Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

Updated 2026-11-01

MouseOxTigerRabbitDragonSnakeHorseSheepMonkeyRoosterDogPig

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.

The Wood Ox Year

What it means to be born in a Wood Ox year in the Tibetan-Mongolian (zurkhai) tradition — the Ox's nature shaped by the element of Wood. tradition

Wood Ox years: 1925, 1985. The next Wood Ox year is 2045.
A yak at Yamdrok Lake, Tibet — the Ox of the Tibetan zodiac
A yak at Yamdrok Lake, Tibet — the Ox of the Tibetan zodiacImage: Dennis G. Jarvis · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The Ox

Patient, dependable, hardworking and steady. The Ox is one of the twelve animal signs (jil) that, paired with the five elements, make up the 60-year cycle.

The element of Wood

Wood governs growth, creativity, flexibility, planning and compassion; its season is spring and its direction is the east. Wood is the rising, outward energy of new beginnings — it lends a sign vision, warmth and the drive to grow, though it can scatter into restlessness.

A yak by the gers in Khövsgöl, Mongolia
A yak by the gers in Khövsgöl, MongoliaImage: Bernard Gagnon · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Wood Ox: the blend

A Ox born in a Wood Ox year carries the Ox's nature — patient, dependable, hardworking and steady — under the influence of Wood, the element of growth, creativity, flexibility, planning and compassion. Wood is the rising, outward energy of new beginnings — it lends a sign vision, warmth and the drive to grow, though it can scatter into restlessness.

Years of the Wood Ox

1925turns 101 in 2026
1985turns 41 in 2026

Frequently asked

What years are Wood Ox years?
The Wood Ox pairing falls on 1925, 1985 and recurs every 60 years.
What is a person born in a Wood Ox year like?
A Ox born in a Wood Ox year carries the Ox's nature — patient, dependable, hardworking and steady — under the influence of Wood, the element of growth, creativity, flexibility, planning and compassion. Wood is the rising, outward energy of new beginnings — it lends a sign vision, warmth and the drive to grow, though it can scatter into restlessness.
How does the Tibetan element–animal cycle 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 Ox in the other elements

Fire Ox Earth Ox Metal Ox Water Ox

More on the Ox sign → · What is zurkhai? →

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