Updated 2026-11-11

Gold lines join the sign with its allies, the dashed line with its best match; red marks the opposite sign. Tap a sign to open it.

Tibetan Zodiac: the Monkey

Traits and the 2026 Fire Horse year outlook for the Monkey in the Tibetan-Mongolian (zurkhai) tradition.

Traits: Inventive, witty, versatile and curious.

In the Fire Horse year (2026): Monkey (metal) is traditionally weakened by the strong Fire of 2026 — a year to avoid burnout.

Rhesus macaqueImage: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The Monkey across the five elements

Over the 60-year cycle the Monkey appears once with each of the five elements — each pairing gives a different character:

Wood Monkeyspring Fire Monkeysummer Earth Monkeythe turn of the seasons Metal Monkeyautumn Water Monkeywinter

Years of the Monkey

Recent years of the Monkey: 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028. The Monkey returns every twelve years, each time carrying a different one of the five elements — which is why a 2028 Monkey and a 2016 Monkey are read differently in zurkhai.

Tibetan macaqueImage: Jmhullot · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Who the Monkey gets on with

In zurkhai compatibility the Monkey's closest match is the Snake — its Liu He, or "six-harmony", partner. Its natural allies are the Rat and Dragon (together they form one of the four San He triangles), while its traditional opposite is the Tiger, a pairing said to need extra care. These animal rules are only one of four parameters the app weighs — element, animal, menge and parkha — when it calculates full couple compatibility.

Check a couple's compatibility in the app. The animal match above is only one of four factors. The Zurkhai app for iPhone weighs all four — element, animal, menge and parkha — and gives any two birth dates a 1–5 star rating with a detailed reading. Check compatibility in the App Store →

Next 30 days by animal compatibility

Good for you 14 Nov, 15 Nov, 18 Nov, 22 Nov, 26 Nov, 27 Nov, 30 Nov, 4 Dec, 8 Dec, 9 Dec

Tense 12 Nov, 24 Nov, 6 Dec

Good days are those of your allies, your best match and your own animal; tense days belong to the opposite sign.

The 12 animals of zurkhai

Dog

Frequently asked

What is the Tibetan zodiac Monkey like?

Inventive, witty, versatile and curious.

Which animals is the Monkey compatible with?

The Monkey's closest match is the Snake; its allies are the Rat and Dragon; its traditional opposite is the Tiger.

How does the Monkey fare in the Fire Horse year 2026?

Monkey (metal) is traditionally weakened by the strong Fire of 2026 — a year to avoid burnout.

How does the Tibetan zodiac work?

Tibetan astrology overlays a 12-year cycle of animals with a 5-element cycle (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). Each element governs two consecutive years, so 12 animals × 5 elements form a 60-year cycle before the same animal+element pairing repeats. Every year therefore carries both an animal and an element — 2026 is the Fire Horse. The system blends indigenous Bon astrology, Chinese-derived element/animal astrology, and Indian Kalachakra star astrology.

The Fire Horse year 2026 → · What is zurkhai? →

Animal/element traits and yearly outlooks are presented as traditional belief, not fact, and vary between astrologers and lineages.