The Rooster is the Chinese zodiac animal traditionally linked with the west direction.
This association comes through the earthly branch You, which corresponds to the Rooster and is traditionally assigned to the west. The 12 earthly branches connect animals with other calendrical concepts, including directions and times of day.
In the standard animal order, the Rooster is the tenth sign, following the Monkey and preceding the Dog. Traditional systems also associate the Rooster’s branch with the late-afternoon period, approximately 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Directional symbolism differs from the popular personality descriptions often found in horoscopes. It belongs to a broader traditional cosmological framework rather than a modern geographic or scientific classification.