The twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig), name the twelve-year cycle and are attached to the twelve earthly branches that also mark the hours, months and directions. A person born in a given year is said to have that year's animal, with a character traditionally ascribed to it.
The animal names are a popular and memorable overlay on the older branch system, and the cycle is among the best-known features of Chinese and wider East Asian calendrical culture, marked at the New Year and used in popular astrology and compatibility.