Row 42 of 18–45
Chinese Gender Chart: Lunar Age 42
At lunar age 42 the traditional chart predicts a boy in 6 of the 12 lunar months and a girl in 6. Here is the full row, what makes it different from the rows either side of it, and how to tell whether 42 is actually your lunar age.
What row 42 says
If the mother’s lunar age at conception is 42, the traditional chart predicts:
- Boy in lunar months 2, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 11
- Girl in lunar months 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 12
That is an even six-and-six split, so row 42 is one of the more balanced rows on the chart.
The longest unbroken stretch in this row is 2 consecutive months of boy, running from lunar month 8 to 9.
One thing worth repeating, because it is where most people go wrong: these are lunar months. Lunar month 1 begins on Chinese New Year, which falls between 21 January and 20 February, so it never lines up with January. The table further down converts them into real 2026 dates.
How row 42 differs from its neighbours
Rows next to each other on this chart are not gentle variations of one another. Being off by a single year of lunar age changes the answer in a large share of months, which is exactly why the Chinese New Year cutoff matters so much:
- Against lunar age 41, the prediction flips in 11 of 12 months: lunar months 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12.
- Against lunar age 43, it flips in 10 of 12 months: lunar months 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12.
If a calculator works out your lunar age with a simple “add one to your age” rule instead of checking Chinese New Year, it can land you on the wrong row entirely, and as the numbers above show, a wrong row is not a near miss.
Are you lunar age 42?
Lunar age is not your ordinary age. You count as one year old on the day you are born, and everyone gains a year together on Chinese New Year rather than on their own birthday. So lunar age 42 does not map onto a single Gregorian birth year; it maps onto a lunar year that starts and ends on Chinese New Year.
| Lunar age 42 during | Born between | Lunar year | Zodiac |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20 Feb 1985 – 8 Feb 1986 | 1985 | Ox |
| 2027 | 9 Feb 1986 – 28 Jan 1987 | 1986 | Tiger |
| 2028 | 29 Jan 1987 – 16 Feb 1988 | 1987 | Rabbit |
| 2029 | 17 Feb 1988 – 5 Feb 1989 | 1988 | Dragon |
Notice that each window starts on a Chinese New Year, not on 1 January. Someone born in mid-January 1986 still belongs to lunar year 1985, because Chinese New Year had not arrived yet. That single detail is the most common cause of a wrong result.
Lunar month 2026 dates at this age
Chinese New Year 2026 falls on 17 February 2026. Find your conception date in the middle column and read the prediction on the right.
| Lunar month | 2026 dates | Prediction |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 Feb – 18 Mar | Girl |
| 2 | 19 Mar – 16 Apr | Boy |
| 3 | 17 Apr – 16 May | Girl |
| 4 | 17 May – 14 Jun | Boy |
| 5 | 15 Jun – 13 Jul | Girl |
| 6 | 14 Jul – 12 Aug | Boy |
| 7 | 13 Aug – 10 Sept | Girl |
| 8 | 11 Sept – 9 Oct | Boy |
| 9 | 10 Oct – 8 Nov | Boy |
| 10 | 9 Nov – 8 Dec | Girl |
| 11 | 9 Dec – 7 Jan | Boy |
| 12 | 8 Jan – 5 Feb | Girl |
Check your own dates
Do not assume lunar age 42 is yours. It depends on where your birthday sits relative to Chinese New Year, and on which lunar month your conception date falls in. Enter your real dates below and both are worked out for you, including leap months.
Dates from 1900-01-31 to 2101-01-28 are supported. Nothing you type leaves your browser The whole calculation runs on this page.
Questions about lunar age 42
Which months predict a boy at lunar age 42?
At lunar age 42 the chart predicts a boy for lunar months 2, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 11. These are lunar months counted from Chinese New Year, not January to December.
What birth years give a lunar age of 42?
To be lunar age 42 during 2026, you were born in lunar year 1985, between 20 February 1985 and 8 February 1986, the year of the Ox. To be lunar age 42 during 2027, you were born in lunar year 1986, between 9 February 1986 and 28 January 1987, the year of the Tiger. To be lunar age 42 during 2028, you were born in lunar year 1987, between 29 January 1987 and 16 February 1988, the year of the Rabbit. To be lunar age 42 during 2029, you were born in lunar year 1988, between 17 February 1988 and 5 February 1989, the year of the Dragon.
What changes if my lunar age is 42 instead of 41?
The prediction flips in 11 of the 12 months: lunar months 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12. That is why getting the Chinese New Year cutoff right matters: one year of difference changes the answer in 92 percent of months.