The Chinese zodiac links the 2023 lunar year with the Rabbit.
Lunar New Year began on January 22, 2023, starting a Water Rabbit year. The zodiac year ended when the next Lunar New Year began on February 10, 2024, which ushered in the Dragon year. Thus, the Gregorian year 2023 overlaps two zodiac years at its edges.
Rabbit is the fourth animal in the standard Chinese sequence, after Tiger and before Dragon. Traditional popular descriptions often connect the Rabbit with gentleness, alertness, and diplomacy, but these character associations are cultural beliefs rather than scientific findings.
The element distinguishes 2023 from other Rabbit years. The previous Water Rabbit year was 1963, and the combination will return in 2083 because the full animal-and-element cycle lasts 60 years. Some neighboring traditions use a Cat instead of Rabbit, so “Rabbit year” specifically identifies the Chinese convention here.