Year of the Rat Facts

Rat

Element: Water

Direction: North

Season: Winter

Month: December

Polarity: Yang

Gemstone: Garnet

Lucky Number: 11

Color: Midnight Blue

Allies: Dragon, Monkey

Foes: Horse

Western Analog: Sagittarius

The sign of the Rat is the first of the 12 animals in Chinese Astrology. Charming, diplomatic, hardworking, and thrifty, Rat natives are well liked and usually successful.

Alert, funny, and social, Rats enjoy dressing up and going to parties. They are endlessly curious. They will have the support and admiration of a circle of dear friends.

Rats' lives can be complicated by a tendency to become deeply involved in the personal trials and dramas of those they care about. Deeply sentimental, Rats have difficultly surrendering any emotional attachments, including old sweethearts.

Rats are natural entrepreneurs, with a love of money, a concern for employees, and sound judgment overall. Thrifty Rats naturally recycle and chase a bargain. They are generous only to those they love. They can spend irrationally on their children.

The Rat person is a master at research and finding out other people's secrets. Rats are not hesitant to use any information they discover to their advantage. They can be terrible gossips.

Rats often appear rather reserved. They tend to hide strong emotions. When upset they can appear nervous, critical, or make cutting remarks. Rats hate lateness, unnecessary waste, laziness, and people who do not keep their word.

Positives

Forthright, charismatic, meticulous, intelligent, sociable, quick-witted, popular.

Negatives

Manipulative, selfish, calculated, secretive, intolerant, greedy, acquisitive.

    Yearly elements

  • 01/31/1900 to 02/18/1901 - METAL
  • 02/18/1912 to 02/05/1913 - WATER
  • 02/05/1924 to 01/24/1925 - WOOD
  • 01/24/1936 to 02/10/1937 - FIRE
  • 02/10/1948 to 01/28/1949 - EARTH
  • 01/28/1960 to 02/14/1961 - METAL
  • 02/15/1972 to 02/02/1973 - WATER
  • 02/02/1984 to 02/19/1985 - WOOD
  • 02/19/1996 to 02/06/1997 - FIRE
  • 02/07/2008 to 01/25/2009 - EARTH