What Year Is It?
Check the current year, Japanese era, zodiac, and leap year status
2026
Reiwa 8
- Western year
- 2026
- Japanese era
- Reiwa 8
- Zodiac animal
- 🐴Horse
- Leap year
- Not a leap year
Checking the current year at a glance
This page shows the current Western year together with the Japanese era year, this year's zodiac animal and whether it is a leap year. It is handy when filling in a date on a form, writing a résumé, preparing a new year's card, or simply confirming which year to write.
The Reiwa era year is the Western year minus 2018 — so 2026 is Reiwa 8. The era began on 1 May 2019, which makes 2019 Reiwa 1 (gannen). The previous and next years are listed too, since forms often ask for a year either side of the current one.
The zodiac animal cycles every twelve years. To look up the animal for any other year, use the zodiac calculator; to convert freely between Western years and the Reiwa, Heisei and Showa eras, use the Japanese era converter.
Frequently asked questions
- What year is it in the Reiwa era?
- Subtract 2018 from the Western year. The current value is shown at the top of this page.
- When did the Reiwa era begin?
- On 1 May 2019. That year is called Reiwa 1, or gannen, and covers both the last months of Heisei 31 and the first months of Reiwa.
- How do I know whether a year is a leap year?
- A year divisible by 4 is a leap year, except centuries not divisible by 400. This page states the answer for the current year directly.
- Is the date taken from my device?
- Yes. The page reads your device's clock in the browser, and nothing is sent to a server.
