Chinese New Year Wheel: Spin the 12 Zodiac Animals

Chinese New Year wheel with the 12 zodiac animals, from the Rat to the Pig. Spin one for a Lunar New Year lesson, a craft or a party.

Class lessons
Craft time
Story starters

On this wheel

Rat
Ox
Tiger
Rabbit
Dragon
Snake
+6 more

Why use a Chinese New Year wheel

The 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac are on the wheel, in their usual order. Spin one to learn about, draw or write a story about. Lunar New Year 2027 starts on 6 February: the Year of the Goat.

Teach the 12 zodiac animals
Teachers can spin an animal and have the class find which years belong to it.
Pick an animal to draw or make
Each child spins an animal for a lantern, a mask or a card for Lunar New Year.
Spin an animal for a story
Writers can spin and tell how that animal raced to its place in the zodiac.

This wheel wears the New Year, New Spin theme: new year's only: champagne gold, midnight and glitter, and a fireworks show for the winner. Your own copy keeps it, or pick another wheel theme.

How to use the Chinese New Year wheel

Click the wheel to spin it.
Wait for it to slow down and stop on a random entry. The winner pops up on screen.
Click “Hide & Respin” to take the winner out and spin again, so nothing is picked twice.
Click “Create your own zodiac animal picker” to save your own copy, change the entries, and share or embed it.

All 12 entries on the Chinese New Year wheel

Rat
Ox
Tiger
Rabbit
Dragon
Snake
Horse
Goat
Monkey
Rooster
Dog
Pig

Frequently Asked Questions

Which animal is 2027?

The Goat, sometimes called the Sheep. The Year of the Goat starts with Lunar New Year on 6 February 2027.

Is the wheel really random?

Yes. Every entry has a slice of the same size, and where the wheel stops is picked with your browser’s cryptographically secure random number generator (crypto.getRandomValues), so nobody can predict or rig the result.

Can I change the entries on this wheel?

Yes. Click “Create your own zodiac animal picker” to save your own copy. You can then add, remove or rename entries, change the theme and spin settings, and share or embed your wheel.