Kua Number Calculator
Discover how Feng Shui can guide harmony, balance, and positive energy in your life. Start with our free tools below to explore your personal Feng Shui insights, including your Kua number and lucky directions.
Your Kua Number (Ming Gua 命卦) is an essential part of Ba Zhai Feng Shui. Calculated from your birth year and gender, it reveals your personal Feng Shui energy type. Use your lucky directions to find the best positions for health, wealth, love, and growth.
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What Is a Kua Number?
Your Kua number (also written Gua number or Ming Gua, 命卦) is your personal feng shui number, calculated from your year of birth and gender. It comes from the Eight Mansions (Ba Zhai) school of feng shui and links you to one of the eight trigrams of the I Ching. Your Kua number reveals your four lucky directions and four unlucky ones — the compass directions you should face and orient toward for better sleep, focus, health, and prosperity.
How to Calculate Your Kua Number
The calculator above does this for you instantly, but here is the traditional method so you can see how your "what is my kua number" result is derived:
- Add the last two digits of your birth year together, then reduce to a single digit.
- For men: born before 2000, subtract that digit from 10; born in 2000 or later, subtract from 9. (If the result is 5, it becomes 2.)
- For women: born before 2000, add 5; born in 2000 or later, add 6; then reduce to a single digit. (If the result is 5, it becomes 8.)
- Because the feng shui year begins at Chinese New Year (late January to mid-February), anyone born in January or early February should use the previous year.
Kua Numbers 1 to 9 and Their Meanings
🌊 Kua 1 — Kan (Water)
Water · East Group
Like flowing water, you are adaptable and intuitive, able to navigate life's challenges with wisdom and grace.
🏔️ Kua 2 — Kun (Earth)
Earth · West Group
Grounded like the earth itself, you provide stability and nurturing support to those around you.
⚡ Kua 3 — Zhen (Wood)
Wood · East Group
Dynamic like thunder, you bring energy and initiative to everything you do, inspiring growth and progress.
🌳 Kua 4 — Xun (Wood)
Wood · East Group
Gentle like the wind, you influence others through diplomacy and charm rather than force.
⚔️ Kua 6 — Qian (Metal)
Metal · West Group
Strong like heaven itself, you possess natural authority and the determination to achieve your highest goals.
💎 Kua 7 — Dui (Metal)
Metal · West Group
Joyful like a serene lake, you bring happiness and communication skills that brighten any gathering.
🏔️ Kua 8 — Gen (Earth)
Earth · West Group
Steady like a mountain, you possess deep wisdom and the patience to build lasting success through careful planning.
🔥 Kua 9 — Li (Fire)
Fire · East Group
Brilliant like fire, you illuminate the world with your passion, creativity, and natural ability to inspire others.
Note: there is no Kua 5 — men with a result of 5 use Kua 2, and women use Kua 8.
East Group vs West Group
Every Kua number belongs to one of two groups. East Group people (Kua 1, 3, 4, and 9) are most in harmony with the east, southeast, south, and north. West Group people (Kua 2, 6, 7, and 8) thrive facing west, northwest, southwest, and northeast. Ideally your bed, desk, and main door align with your own group's directions. This grouping is also used in feng shui compatibility — partners in the same group often share more naturally aligned energy at home.
Your Four Lucky Directions
Sheng Chi (生氣) — Success & Wealth
Your best direction for career growth, prosperity, and important goals. Face it while working or place your main door here.
Tian Yi (天醫) — Health
The direction for wellbeing and recovery. Sleep with your head pointing here to support good health.
Yan Nian (延年) — Love & Relationships
Enhances harmony, marriage, and family bonds. Ideal for the bedroom and shared spaces.
Fu Wei (伏位) — Stability & Focus
Brings calm, clarity, and personal growth. Great for a study, meditation corner, or desk.
How to Use Your Kua Number at Home
- Best sleeping direction: point the top of your head toward one of your four lucky directions (many prefer their Tian Yi health direction).
- Desk and study: face your Sheng Chi success direction while working or studying.
- Main door: a front door that opens toward a favorable direction is considered especially auspicious for the whole household.
- Avoid spending long hours facing your unlucky directions — reserve those areas for storage, bathrooms, or utility spaces.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do men and women calculate it differently?
Ba Zhai feng shui treats yang (traditionally associated with men) and yin (women) energy as moving in opposite directions through the trigrams, so the formula differs by gender. This is why the same birth year can produce two different Kua numbers.
What if I was born in January or February?
The feng shui year starts at Chinese New Year, not January 1. If you were born before Chinese New Year, use the previous year for your calculation. The calculator above handles common cases, but check the Chinese New Year date for your birth year if you were born in early February.
Is a lower or higher Kua number better?
Neither — no Kua number is luckier than another. Each simply points to a different set of favorable directions. The goal is to align your space with your directions.