Lunar Calendar Converter

The Lunar Calendar Converter turns any date between the Western (Gregorian) calendar and the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar into a clear, side-by-side answer — and adds the zodiac animal, Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch (Gan-Zhi) pillars, Five Element nayin, leap-month flag, and traditional festivals so you don't have to consult half a dozen separate tables. The conversion is fully bi-directional and accurate from January 31, 1900 through December 31, 2100.

Why the Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar

The Chinese calendar is sometimes called "the lunar calendar," but that name is only half right. Months follow the cycles of the Moon — every lunar month begins on a new-moon day and contains either 29 or 30 days — but the year is also kept in step with the Sun. About every three years, a thirteenth "leap month" (閏月) is inserted so that the agricultural seasons stay anchored to the solar calendar. This is why Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) drifts between January 21 and February 21 in the Gregorian calendar, why Mid-Autumn always falls near the harvest full moon, and why Dragon Boat Festival is consistently in late May or June.

How to use the converter

• Pick a direction. Toggle between ☀️ Solar → 🌙 Lunar (start from a Western date) and 🌙 Lunar → ☀️ Solar (start from a Chinese lunar date). The form switches automatically.
• Enter the date. For the solar direction enter year-month-day. For the lunar direction enter the lunar year, month (1-12), and day, then tick the leap-month checkbox only if the date you have in mind falls in a year that has a leap month and you specifically mean the leap one.
• Optional — add an hour. Each two-hour block of the day is governed by an Earthly Branch (子, 丑, 寅, …), and your day stem then chooses the hour stem cycle. Adding a time of day fills in the Hour Pillar (時柱) used in Bazi.
• Read the result. The hero card shows the converted date side by side. Below it the converter labels the year with its zodiac animal, Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch, Five Element, Yin/Yang, nayin sound element, the next-coming lunar month, any traditional festival landing on that day, and the matching solar term if any.

Quick lunar-date facts the converter exposes

• Spring Festival anchor. The first day of lunar month 1 is Chinese New Year — the start of the zodiac year. People born after January 1 but before Spring Festival belong to the previous lunar year's animal.
• Leap months. A leap month is the first month of the year that doesn't contain a major solar term. 2020 had a leap fourth month (閏四月), 2023 had a leap second month, and 2025 has a leap sixth month. Dates falling in a leap month are flagged.
• Month length. Each lunar month is 29 (小月) or 30 (大月) days. The converter shows how long the current lunar month is and which day-of-month you're on.
• Day pillar. Every day in the 60-year cycle has its own Gan-Zhi label. Your day's stem-branch pair is one of the two most important markers in classical Chinese astrology, alongside the year pillar.

The Twelve Zodiac Animals (生肖)

The Ten Heavenly Stems (天干) and Five Elements

Traditional Chinese festivals on the lunar calendar

• Lunar 1/1 — Chinese New Year / Spring Festival (春節)
• Lunar 1/15 — Lantern Festival (元宵節)
• Lunar 2/2 — Dragon Heads-up Day (龍抬頭)
• Lunar 5/5 — Dragon Boat Festival (端午節)
• Lunar 7/7 — Qixi, Chinese Valentine's (七夕節)
• Lunar 7/15 — Ghost Festival, Zhongyuan (中元節)
• Lunar 8/15 — Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節)
• Lunar 9/9 — Double Ninth Festival (重陽節)
• Lunar 12/8 — Laba Festival (臘八節)
• Lunar 12/23 or 12/24 — Kitchen God / Little New Year (小年)

The 24 solar terms (節氣)

Beyond lunar months, the Chinese calendar marks the year with 24 solar terms — fortnightly waypoints anchored to the Sun's position along the ecliptic. They include the four equinoxes and solstices and twelve agriculture-themed terms such as Lichun 立春 (start of spring), Qingming 清明 (clear and bright, the tomb-sweeping day), Mangzhong 芒種 (grain in ear), Bailu 白露 (white dew), and Dongzhi 冬至 (winter solstice). The converter highlights the solar term if your date matches one.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my zodiac year start later than January 1? Because the zodiac year follows Chinese New Year, not the Western calendar year. A person born on January 15, 2025 is still a Dragon (last lunar year) — they become a Snake only on January 29, 2025, the day of Spring Festival 2025.

What is the Nayin column for? Nayin (納音) gives a poetic five-element label to every pair of stem-branch years. It groups the 60-year Jiazi cycle into thirty two-year sound-element segments such as "Sea Water (海中金)" and "Furnace Fire (爐中火)". It is widely used in Chinese astrology and feng shui.

How accurate is the conversion? The conversion uses the standard 1900–2100 lunisolar table that is consistent with the Hong Kong Observatory and the Chinese Astronomical Almanac. Spring Festival dates, Mid-Autumn dates, leap-month positions, and day-pillar Gan-Zhi labels all match the official calendars to the day.

Can I look up the lunar date for a future or historical event? Yes — within 1900-01-31 to 2100-12-31. Outside that range the converter cannot guarantee accuracy because leap-month placement in the lunisolar system depends on astronomical observations that are only published in advance for a finite span of years.