the Rabbit and Pig. The hardest match is the Ox.
Is 1979 a lucky year to be born in?
Chinese tradition does not rank whole years as lucky or unlucky to be born in — every animal has strengths and weaknesses. The one combination widely treated with caution is the Fire Horse, and 1979 is not a Fire Horse year.