Kua Number Calculator (Feng Shui Lucky Directions, East/West Group)

How it works

Solar year = birth year, or the previous year if born before Lichun (Sun at 315° longitude, about February 4) · s = solar year mod 9 (0 → 9) = digit sum of the year reduced · male: Kua = 11 − s, reduced to 1–9; female: Kua = 4 + s, reduced · Kua 5 becomes 2 for men and 8 for women · East group: 1, 3, 4, 9; West group: 2, 6, 7, 8

The Kua (or Ming Gua) number comes from the Eight Mansions school of feng shui. It is derived from the birth year in the Chinese solar calendar, which starts at Lichun around February 4 — not on January 1 or at Chinese New Year — and from gender, following the traditional male and female counts of the Lo Shu square. Each number belongs to the East or West group and assigns four favourable directions (for desks, beds and doors) and four unfavourable ones. The calculator computes Lichun astronomically for each year. Feng shui is a cultural tradition; its effects are not scientifically demonstrated.

Worked example

A man born May 15, 1990 (after Lichun on February 4, 1990): 1 + 9 + 9 + 0 = 19 → 10 → 1, and 11 − 1 = 10 → 1, so his Kua number is 1 — East group, element Water. His best direction (Sheng Qi) is Southeast and his worst (Jue Ming) is Southwest. A woman born the same day has 4 + 1 = 5, which becomes Kua 8 (West group).

Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Feng shui · Hong Kong Observatory — The 24 solar terms

Frequently asked questions