What a Kua number is
The Kua number belongs to the Eight Mansions school of feng shui, a Chinese tradition. It is a single digit from 1 to 9, worked out from your birth year, which is said to place you in one of two groups, East or West. The tradition then links each group with four compass directions, and uses them when choosing the way a bed, desk or front door faces. It is a tradition of reflection and not a measure of luck, health or fortune.
The two formulas
Tradition gives one formula for women and one for men, and the tool shows the working for the one you choose.
- Women: add the last two digits of the birth year down to a single digit, add 5 if you were born from 1900 to 1999 or 6 if you were born from 2000 to 2099, and reduce again to a single digit.
- Men: add the last two digits of the birth year down to a single digit, subtract it from 10 if you were born from 1900 to 1999 or from 9 if you were born from 2000 to 2099, and reduce again to a single digit.
A result of 0 is read as 9. There is no Kua 5 trigram, so by the usual rule 5 becomes 8 for women and 2 for men. A few schools treat 5 differently, and the tool flags it. For example, a woman born in 1985 adds 8 + 5 = 13, then 1 + 3 = 4, then 4 + 5 = 9, so her Kua is 9. A man born in 1985 gets 10 minus 4, which is 6.
Which year counts
The Kua year starts at Li Chun, the beginning of spring in the Chinese solar calendar, which falls around 4 February. It does not start on 1 January or at the Chinese New Year of the moon. A birthday in January or early February therefore usually takes the previous year. The tool finds Li Chun from the moment the Sun reaches 315 degrees of longitude and compares your birth date with it. If you were born on the day of Li Chun itself, it shows both possible years, because the hour decides.
East and West groups
Kua numbers 1, 3, 4 and 9 are in the East group, linked with the directions North, South, East and South-East. Kua numbers 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are in the West group, linked with South-West, North-West, West and North-East. The tradition ranks the four directions of each group in an order that differs by Kua number and is given differently in some sources, so the tool names the group and its four directions and does not claim a ranking.
How to treat the result
Feng shui is an old Chinese practice with many schools, and the Eight Mansions method is one of them. Some people enjoy it as a way of thinking about how they arrange a room. It is not a guide to health or money, and no direction can cause or cure anything. If you are choosing a home, a doctor and a lawyer are better guides than a compass. For the animal and element of your year, see the Chinese zodiac calculator, and for the traditions behind them the Chinese zodiac guides.
Frequently asked questions
↳ Why are there two formulas?
The tradition treats the two sexes differently: one counts forward from the year digit and the other counts back. The tool shows the working for the formula you choose.
↳ Why did my birthday in January give an earlier year?
The Kua year begins at Li Chun, around 4 February, so dates before it belong to the previous year. The tool shows the Li Chun moment it used.
↳ What happens with Kua 5?
There is no Kua 5 trigram. The usual rule reads it as 8 for women and 2 for men, though a few schools use another rule.
↳ Is my Kua number the same as my Chinese zodiac animal?
No. The animal follows the lunar year, while the Kua number follows the solar year starting at Li Chun and uses a different calculation.
↳ Does my Kua number decide my luck?
No. It is a tradition for thinking about how you arrange your space, offered for reflection. It does not predict or influence luck, health or relationships.