The 12 rashis explained: Moon signs for baby naming

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A rashi is one of the twelve signs of the zodiac. For naming, the rashi that matters is the one the Moon occupied at birth: the Moon sign, or janma rashi. This guide covers all twelve: where each sits in the sidereal zodiac, its ruling planet and element, the nakshatra padas it contains and the starting letters that come from them.

What a rashi is

The zodiac is the 360° circle along the Sun’s apparent path through the stars, divided into twelve rashis of 30° each. Every rashi holds exactly nine nakshatra padas (9 × 3°20′ = 30°), so every rashi has nine naming syllables. The Moon moves through a rashi in about two and a quarter days, which makes the Moon sign easier to pin down than the nakshatra pada, which changes roughly every six hours. The 27 nakshatras guide covers the nakshatras themselves.

Sidereal and tropical zodiacs

There are two common ways to fix where the zodiac begins. The tropical zodiac, used in Western astrology, starts from the point where the Sun stands at the March equinox, so it stays in step with the seasons. The sidereal zodiac, used in Vedic astrology, is tied to the background stars.

The two lined up roughly 1,700 years ago. Since then the slow wobble of the Earth’s axis, called precession, has moved the equinox point backwards against the stars by about one degree every 72 years. The gap between the two zodiacs, the ayanamsa, is now about 24°. A planet’s sidereal longitude is therefore about 24° less than its tropical longitude, which often, though not always, puts it in the previous sign: a planet at 10° Leo by Western reckoning is at about 16° Kark (Cancer) by Vedic reckoning.

Neither zodiac is a more accurate measurement than the other. One follows the seasons and the other the stars, and which one to use is a matter of tradition. The naming custom described on this site is Vedic, so every rashi here is sidereal. Note too that a Western “zodiac sign” usually means the Sun’s sign, while the naming rashi is the Moon’s, which is a different sign for most people.

The 12 rashis

1. Mesh मेष (Aries)

Sanskrit name
Mesha, meaning the ram
Sidereal span
0° to 30° of the zodiac
Ruling planet
Mars मंगल
Element
Fire (Agni, अग्नि)
Nakshatra padas
Ashwini (all four padas), Bharani (all four padas), Krittika (pada 1)
Starting letters
Chu, Che, Cho, La, Li, Lu, Le, Lo, A (चू, चे, चो, ला, ली, लू, ले, लो, अ); see the rashi letters chart

2. Vrishabh वृषभ (Taurus)

Sanskrit name
Vrishabha, meaning the bull
Sidereal span
30° to 60° of the zodiac
Ruling planet
Venus शुक्र
Element
Earth (Prithvi, पृथ्वी)
Nakshatra padas
Krittika (padas 2–4), Rohini (all four padas), Mrigashira (padas 1–2)
Starting letters
I, U, E, O, Va, Vi, Vu, Ve, Vo (इ, उ, ए, ओ, वा, वी, वू, वे, वो); see the rashi letters chart

3. Mithun मिथुन (Gemini)

Sanskrit name
Mithuna, meaning the pair (a couple)
Sidereal span
60° to 90° of the zodiac
Ruling planet
Mercury बुध
Element
Air (Vayu, वायु)
Nakshatra padas
Mrigashira (padas 3–4), Ardra (all four padas), Punarvasu (padas 1–3)
Starting letters
Ka, Ki, Ku, Gha, Ng, Chha, Ke, Ko, Ha (का, की, कू, घ, ङ, छ, के, को, हा); see the rashi letters chart

4. Kark कर्क (Cancer)

Sanskrit name
Karka, meaning the crab
Sidereal span
90° to 120° of the zodiac
Ruling planet
Moon चंद्र
Element
Water (Jala, जल)
Nakshatra padas
Punarvasu (pada 4), Pushya (all four padas), Ashlesha (all four padas)
Starting letters
Hi, Hu, He, Ho, Da, Di, Du, De, Do (ही, हू, हे, हो, डा, डी, डू, डे, डो); see the rashi letters chart

5. Singh सिंह (Leo)

Sanskrit name
Simha, meaning the lion
Sidereal span
120° to 150° of the zodiac
Ruling planet
Sun सूर्य
Element
Fire (Agni, अग्नि)
Nakshatra padas
Magha (all four padas), Purva Phalguni (all four padas), Uttara Phalguni (pada 1)
Starting letters
Ma, Mi, Mu, Me, Mo, Ta, Ti, Tu, Te (मा, मी, मू, मे, मो, टा, टी, टू, टे); see the rashi letters chart

6. Kanya कन्या (Virgo)

Sanskrit name
Kanya, meaning the maiden
Sidereal span
150° to 180° of the zodiac
Ruling planet
Mercury बुध
Element
Earth (Prithvi, पृथ्वी)
Nakshatra padas
Uttara Phalguni (padas 2–4), Hasta (all four padas), Chitra (padas 1–2)
Starting letters
To, Pa, Pi, Pu, Sha, Na, Tha, Pe, Po (टो, पा, पी, पू, ष, ण, ठ, पे, पो); see the rashi letters chart

7. Tula तुला (Libra)

Sanskrit name
Tula, meaning the balance (scales)
Sidereal span
180° to 210° of the zodiac
Ruling planet
Venus शुक्र
Element
Air (Vayu, वायु)
Nakshatra padas
Chitra (padas 3–4), Swati (all four padas), Vishakha (padas 1–3)
Starting letters
Ra, Ri, Ru, Re, Ro, Ta, Ti, Tu, Te (रा, री, रू, रे, रो, ता, ती, तू, ते); see the rashi letters chart

8. Vrishchik वृश्चिक (Scorpio)

Sanskrit name
Vrishchika, meaning the scorpion
Sidereal span
210° to 240° of the zodiac
Ruling planet
Mars मंगल
Element
Water (Jala, जल)
Nakshatra padas
Vishakha (pada 4), Anuradha (all four padas), Jyeshtha (all four padas)
Starting letters
To, Na, Ni, Nu, Ne, No, Ya, Yi, Yu (तो, ना, नी, नू, ने, नो, या, यी, यू); see the rashi letters chart

9. Dhanu धनु (Sagittarius)

Sanskrit name
Dhanu, meaning the bow
Sidereal span
240° to 270° of the zodiac
Ruling planet
Jupiter गुरु
Element
Fire (Agni, अग्नि)
Nakshatra padas
Mula (all four padas), Purva Ashadha (all four padas), Uttara Ashadha (pada 1)
Starting letters
Ye, Yo, Bha, Bhi, Bhu, Dha, Pha, Dha, Bhe (ये, यो, भा, भी, भू, धा, फा, ढा, भे); see the rashi letters chart

10. Makar मकर (Capricorn)

Sanskrit name
Makara, meaning the makara, a sea creature (often drawn as a crocodile)
Sidereal span
270° to 300° of the zodiac
Ruling planet
Saturn शनि
Element
Earth (Prithvi, पृथ्वी)
Nakshatra padas
Uttara Ashadha (padas 2–4), Shravana (all four padas), Dhanishta (padas 1–2)
Starting letters
Bho, Ja, Ji, Khi, Khu, Khe, Kho, Ga, Gi (भो, जा, जी, खी, खू, खे, खो, गा, गी); see the rashi letters chart

11. Kumbh कुंभ (Aquarius)

Sanskrit name
Kumbha, meaning the water pot
Sidereal span
300° to 330° of the zodiac
Ruling planet
Saturn शनि
Element
Air (Vayu, वायु)
Nakshatra padas
Dhanishta (padas 3–4), Shatabhisha (all four padas), Purva Bhadrapada (padas 1–3)
Starting letters
Gu, Ge, Go, Sa, Si, Su, Se, So, Da (गू, गे, गो, सा, सी, सू, से, सो, दा); see the rashi letters chart

12. Meen मीन (Pisces)

Sanskrit name
Meena, meaning the fish
Sidereal span
330° to 360° of the zodiac
Ruling planet
Jupiter गुरु
Element
Water (Jala, जल)
Nakshatra padas
Purva Bhadrapada (pada 4), Uttara Bhadrapada (all four padas), Revati (all four padas)
Starting letters
Di, Du, Tha, Jha, Na, De, Do, Cha, Chi (दी, दू, थ, झ, ञ, दे, दो, चा, ची); see the rashi letters chart

Rashi lords at a glance

Seven planets share the twelve rashis. The Sun and the Moon rule one each; Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn rule two.

Rahu and Ketu are not among the seven traditional sign lords. Some texts and techniques make them co-lords of one sign each, Kumbh for Rahu (with Saturn) and Vrishchik for Ketu (with Mars); traditions differ on when that applies.

Elements at a glance

The four elements repeat in order around the zodiac, so each element has three rashis, 120° apart.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the naming rashi called a Moon sign?

Because the rashi used for naming is the one the Moon occupied at birth. A birth chart places the Sun, the Moon, the planets and the rising sign (lagna) each in a rashi, and those placements are used elsewhere in astrology, but the naming custom follows the Moon.

Can two astrologers give different rashis for the same birth?

Occasionally. Sidereal positions depend on the ayanamsa, the offset used to convert from the tropical zodiac. The Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsa is the standard in India; other ayanamsas in use differ from it by up to about a degree and a half, which only matters when the Moon is close to the edge of a sign.

Does a rashi's element affect which name to choose?

Not in the naming custom described here, which uses only the rashi's letters. The element (fire, earth, air or water) is one of several classical ways of grouping the signs and is given on this page for reference.