Lunar Calendar Converter

About Lunar Calendar Converter

This free online tool converts dates between the solar (Gregorian) calendar and the lunar calendar used in Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and other East Asian cultures. Get accurate conversions with zodiac animals and stem-branch information.

What is the lunar calendar?

The lunar calendar (also called lunisolar calendar) is a calendar system based on the moon's phases and the sun's position. Used for thousands of years in East Asian cultures:

Key Features:
- Months based on lunar cycles (29-30 days)
- Years adjusted to solar year with leap months
- 12 or 13 months per year
- Used for traditional festivals and cultural events

Countries Using Lunar Calendar:
- China (Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival)
- Vietnam (Tết, traditional festivals)
- Korea (Seollal, Chuseok)
- Japan (historically, now mainly Gregorian)

The lunar calendar runs parallel to the Gregorian (solar) calendar in many Asian countries.

How does the lunar calendar differ from the solar calendar?

Major differences between lunar and solar calendars:

Solar (Gregorian) Calendar:
- Based on Earth's orbit around the sun
- 365 days (366 in leap years)
- Fixed 12 months
- Dates align with seasons
- Used worldwide for civil purposes

Lunar Calendar:
- Based on moon's orbit around Earth
- 354-355 days normally
- 12 or 13 months (leap month added)
- Dates shift relative to seasons
- Used for cultural/religious purposes

Example:
Chinese New Year falls between January 21 and February 20 on the solar calendar, but always on Lunar Month 1, Day 1.

The lunar calendar adds a leap month every 2-3 years to stay synchronized with seasons.

What is a leap month in the lunar calendar?

A leap month (intercalary month) is an extra month added to keep the lunar calendar aligned with the solar year:

Why Needed:
- Lunar year = ~354 days
- Solar year = ~365 days
- Gap of ~11 days per year
- Without adjustment, seasons would drift

How It Works:
- Leap month added every 2-3 years
- Usually 7 leap months in 19 years
- Can occur after any month
- Called "intercalary month" or "leap month"

Notation:
Leap Month 4 = an extra month after Month 4
Written as "閏四月" in Chinese

Example:
2023 has a leap Month 2 (intercalary second month)

When converting dates, it's important to specify if a month is a leap month, as it affects the corresponding solar date.

What are the Chinese zodiac animals?

The Chinese zodiac (生肖) consists of 12 animals that repeat in a 12-year cycle:

1. Rat (鼠) - Quick-witted, resourceful, versatile
2. Ox (牛) - Diligent, dependable, strong
3. Tiger (虎) - Brave, competitive, confident
4. Rabbit (兔) - Quiet, elegant, kind
5. Dragon (龍) - Confident, intelligent, enthusiastic
6. Snake (蛇) - Enigmatic, wise, calm
7. Horse (馬) - Animated, active, energetic
8. Goat (羊) - Calm, gentle, sympathetic
9. Monkey (猴) - Sharp, smart, curious
10. Rooster (雞) - Observant, hardworking, courageous
11. Dog (狗) - Loyal, honest, friendly
12. Pig (豬) - Compassionate, generous, diligent

Your zodiac animal is determined by your lunar birth year, not your solar birth year. If you were born in January or February, check if it was before or after Chinese New Year to determine your zodiac.

What is the stem-branch system?

The stem-branch system (天干地支, Tiangan Dizhi) is an ancient Chinese cycle for counting time:

Ten Heavenly Stems (天干):
Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui
(甲, 乙, 丙, 丁, 戊, 己, 庚, 辛, 壬, 癸)

Twelve Earthly Branches (地支):
Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai
(子, 丑, 寅, 卯, 辰, 巳, 午, 未, 申, 酉, 戌, 亥)

Combined:
- Creates 60-year cycle (60 unique combinations)
- Used for years, months, days, and hours
- Foundation of Chinese astrology and Feng Shui
- Each combination has specific characteristics

Example:
2024 = Jiachen Year (甲辰年) = Wood Dragon

The earthly branches correspond to the 12 zodiac animals.

How accurate is this lunar calendar converter?

This converter uses the Lunisolar library with high accuracy:

Accuracy Details:
- Valid range: 1900-2100
- Based on Chinese calendar algorithms
- Accounts for leap months
- Timezone: calculations based on Chinese Standard Time
- Matches official Chinese calendar

What's Included:
- Accurate date conversion
- Zodiac animal calculation
- Stem-branch system
- Leap month detection

Limitations:
- Historical dates before 1900 may have variations
- Future dates beyond 2100 less reliable
- Different regions may have minor variations

For cultural celebrations and traditional purposes, this accuracy is excellent.

When is Chinese New Year?

Chinese New Year (Spring Festival, 春節) date varies each year on the solar calendar:

Date Rules:
- Always: Lunar Month 1, Day 1
- Solar calendar: Between January 21 - February 20
- Determined by second new moon after winter solstice
- Date set by astronomical calculations

Recent/Upcoming Years:
- 2023: January 22 (Year of the Rabbit)
- 2024: February 10 (Year of the Dragon)
- 2025: January 29 (Year of the Snake)
- 2026: February 17 (Year of the Horse)

Celebration:
- Most important festival in Chinese culture
- 15-day celebration period
- Ends with Lantern Festival
- Family reunions, red envelopes, firecrackers

Use this converter to find the exact date for any year!

Why do some people have different zodiac animals?

Confusion about zodiac animals often occurs for people born in January or February:

The Issue:
Chinese New Year doesn't align with January 1
The lunar year starts between Jan 21 - Feb 20

Example:
Born January 15, 2000:
- Solar calendar: Year 2000 (Dragon)
- Lunar calendar: Year 1999 (Rabbit)
- Actual zodiac: Rabbit (because born before Feb 5, 2000)

How to Determine Correctly:
1. Find your solar birth date
2. Find Chinese New Year date for your birth year
3. If born BEFORE Chinese New Year = previous year's animal
4. If born AFTER Chinese New Year = current year's animal

Use this converter to check your true zodiac animal!

What are important lunar calendar festivals?

Major festivals celebrated by lunar calendar dates:

Chinese New Year (春節)
- Lunar: Month 1, Day 1
- Most important festival
- 15-day celebration

Lantern Festival (元宵節)
- Lunar: Month 1, Day 15
- Marks end of New Year celebrations
- Lanterns, riddles, tangyuan

Dragon Boat Festival (端午節)
- Lunar: Month 5, Day 5
- Honor poet Qu Yuan
- Dragon boat races, zongzi

Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節)
- Lunar: Month 8, Day 15
- Harvest festival
- Mooncakes, family reunions

Double Ninth Festival (重陽節)
- Lunar: Month 9, Day 9
- Respect for elderly
- Climbing mountains, chrysanthemum

Use this converter to find when these festivals occur on the solar calendar!

Can I use this for Vietnamese or Korean calendars?

Yes, with some considerations:

Vietnamese Calendar:
- Very similar to Chinese calendar
- Same lunar system and zodiac animals
- Minor timezone differences
- Same festival dates (Tết = Chinese New Year)
- Buffalo instead of Ox, Cat instead of Rabbit in some versions

Korean Calendar:
- Also based on Chinese lunisolar system
- Same zodiac animals
- Some festivals on different dates
- Seollal (Korean New Year) = Chinese New Year
- Chuseok (harvest festival) = Mid-Autumn Festival

Other Calendars:
- Japanese traditionally used similar system
- Thai, Cambodian have different systems
- Islamic lunar calendar is different (pure lunar, no solar adjustment)

This converter works well for Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean lunar dates.