2009 Chinese Zodiac: Earth Ox

Earth Ox personality

Steady, hard-working and dependable.

The Ox is the second animal of the zodiac and a symbol of agriculture, patience and honest labor. Oxen are reliable, methodical and grounded, the people who carry a project to the end without making a fuss.

Earth years add stability, practicality and loyalty. Earth people tend to be dependable, patient and grounded.

Strengths: Dependable and honest, Hard-working and patient, Strong sense of duty, Calm under pressure, Practical. Watch for: Stubborn, Resistant to change, Reserved, Workaholic, Slow to forgive.

Read the full Ox guide for love, career and compatibility.

Born early in 2009?

The Chinese zodiac follows the lunisolar calendar, so a January or February birth often belongs to the previous animal. In 2009, Chinese New Year fell on January 26, 2009. Anyone born before that date is a Earth Rat instead. See the Rat guide.

2009 zodiac year facts

• Chinese New Year 2009 fell on a Monday, January 26, 2009.
• The Ox year lasted 384 days, longer than a calendar year because the lunisolar calendar added a leap month.
• Anyone born in the first 25 days of 2009 (January 1 to January 26, 2009) belongs to the previous sign.
• People born in 2009 turn 17 or 16 during 2026, depending on their birthday.
• The same Earth Ox combination appears every 60 years: previously in 1949.

Other Ox years: 1985, 1997, 2021. Each has a different element, which colors the animal's traits.

Ox compatibility

The Ox is traditionally most harmonious with Snake and Rooster, and tends to clash with the Goat.

Near 2009, the Ox's harmonious partners were born in: Snake: 2013; Rooster: 2005.