2012 — Year of the Dragon 龍 壬辰
2012 is the year of the Dragon 龍 — year pillar 壬辰, Yang Water. Every date on this page is computed by the same astronomical kernel that powers our public API, to the minute.
Lichun 2012-02-04 18:22:29 · CNY 2012-01-23 · engine 0.1.0
| Field | Value (kernel-computed) |
|---|---|
| Year pillar 年柱 (Lichun rule) | 壬辰 壬辰 |
| Zodiac 生肖 | Dragon 龍 |
| Element (heavenly stem) | Yang Water |
| Exact Lichun instant 立春 | 2012-02-04 18:22:29 Beijing |
| Chinese New Year 正月初一 | 2012-01-23 |
| Lunar months in the year | 13（leap month: month 4 閏4月） |
| Lunar year length | 383.98599999999993 days |
The two-calendar window in 2012
In 2012, Chinese New Year 正月初一 falls first (2012-01-23) and Lichun 立春 12 days later (2012-02-04). Anyone born inside that 12-day window gets a different zodiac animal and year pillar depending on which convention their tool follows — BaZi practice switches at the exact Lichun instant (2012-02-04 18:22:29, Beijing), folk calendar practice at the new moon. This is not an edge case we gloss over — it is the single most common source of wrong zodiac years, and our engine comparison tool shows it live with three engines side by side.
Your Kua number for 2012
Born inside 2012 (after Lichun)? Your Ming Gua: male (2000 − 2012) mod 9 = 6 → Qian 乾 · female (2012 − 2000 + 6) mod 9 = 9 → Li 离. Born before Lichun? The formula runs on 2011 — the Kua calculator applies the boundary for your exact birthday.
FAQ
When does the year of the Dragon (壬辰) start and end?
By the exact Lichun instant: from 2012-02-04 18:22:29 Beijing to the Lichun of 2013. By the lunar calendar: from Chinese New Year (2012-01-23) to the next new-year new moon. The two definitions disagree about 12 days of 2012 — see the window note above.
Is 2012 a leap month year?
Yes — the lunar year 2012 has 13 months with a leap month 4 閏4月, computed by the GB/T 33661-2017 rules (no-zhongqi method, with the 2033-type edge cases handled).
What is my Kua number if I was born in 2012?
For births after Lichun: male 6 (乾), female 9 (离). Births before the exact Lichun instant belong to 2011 and use that year in the formula — most online calculators get early-February birthdays wrong here.
Tools for this year
All 24 solar terms of 2012 · Almanac for Chinese New Year (2012-01-23) · Kua number calculator · Four-pillar chart · All Dragon years