The element paired with the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac year beginning in 2022 was Water.
The 2022 lunar year began on February 1, 2022, and was called the Year of the Water Tiger. It ended on January 21, 2023, the day before the Water Rabbit year began. The traditional system combines 12 animals with five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water.
Each animal returns every 12 years, but its associated element changes according to the 60-year sexagenary cycle. Thus, not every Tiger year is a Water Tiger year. The preceding Tiger year, 2010, was a Metal Tiger year, while the next one, 2034, is scheduled to be a Wood Tiger year.
Descriptions of zodiac personalities are cultural traditions rather than scientific findings. The calendar labels themselves, however, are specific historical designations.