2012 Chinese zodiac, age & generation

How old is someone born in 2012?

Your exact age depends on whether you have had your birthday yet this year. Right now, someone born in 2012 is 13 or 14 years old. Use the age calculator for an exact answer in years, months and days.

2012 Chinese zodiac: Year of the Dragon 🐉

2012 is a Water Dragon year (Yang). The 2012 Chinese zodiac year began on January 23, 2012 and ended on February 9, 2013. People born in January or early February 2012, before Chinese New Year on January 23, belong to the previous zodiac year: the Year of the Rabbit.

The Dragon is the only mythical creature in the Chinese zodiac and is considered especially auspicious. Dragon years often see a rise in births, as many parents hope for a strong, successful Dragon child.

People with the Water element are traditionally described as flexible, perceptive and diplomatic.

Year of the Dragon: traits and compatibility →

What generation is 2012?

People born in 2012 are part of Generation Z, which covers birth years 1997–2012. 2012 is the last year of Gen Z, so people born in 2012 sometimes identify with the next generation too.

Generation Z is the first generation to grow up with smartphones and social media from childhood. Pew Research Center uses 1997 as the first Gen Z birth year, while some other sources start the generation a year or two earlier.