Chinese zodiac / Ox
The Ox in the Chinese zodiac
Also called the Buffalo.
The Ox is the zodiac's steady worker: patient, honest and almost impossible to push off course. Where other signs rush, the Ox keeps going, and it usually arrives in better shape.
Oxen are born in 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 and 2021. They are known for reliability, strong principles and a quiet stubbornness that turns out to be stamina. People trust an Ox with the things that matter.
Ox years
The zodiac year starts at Lunar New Year, so a birthday in January or early February usually belongs to the previous sign. Check an exact date.
The Ox personality
- Dependable
- Patient
- Determined
The Ox gets things done through steady effort rather than shortcuts. Reliable and honest, Oxen are the people others trust to finish what they start.
- Lucky numbers
- 1, 4
- Lucky colours
- WhiteYellowGreen
- Trickier matches
- Goat
At their best
Oxen finish what they start. They are dependable, methodical and calm under pressure, and they rarely need praise to keep going. In a crisis the Ox is the one who is still working when everyone else has gone home.
To watch
Stubbornness is the obvious one: an Ox decides slowly and then does not like to change its mind. Oxen can also underrate charm and speed in others, and they sometimes carry more than their share without saying so. The habit to manage is suffering in silence.
The Ox in love and at work
In love
Oxen are loyal, steady partners who show love through actions rather than speeches. They want a secure home and a partner who means what they say. Their traditional matches are the Rat, the Snake and the Rooster; the Goat is the classic clash.
At work
Oxen do well wherever care and persistence pay: engineering, medicine, farming, finance, skilled trades and any job that rewards doing it properly. They make excellent managers of long projects. They are less suited to roles built on constant change or self-promotion.
Matches follow the traditional harmony and clash pairings. Try any two signs on the compatibility checker.
A year to go gently
The Ox in 2027, the Year of the Fire Goat
Expect change in 2027, whether you planned it or not. The Ox's steady nature is exactly what helps you handle it well.
Questions
- Is the Ox the same as the Buffalo?
- Yes. The sign is the Ox in most English sources and the Buffalo in Vietnamese and some other traditions. The animal differs by region; the sign, its years and its traits are the same.
- Which years are Ox years?
- 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021. Each starts at Lunar New Year, not 1 January, so a January or early February birthday usually belongs to the previous sign.
- Is 2027 a good year for the Ox?
- A year to go gently. The Ox sits directly opposite the Goat in the zodiac, a 'clash' year that traditionally brings change and movement. The Ox 2027 forecast goes through career, money, love and wellbeing.