Kua number calculator for male and female
The Kua number (also written Gua) is a number from 1 to 9 used in the Eight Mansions school of Feng Shui. It is worked out from your birth year and gender, and it places you in either the East group (1, 3, 4, 9) or the West group (2, 6, 7, 8), each with four favourable and four unfavourable compass directions. This free Kua number calculator uses the standard formulas for people born before 2000 and for those born in 2000 or later, and it handles the one thing many calculators skip: the Feng Shui year starts at Lichun in early February, not on 1 January.
The working is shown so you can check it. Feng Shui is a Chinese cultural tradition without scientific support: this page is for tradition and entertainment, not prediction or advice.
How to use the Kua Number Calculator
- Enter your date of birth.
- Choose Male or Female: the formula uses it.
- Read your Kua number, the group, and the line showing the Feng Shui year and the formula.
- Check the compass and the table for the four favourable and four unfavourable directions.
- Press Copy result to keep the result.
Kua Number Calculator features
Both formula sets
Before 2000 (male 10 − d, female 5 + d) and 2000 and later (male 9 − d, female 6 + d), with d the reduced last two digits.
Lichun boundary
Births in January and early February use the previous Feng Shui year; the page calculates the date of Lichun for your year.
The 5 rule
A result of 5 becomes 2 for men and 8 for women, with a note.
Eight directions
Sheng Qi, Tian Yi, Yan Nian and Fu Wei (favourable); Huo Hai, Wu Gui, Liu Sha and Jue Ming (unfavourable).
Compass view
A compass-style grid and a table you can copy.
How the Kua number is calculated
Take the last two digits of the Feng Shui year and add them to one digit (1992 gives 9 + 2 = 11, then 2). For people born before 2000, men subtract that digit from 10 and women add 5; for people born in 2000 or later, men subtract it from 9 and women add 6. If the answer is more than 9, add its digits again. So a woman born in 1992 has 5 + 2 = 7 and a man has 10 − 2 = 8. A result of 5 has no direction group, so it is moved to 2 for men and 8 for women.
The year is the Feng Shui year, which begins at Lichun, the “start of spring”, when the Sun reaches 315° of ecliptic longitude, usually on 3, 4 or 5 February. Someone born on 3 February 1985 therefore uses 1984. This page calculates the moment of Lichun from the Sun’s position, to within about ten minutes, in China Standard Time (UTC+8). If you were born on the day of Lichun itself, the page shows both results.
The East and West groups and the eight directions
Kua 1, 3, 4 and 9 are the East group; 2, 6, 7 and 8 are the West group. Each Kua has one trigram, and the four favourable and four unfavourable directions follow from it. Sources translate the names a little differently, so the page gives the Chinese name and a common gloss.
| Name | Common gloss | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| Sheng Qi | Success, prosperity | favourable |
| Tian Yi | Health | favourable |
| Yan Nian | Relationships, longevity | favourable |
| Fu Wei | Personal growth, stability | favourable |
| Huo Hai | Mishaps | unfavourable |
| Wu Gui | Five ghosts | unfavourable |
| Liu Sha | Six killings | unfavourable |
| Jue Ming | Total loss | unfavourable |
Where to go from here
Kua is one idea in Feng Shui and has nothing to do with the Indian number systems, though people often use them together. For the Indian system see the mulank and bhagyank calculator and the Lo Shu grid calculator, whose magic square comes from the same Chinese source. For the Indian home-direction tradition see the Vastu checker.
Kua Number Calculator FAQ
How do I calculate my Kua number if I was born after 2000?
Add the last two digits of the Feng Shui year to one digit; men subtract it from 9 and women add it to 6 (and reduce). For 2005 that gives a man 9 − 5 = 4 and a woman 6 + 5 = 11, then 2.
Why does my result differ if I was born in January?
The Feng Shui year starts at Lichun in early February, so January births use the previous year. Many quick calculators ignore this.
What if my Kua number comes out as 5?
The Eight Mansions system has no Kua 5. Men use 2 and women use 8; the page says so when it happens.
Which group am I in, East or West?
Kua 1, 3, 4 and 9 are East; 2, 6, 7 and 8 are West.
Why is gender part of the formula?
The traditional formula treats the numbers for men and women in opposite directions. Use the setting your tradition applies.
Is the Kua number scientific?
No. It is a Chinese metaphysical tradition. Use it for interest, not to make decisions about where to sleep or work.