Nakshatra letters chart: starting syllables for all 108 padas

Last updated 7 October 2026

In the Hindu naming ceremony (namkaran), a baby’s name often begins with the syllable, or akshar, of the nakshatra pada the Moon occupied at birth. This chart gives that syllable for all 27 nakshatras and their four padas, in English letters and Devanagari, with the rashi (Moon sign) each pada belongs to.

How to use the chart

Find the Moon’s nakshatra and pada at birth. They appear in a birth chart (kundli) calculated for the exact date, time and place of birth. A nakshatra name finder that does this for you is in development.
Find the nakshatra’s row below and read the syllable under the pada.
Look for names that begin with that sound. Go by the Devanagari: several English labels stand for two different sounds (see the questions below).

Only know the Moon sign? The rashi letters chart lists the nine syllables of each rashi.

The chart

Starting syllable for each nakshatra pada, with the pada’s rashi (North-Indian convention)
Nakshatra	Pada 1	Pada 2	Pada 3	Pada 4
1. Ashwini	Chu चू Mesh	Che चे Mesh	Cho चो Mesh	La ला Mesh
2. Bharani	Li ली Mesh	Lu लू Mesh	Le ले Mesh	Lo लो Mesh
3. Krittika	A अ Mesh	I इ Vrishabh	U उ Vrishabh	E ए Vrishabh
4. Rohini	O ओ Vrishabh	Va वा Vrishabh	Vi वी Vrishabh	Vu वू Vrishabh
5. Mrigashira	Ve वे Vrishabh	Vo वो Vrishabh	Ka का Mithun	Ki की Mithun
6. Ardra	Ku कू Mithun	Gha घ Mithun	Ng ङ Mithun	Chha छ Mithun
7. Punarvasu	Ke के Mithun	Ko को Mithun	Ha हा Mithun	Hi ही Kark
8. Pushya	Hu हू Kark	He हे Kark	Ho हो Kark	Da डा Kark
9. Ashlesha	Di डी Kark	Du डू Kark	De डे Kark	Do डो Kark
10. Magha	Ma मा Singh	Mi मी Singh	Mu मू Singh	Me मे Singh
11. Purva Phalguni	Mo मो Singh	Ta टा Singh	Ti टी Singh	Tu टू Singh
12. Uttara Phalguni	Te टे Singh	To टो Kanya	Pa पा Kanya	Pi पी Kanya
13. Hasta	Pu पू Kanya	Sha ष Kanya	Na ण Kanya	Tha ठ Kanya
14. Chitra	Pe पे Kanya	Po पो Kanya	Ra रा Tula	Ri री Tula
15. Swati	Ru रू Tula	Re रे Tula	Ro रो Tula	Ta ता Tula
16. Vishakha	Ti ती Tula	Tu तू Tula	Te ते Tula	To तो Vrishchik
17. Anuradha	Na ना Vrishchik	Ni नी Vrishchik	Nu नू Vrishchik	Ne ने Vrishchik
18. Jyeshtha	No नो Vrishchik	Ya या Vrishchik	Yi यी Vrishchik	Yu यू Vrishchik
19. Mula	Ye ये Dhanu	Yo यो Dhanu	Bha भा Dhanu	Bhi भी Dhanu
20. Purva Ashadha	Bhu भू Dhanu	Dha धा Dhanu	Pha फा Dhanu	Dha ढा Dhanu
21. Uttara Ashadha	Bhe भे Dhanu	Bho भो Makar	Ja जा Makar	Ji जी Makar
22. Shravana	Khi खी Makar	Khu खू Makar	Khe खे Makar	Kho खो Makar
23. Dhanishta	Ga गा Makar	Gi गी Makar	Gu गू Kumbh	Ge गे Kumbh
24. Shatabhisha	Go गो Kumbh	Sa सा Kumbh	Si सी Kumbh	Su सू Kumbh
25. Purva Bhadrapada	Se से Kumbh	So सो Kumbh	Da दा Kumbh	Di दी Meen
26. Uttara Bhadrapada	Du दू Meen	Tha थ Meen	Jha झ Meen	Na ञ Meen
27. Revati	De दे Meen	Do दो Meen	Cha चा Meen	Chi ची Meen

Why some nakshatras span two rashis

Each nakshatra covers 13°20′ of the zodiac and each pada 3°20′. Nine padas make exactly 30°, one rashi, so every rashi holds nine syllables and the rashi boundaries cut through nine nakshatras: Krittika, Mrigashira, Punarvasu, Uttara Phalguni, Chitra, Vishakha, Uttara Ashadha, Dhanishta, Purva Bhadrapada. In those rows the rashi changes partway along, and the chart shows the rashi of each pada separately.

Regional variants

Published tables agree on most cells but not all. These are the known differences; if your family or priest uses the other reading, that reading is not wrong.

Shravana, padas 1, 2, 3, 4

This chart: Khi, Khu, Khe, Kho (खी, खू, खे, खो). Other tables: Ju, Je, Jo, Gha (जू, जे, जो, घा).

Some tables give Shravana the syllables Ju, Je, Jo and Gha instead of Khi, Khu, Khe and Kho. Ju, Je and Jo belong to Abhijit in the older 28-nakshatra count, where Abhijit sits between Uttara Ashadha and Shravana; tables that fold Abhijit into the 27 carry those syllables over to Shravana.

Uttara Bhadrapada, pada 4

This chart: Na (ञ). Other tables: Da (दा).

The fourth pada of Uttara Bhadrapada is the nasal ña (ञ), a sound no name begins with, and some English tables print it as Da instead.

Syllables names rarely start with

Three padas carry nasal sounds that names rarely, if ever, begin with: ङ (Ardra pada 3), ण (Hasta pada 3) and ञ (Uttara Bhadrapada pada 4). Some families then use another syllable of the same nakshatra, or one of the rashi’s letters. Practice varies, so check with whoever is guiding the naming ceremony.

Frequently asked questions

Which nakshatra is used for a baby's name?

The janma nakshatra: the nakshatra the Moon occupied at the moment of birth, measured in the sidereal zodiac used in Vedic astrology. Its pada (quarter) picks one of the nakshatra's four syllables.

How precise does the birth time need to be?

Fairly precise. The Moon crosses one pada in roughly six hours, so a birth close to the boundary between two padas can fall on either side depending on the exact minute. A birth chart calculated from the exact time and place settles it.

Why does the same English syllable appear under two nakshatras?

English spelling flattens sounds that Devanagari keeps apart. "Ta" is the retroflex ट in Purva Phalguni but the dental त in Swati, and "Da" is ड in Pushya but द in Purva Bhadrapada. When in doubt, go by the Devanagari.

Does every tradition use these syllables?

No. This chart follows the North-Indian convention. A few cells differ between published tables (the variants are listed on this page), and Tamil and Telugu naming traditions follow their own conventions, which this chart does not cover.