The Pig, Hợi in Vietnamese and con Lợn or con Heo in everyday speech, is the twelfth and final sign of the zodiac. When a Pig year ends, the cycle starts again with the Rat. Recent Pig years were 1995, 2007 and 2019, and the next arrives in 2031. Tradition gives the Pig a warm reputation: generous, sincere, hospitable, the person who makes room at the table. The challenge it hints at is a practical one. Generosity works best when it is matched by commitments you can realistically keep.
In this article
- Pig quick facts
- Pig years and the Tet boundary
- The five Pig types by element
- Strengths and challenges
- Relationships and work
- Closing the twelve-year cycle
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources and related reading
Pig quick facts
| Position in the cycle | Twelfth of twelve, after the Dog; followed by the Rat as the cycle restarts |
|---|---|
| Vietnamese name | Hợi (con Lợn or con Heo) |
| Most recent Pig year | 2019, Earth Pig (Kỷ Hợi) |
| Next Pig year | 2031, Metal Pig (Tân Hợi) |
| Traditional affinities in folklore | Cat and Goat (the Hợi–Mão–Mùi trio); Tiger as a paired sign |
| Traditional opposite | Snake |
Pig years and the Tet boundary
Pig years arrive every twelve years:
- 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019
- Next: 2031
- After that: 2043
Think of these as names for lunar years, not precise date ranges. The Vietnamese calendar is lunisolar: months follow the moon, and a leap month is added when needed to keep the year aligned with the seasons. As a result, Tet falls on a different day in January or February each year, and each animal year begins there. Someone born in early January 2019 is a Dog from the 2018 lunar year. For any January or February birthday, check that year’s Tet date on a Vietnamese lunar calendar, then use the correct year label for your element.
For a January or February birthday, establish the animal year at the Tet boundary before using its year label to find the element.
The five Pig types by element
The year’s element comes from its heavenly stem, which tracks the final digit of the year label: 0 or 1 Metal, 2 or 3 Water, 4 or 5 Wood, 6 or 7 Fire, 8 or 9 Earth. Because the stems and animals run on different cycles, each type of Pig reappears every sixty years. The associations are traditional interpretations, not predictions.
| Type | Year labels | Traditional associations |
|---|---|---|
| Wood Pig | 1935, 1995 | Frank and outgoing; tolerant, sometimes hasty |
| Fire Pig | 1947, 2007 | Warm and ambitious; enjoys working with others |
| Earth Pig | 1959, 2019 | Sociable and steady; good at keeping friendships going |
| Metal Pig | 1971, 2031 | Open-minded and honest; helpful by instinct |
| Water Pig | 1983, 2043 | Responsible and careful; quietly independent |
Strengths and challenges
The traits below come from traditional interpretation and are offered for reflection, not as a scientific personality profile.
Generosity leads the Pig profile. Folk readings describe someone who shares freely: time, food, help, a spare room, an introduction to the right person. Hospitality is part of that picture. The Pig is the host who makes guests feel genuinely welcome, not just politely received. Tradition also links the sign with sincerity and good faith, and with a dislike of conflict that makes the Pig easy company and a natural peacemaker.
The traditional challenge is that open hands can promise more than they can hold. A person who finds it hard to refuse may say yes to every invitation, favour and project, then struggle to honour them all. Older readings describe a tendency to trust easily, which is lovely in good company and costly in bad. Avoiding conflict can also mean letting problems in a relationship go unspoken until they are bigger than they needed to be.
It is worth correcting some old stereotypes too. Earlier zodiac writing sometimes describes the Pig as lazy or makes remarks about body size. Those are not fair readings of the tradition, and they say nothing about real people born in Pig years. Nor does the sign promise wealth, whatever the folk associations with plenty might suggest.
The balance worth aiming for is generosity with a plan: giving fully to what you have actually committed to, and saying “not this time” to the rest.
Relationships and work
Take a hypothetical. Picture a Pig-year friend who offers to host a family reunion, cook for a neighbour’s celebration and help a colleague move house, all in the same fortnight. The traditional profile suggests every offer is sincere. Realistic commitment would mean choosing the one or two they can do well and handing the others back early, which is kinder than cancelling at the last minute or doing all three while exhausted.
The qualities associated with the Pig suit work that values warmth and good faith: hospitality and events, teaching, the arts, healthcare and care work, customer relations, community organising and research that needs patience. A birth year places no limits on a career, but these questions may help:
- Which of my current commitments did I agree to because I could not say no?
- Is there a disagreement I am avoiding that would be easier to address now?
- When I give my time, do I leave enough for the things only I can do?
In relationships, the Pig is described as loyal, affectionate and committed for the long term. Folklore links it with the Cat and Goat, pairs it with the Tiger, and places it opposite the Snake. These links are traditional and often mentioned with humour, not a basis for choosing a partner.
Closing the twelve-year cycle
As the last sign, the Pig marks the end of one round of the animal cycle. After a Pig year, the next Tet brings a Rat year and the sequence begins again. The 2019 Pig year, for example, was followed by the 2020 Rat year. A full sixty-year cycle, in which every element-animal pairing appears once, likewise ends with a Pig year, the Water Pig, before returning to the Wood Rat. You can explore every sign in the series on our Vietnamese zodiac signs page.
Frequently asked questions
When is the next Pig year?
The next Pig year begins at Tet 2031. It will be a Metal Pig (Tân Hợi) year, last seen in 1971.
I was born in January 2007. Am I a Pig?
If you were born in early January, you belong to the Dog year that began in 2006. For later January or February birthdays, check the 2007 Tet date on a Vietnamese lunar calendar.
Is the Pig the same as the Boar?
Yes. Some English sources use “Boar” for this twelfth sign. Vietnamese uses con Lợn or con Heo.
Does the Pig sign mean wealth or luck?
The Pig carries folk associations with plenty, but a birth year does not determine anyone’s finances or fortune.
Which signs are traditionally linked with the Pig?
Folklore groups the Pig with the Cat and Goat, pairs it with the Tiger, and places it opposite the Snake.
Revised 30 October 2026. Traditional character descriptions are cultural interpretations, not scientific assessments.
Continue exploring the cycle: Dog: years, elements and meaning · Rat: years, elements and meaning.
Sources and related reading
Calendar and naming facts:
- Hong Kong Observatory: What year is it today? (lunisolar year boundaries, heavenly stems and earthly branches)
- Vietnam Airlines: Vietnamese horoscope (Vietnamese zodiac naming)
Related reading on Feng Shui Elite:
- The twelve Vietnamese zodiac signs
- Tet holiday: the traditional Vietnamese Lunar New Year
- What is feng shui? Origins, meaning and the five elements