2020 Chinese Zodiac: Metal Rat

Metal Rat personality

Quick-witted, resourceful and charming.

The Rat is the first animal of the Chinese zodiac. In the traditional story the Rat won the great river race by riding on the Ox and jumping ahead at the finish, which is a fair summary of its character: clever, adaptable and good at spotting opportunities.

Metal years add determination, discipline and focus. Metal people tend to be organized, ambitious and self-reliant.

Strengths: Intelligent and adaptable, Resourceful problem-solver, Charming and sociable, Good with money, Quick to see opportunity. Watch for: Anxious, Overly cautious or calculating, Can be manipulative when stressed, Hoards time or money, Gossip-prone.

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

Born early in 2020?

The Chinese zodiac follows the lunisolar calendar, so a January or February birth often belongs to the previous animal. In 2020, Chinese New Year fell on January 25, 2020. Anyone born before that date is a Earth Pig instead. See the Pig guide.

2020 zodiac year facts

• Chinese New Year 2020 fell on a Saturday, January 25, 2020.
• The Rat year lasted 384 days, longer than a calendar year because the lunisolar calendar added a leap month.
• Anyone born in the first 24 days of 2020 (January 1 to January 25, 2020) belongs to the previous sign.
• People born in 2020 turn 6 or 5 during 2026, depending on their birthday.
• The same Metal Rat combination appears every 60 years: previously in 1960.

Other Rat years: 1996, 2008. Each has a different element, which colors the animal's traits.

Rat compatibility

The Rat is traditionally most harmonious with Dragon and Monkey, and tends to clash with the Horse.

Near 2020, the Rat's harmonious partners were born in: Dragon: 2024; Monkey: 2016.