February 2026 • 24 min read

Chinese Age Calculator: Calculate Your Traditional Chinese Age

In traditional Chinese culture, you are already 1 year old on the day you are born, and everyone gets a year older at the Lunar New Year rather than on their individual birthday. This system, known as "sui" age, has been used for thousands of years across East Asia and continues to play an important role in Chinese culture today. This comprehensive guide explains how to calculate your Chinese age, how it compares to Korean and international age, provides detailed worked examples with celebrities, explores the famous Chinese gender prediction chart, the Chinese zodiac, and the cultural contexts where traditional Chinese age still matters. For an overview of all age calculation systems, see our age calculator guide. You can also explore the Korean age system for comparison.

What Is Chinese Age (Sui Age)?

Chinese age, also called "sui" age (from the Chinese character "sui", meaning year of age), is the traditional East Asian method of counting a person's age. It differs from the international system in two fundamental ways:

1. You are 1 at birth: A newborn baby is considered 1 sui old from the moment of birth. This reflects the Chinese cultural belief that the time spent in the womb is the first year of life. Gestation is counted as the beginning of existence, not just the beginning of life outside the womb.
2. Everyone ages at Lunar New Year: Rather than aging on your individual birthday, all people gain 1 sui at the start of the Lunar New Year. The Lunar New Year falls on a different Gregorian calendar date each year, typically between January 21 and February 20.

This means that a baby born one day before the Lunar New Year would be 1 sui at birth and then turn 2 sui the very next day. By international standards, that baby would be just 1 day old but 2 years old in Chinese age.

The sui system was historically used across China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Each country adapted the system slightly. China and Vietnam increment age at the Lunar New Year, while Korea historically used January 1st (the Gregorian New Year). Japan abandoned the system in 1950, and South Korea officially followed in 2023. China continues to use international age for official purposes since 1949, but traditional age persists in many cultural contexts.

The Philosophy Behind Chinese Age

The Chinese age system reflects deep cultural values about life, time, and community:

• Life begins at conception: By counting from birth as age 1, Chinese tradition acknowledges the approximately 9 months of prenatal development
• Collective celebration: Everyone aging together at Lunar New Year reinforces community bonds and shared experience
• Calendar-based identity: Age is tied to the calendar year of birth, not the specific date, emphasizing generational cohorts
• Respect for elders: The system tends to make people "older" sooner, which in a culture that reveres age, carries social benefits

How to Calculate Chinese Age

Calculating your Chinese age requires knowing two things: your Gregorian birth date and whether the current date is before or after the Lunar New Year.

Simplified Formula

The simplest approximation is:

Chinese Age = Current Year - Birth Year + 1

This formula works if the Lunar New Year has already passed in the current year. If it has not yet passed, use:

Chinese Age = Current Year - Birth Year

(And if you were born before the Lunar New Year in your birth year, you may need to add 1 again.)

Precise Method

For an exact calculation, follow these steps:

1. Determine the Lunar New Year date for the current year
2. Determine the Lunar New Year date for your birth year
3. Start with 1 (your age at birth)
4. Add 1 for each Lunar New Year that has passed since your birth

Worked Examples

All examples assume today is February 7, 2026. The 2026 Lunar New Year falls on February 17, 2026, so it has NOT yet passed.

For a deeper look at lunar calendar age counting, see our lunar age calculator guide. You can also check how old am I to see your exact international age.

Chinese Age vs. Korean Age vs. International Age

Three age-counting systems are commonly referenced in East Asian contexts. The table below compares them side by side for a person born on August 15, 1995. Assume the current date is February 7, 2026.

Visual Comparison Chart

The key difference between Chinese and Korean age is the timing of the annual increment. Korean age increases on January 1st (a fixed date), while Chinese age increases at Lunar New Year (a variable date). This means that in January, before the Lunar New Year, a person's Korean age may be 1 year higher than their Chinese age. After the Lunar New Year passes (typically in late January or February), the two systems align until the next January 1st. Learn more about the Korean system in our Korean age calculator guide.

Celebrity Chinese Ages

To illustrate how Chinese age works with real examples, here are the Chinese ages of several famous people as of February 7, 2026 (before the 2026 Lunar New Year on February 17):

Notice how each celebrity's Chinese age is 1-2 years higher than their international age. The exact difference depends on whether they were born before or after the Lunar New Year in their birth year and whether the current year's Lunar New Year has passed. Use our age difference calculator to compare your age with any celebrity.

Chinese Gender Prediction Chart

The Chinese Gender Prediction Chart (also called the Chinese Baby Gender Calendar) is a legendary tool said to have been discovered in a royal tomb near Beijing over 700 years ago during the Qing Dynasty. According to tradition, it can predict the gender of an unborn baby based on two factors: the mother's lunar age at the time of conception and the lunar month of conception.

While there is no scientific evidence supporting its accuracy, the chart remains enormously popular. Studies published in peer-reviewed journals have shown it predicts gender with about 50% accuracy, which is exactly what you would expect from random chance. Nevertheless, it is a fun cultural tradition that many expecting parents enjoy using.

How to Use the Chart

1. Calculate the mother's Chinese age (sui age) at the time of conception
2. Determine the lunar month of conception (check a lunar calendar converter)
3. Find the intersection on the chart: M = Male prediction, F = Female prediction

Chinese Gender Prediction Chart Data

The following table shows the traditional Chinese Gender Prediction Chart for mothers aged 18-31 (lunar age). M = Male, F = Female.

Remember: the ages in this chart refer to the mother's Chinese (sui) age, not her international age. And the months refer to lunar months, not Gregorian months. The lunar month can differ from the Gregorian month by several weeks.

Lunar New Year Dates 2020-2040

Since Chinese age increments at the Lunar New Year, knowing the date of the Lunar New Year each year is essential for accurate calculations. The Lunar New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. According to timeanddate.com, here are the dates:

Chinese Zodiac and Age

The Chinese zodiac is a repeating 12-year cycle, with each year associated with an animal sign. Your zodiac animal is determined by your birth year in the lunar calendar. The 12 animals, in order, are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

Because the Chinese zodiac follows the lunar calendar, a person born in January or early February might belong to the previous year's zodiac animal (if their birthday falls before the Lunar New Year). This is why knowing the exact Lunar New Year date for your birth year is important for determining your zodiac animal. For more on zodiac signs and age, see our zodiac sign calculator.

Chinese Zodiac Animals and Their Characteristics

For a detailed look at the Chinese zodiac and its cultural significance, see National Geographic's guide to the Chinese zodiac.

The Five Elements

In addition to the 12 zodiac animals, each year is also associated with one of five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. These elements cycle through the zodiac, creating a 60-year cycle before the same animal-element combination repeats. According to traditional Chinese philosophy, your element affects your personality and compatibility just as much as your zodiac animal.

When Is Chinese Age Used Today?

Although China officially adopted the international age system in 1949, traditional Chinese age (sui) remains deeply embedded in cultural practices. Here are the main contexts where you will still encounter it.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Some practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine reference a patient's sui age when making diagnoses or prescribing treatments. This is based on traditional medical texts that were written using the sui system. While modern TCM clinics in China's cities typically use international age, rural practitioners and those following classical texts may use sui age.

Fortune Telling and Feng Shui

Chinese fortune telling, feng shui consultations, and astrology readings almost always use sui age. The Chinese zodiac, the Ba Zi (Eight Characters) system, and face reading all reference traditional age. If you visit a fortune teller in China, Taiwan, or any Chinese community worldwide, they will calculate your sui age.

Cultural Events and Celebrations

Certain birthday celebrations in Chinese culture are tied to sui age. The 60th birthday (in sui age) is particularly significant because it completes one full cycle of the Chinese calendar (which combines the 12 zodiac animals with 5 elements, creating a 60-year cycle). Other important sui age milestones include 1 (the birth celebration), 10, 50, 70, 80, and 100.

Family and Social Contexts

In families that follow traditional customs, sui age is often used when discussing ages among relatives, especially older family members. Grandparents may refer to grandchildren's ages using the sui system. In rural areas and among older generations, sui age remains the default way to state one's age in casual conversation.

Taiwan and Overseas Chinese Communities

In Taiwan, both systems are commonly used. Official documents use international age, but traditional age is widely used in conversation, religious ceremonies, and cultural events. In Chinese communities around the world (particularly in Southeast Asia), sui age is commonly used alongside international age for cultural purposes.

History of Chinese Age Reckoning

The sui age system has ancient origins, dating back at least to the Han Dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE) and possibly earlier. Understanding its history helps explain why this system developed and persisted for so long.

Ancient Origins

In ancient China, precise record-keeping of individual birth dates was not always possible or practical. The lunar calendar organized social and agricultural life, and the Lunar New Year was the most significant date in the calendar. Incrementing everyone's age at this communal celebration simplified record-keeping and reinforced social cohesion.

Confucian Influence

Confucian philosophy, which emphasizes respect for elders and social hierarchy based on age, influenced the preference for a system that made people "older" sooner. In traditional Chinese society, being older conferred authority and respect. Starting at age 1 and gaining a year at New Year meant young people reached socially significant ages sooner.

Modern Changes

When the People's Republic of China was established in 1949, the new government adopted the international age system for all official purposes as part of broader modernization efforts. This aligned China with international conventions and simplified interactions with the rest of the world. However, the sui system was never banned and continues in cultural contexts to this day.

Regional Variations Across Asia

The concept of age reckoning where you start at 1 and increment at a fixed calendar date spread across East Asia, but each country developed its own variation.

South Korea's 2023 Change

South Korea was the last country to officially use a traditional Asian age system for legal and administrative purposes. In June 2023, South Korea officially switched to international age for all legal and official documents, ending a system that had caused confusion in international contexts. However, Korean age is still commonly used in casual conversation and may take years to fully disappear from everyday use. For more details, see our Korean age calculator guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Calculate My Chinese Age →

Sources and Further Reading

• timeanddate.com - Chinese New Year Dates
• National Geographic - Chinese Zodiac Guide
• History.com - Chinese New Year History
• Guinness World Records - Age Records
• Aslaksen, H. (2010). "The Mathematics of the Chinese Calendar." National University of Singapore.