Chinese Gender Predictor: Boy or Girl?

A 700-year-old guessing game — just for fun

Legend says the Chinese gender chart was discovered in a royal tomb near Beijing over 700 years ago, and that it predicted the sex of imperial babies with uncanny accuracy. The method is simple: cross the mother’s lunar age at conception with the lunar month of conception, and the chart declares boy or girl.

Let us be completely clear: this is folklore, not science. No chart can predict a baby’s sex — the odds are 50/50 every time, and the only reliable answers come from ultrasound or genetic testing. But as a bit of old tradition and a fun guessing game for the family, the chart has charmed parents for generations.

Enter the mother’s birth date and the conception date below, and see what the ancient chart says. Then enjoy being right about half the time, like everyone else.

The traditional Chinese chart uses the mother’s lunar age at conception and the lunar month of conception. This is folklore — just for fun, with no scientific basis.

Just for fun: the Chinese gender chart is a folk tradition with no scientific basis. For the real answer, ask your sonographer at your anatomy scan — usually around 20 weeks.

How the traditional chart works

The chart uses two lunar-calendar inputs: the mother’s age at conception in lunar years (roughly, her age plus one) and the lunar month in which conception happened. Where the row and column meet, the chart shows a prediction. Below is a small excerpt from the commonly published version — full charts run from lunar age 18 to 45 across all 12 lunar months.

Lunar age Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6
25 Girl Boy Girl Boy Boy Boy
28 Boy Girl Girl Girl Boy Boy
30 Girl Boy Boy Girl Girl Girl
32 Girl Girl Girl Boy Boy Girl
35 Boy Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy

A note on honesty: published versions of this chart differ slightly from one another — which is itself a clue about its reliability. Treat every prediction as the folk game it is.

The real ways to find out

If you genuinely want to know, modern medicine has you covered. The anatomy ultrasound at around 18–22 weeks reveals the sex in most cases (when baby cooperates with positioning). NIPT blood tests, offered from around 10 weeks, detect fetal DNA in the mother’s blood and are highly accurate — though they are screening tests with specific medical purposes, not party tricks.

Or join the growing number of parents who wait. “Team green” — finding out at birth — is having a moment, and there is something undeniably special about the midwife’s announcement being the first reveal. Whatever you choose, the chart above is for the mantelpiece conversation, not the decision.

More old wives’ tales to try

The gender chart is just the most famous of dozens of folk predictions. There is the wedding ring on a string (circle for girl, back-and-forth for boy), the baking soda urine test (fizz for boy), carrying high versus low, and the great Chinese restaurant placemat test found on tables across the world. Every culture has its version, and every one of them is right about half the time — which keeps them all in business.

Enjoy them for what they are: a way for grandparents, aunties, and friends to join in the excitement. Just promise you will not paint the nursery based on any of them.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Chinese gender chart accurate?
No more than a coin flip. Studies and large-scale testing put its accuracy at around 50% — exactly what chance alone would give. Any chart that claims 90%+ accuracy is selling something. It is a folk tradition, and it should be enjoyed as one.
What is a lunar age, and how is it different from my real age?
In the traditional Chinese calendar, a baby is considered one year old at birth, and everyone ages a year at the Lunar New Year rather than on their birthday. So your lunar age is usually your Western age plus one (sometimes plus two, depending on the time of year). The predictor above does this conversion for you.
I don’t know my exact conception date — what should I enter?
Use your due date instead: conception happened roughly 38 weeks before it (or 40 weeks before, counting from your last period — the predictor handles both). Even an approximate date is fine for a game whose accuracy is 50% anyway.
Why do different websites show different charts?
Because there is no single authoritative original — the “ancient chart” story cannot be verified, and versions have drifted as they have been copied across the internet for decades. The differences between versions are themselves the best evidence that the chart is folklore rather than a real predictive tool.
When can I actually find out the baby’s sex?
The anatomy scan at 18–22 weeks is the usual moment, and NIPT blood testing from around 10 weeks is highly accurate. Before that, no method — folk or otherwise — can tell you reliably. Patience (or a scan appointment) is the only real answer.
Can the chart predict twins?
The traditional chart has no concept of twins — it gives one answer per pregnancy. If you are expecting two, you get to enjoy the chart being wrong in stereo. Congratulations, in any case — that is the one prediction everyone gets right.