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Different systems can use different year boundaries. QiLoom's Chinese zodiac lookup changes the year on the first day of the Chinese lunar year. It does not calculate a birth chart using the exact Start of Spring instant. Establish that convention before comparing a result with another website, especially for a January or February birth.
Three dates that should not be confused
The Gregorian year begins on 1 January. The Chinese lunar year begins on its first month's first day. Start of Spring is a solar term, not another name for Chinese New Year. A calculator using one boundary may classify an early-year birth differently from a calculator using another, even when both received the same Gregorian year.
Check an actual boundary
Chinese New Year falls on 17 February in 2026. Under this site's convention, 16 February still belongs to the preceding lunar year, while 17 February begins the new one. Likewise, 9 February 2024 is still in the Rabbit year and 10 February begins the Dragon year. Enter full dates on both sides to see why a birth year alone is insufficient.
Prefer a birth record to an age-based guess
An age number may be a completed age or another family counting convention. Even if it suggests a likely birth year, it usually does not tell you which side of the lunar new-year boundary the birth falls on. A zodiac sign also repeats across a cycle and cannot uniquely identify a historical birth year. Start with the complete recorded date whenever possible.
Compare inputs as well as rules
Confirm that both services interpret the input as Gregorian rather than lunar. Then compare the boundary definition, supported date range and required information. A service asking for an exact birth time and place is not necessarily answering the same question as this date-only tool. Saving the inputs and rule description is more useful for investigating a difference than saving only the final animal name.
What the result does and does not describe
The lookup supplies a calendar-based traditional year label. It does not establish a person's character, compatibility, fortune or suitability for an important decision. When adding a sign to a family record, note that it follows the Chinese lunar new-year boundary. Do not adjust an uncertain birth date merely to make it agree with a remembered sign.
Use the tools with the same date convention
The Chinese lunar conversion range verified here is Gregorian 1950–2035. Out-of-range input is a limitation of the service, not a claim that a person has no zodiac sign. Use the zodiac lookup with the full Gregorian date, then check the lunar year in the date converter. The tool works with the supplied local calendar date; it does not turn a birth timestamp into another time zone or apply an exact solar-term transition.