Rashi letters chart: the starting letters for all 12 rashis
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Each rashi (Moon sign) owns nine starting syllables: the syllables of the nine nakshatra padas that fall inside it. Families who name a baby by rashi choose a name that begins with one of them. This chart lists all twelve sets in English letters and Devanagari, with the nakshatra padas each set comes from.
The rashi here is the Moon sign at birth, measured in the sidereal zodiac of Vedic astrology, not the Sun sign of a Western horoscope. Aries, Taurus and the other names shown under each rashi are the English names of the same twelve signs; here they are measured in the sidereal zodiac, which today sits about 24° away from the tropical zodiac that Western horoscopes use.
The chart
| Rashi | Starting letters | Nakshatra padas |
|---|---|---|
| Mesh मेष Aries · lord Mars | Chu, Che, Cho, La, Li, Lu, Le, Lo, A चू, चे, चो, ला, ली, लू, ले, लो, अ | Ashwini 1–4, Bharani 1–4, Krittika 1 |
| Vrishabh वृषभ Taurus · lord Venus | I, U, E, O, Va, Vi, Vu, Ve, Vo इ, उ, ए, ओ, वा, वी, वू, वे, वो | Krittika 2–4, Rohini 1–4, Mrigashira 1–2 |
| Mithun मिथुन Gemini · lord Mercury | Ka, Ki, Ku, Gha, Ng, Chha, Ke, Ko, Ha का, की, कू, घ, ङ, छ, के, को, हा | Mrigashira 3–4, Ardra 1–4, Punarvasu 1–3 |
| Kark कर्क Cancer · lord Moon | Hi, Hu, He, Ho, Da, Di, Du, De, Do ही, हू, हे, हो, डा, डी, डू, डे, डो | Punarvasu 4, Pushya 1–4, Ashlesha 1–4 |
| Singh सिंह Leo · lord Sun | Ma, Mi, Mu, Me, Mo, Ta, Ti, Tu, Te मा, मी, मू, मे, मो, टा, टी, टू, टे | Magha 1–4, Purva Phalguni 1–4, Uttara Phalguni 1 |
| Kanya कन्या Virgo · lord Mercury | To, Pa, Pi, Pu, Sha, Na, Tha, Pe, Po टो, पा, पी, पू, ष, ण, ठ, पे, पो | Uttara Phalguni 2–4, Hasta 1–4, Chitra 1–2 |
| Tula तुला Libra · lord Venus | Ra, Ri, Ru, Re, Ro, Ta, Ti, Tu, Te रा, री, रू, रे, रो, ता, ती, तू, ते | Chitra 3–4, Swati 1–4, Vishakha 1–3 |
| Vrishchik वृश्चिक Scorpio · lord Mars | To, Na, Ni, Nu, Ne, No, Ya, Yi, Yu तो, ना, नी, नू, ने, नो, या, यी, यू | Vishakha 4, Anuradha 1–4, Jyeshtha 1–4 |
| Dhanu धनु Sagittarius · lord Jupiter | Ye, Yo, Bha, Bhi, Bhu, Dha, Pha, Dha, Bhe ये, यो, भा, भी, भू, धा, फा, ढा, भे | Mula 1–4, Purva Ashadha 1–4, Uttara Ashadha 1 |
| Makar मकर Capricorn · lord Saturn | Bho, Ja, Ji, Khi, Khu, Khe, Kho, Ga, Gi भो, जा, जी, खी, खू, खे, खो, गा, गी | Uttara Ashadha 2–4, Shravana 1–4, Dhanishta 1–2 |
| Kumbh कुंभ Aquarius · lord Saturn | Gu, Ge, Go, Sa, Si, Su, Se, So, Da गू, गे, गो, सा, सी, सू, से, सो, दा | Dhanishta 3–4, Shatabhisha 1–4, Purva Bhadrapada 1–3 |
| Meen मीन Pisces · lord Jupiter | Di, Du, Tha, Jha, Na, De, Do, Cha, Chi दी, दू, थ, झ, ञ, दे, दो, चा, ची | Purva Bhadrapada 4, Uttara Bhadrapada 1–4, Revati 1–4 |
Where the letters come from
The zodiac is divided into 27 nakshatras of 13°20′, each split into four padas of 3°20′. Nine padas make 30°, one rashi. Each pada has its own syllable, so each rashi collects nine syllables — the equivalent of two and a quarter nakshatras, drawn from three neighbouring nakshatras (the chart above shows which padas). The nakshatra letters chart shows the syllable of every pada.
Variants that change a rashi’s letters
- Makar: some tables give Shravana padas 1–4 as Ju, Je, Jo, Gha (जू, जे, जो, घा) instead of Khi, Khu, Khe, Kho (खी, खू, खे, खो).
- Meen: some tables give Uttara Bhadrapada pada 4 as Da (दा) instead of Na (ञ).
The reasons are explained under regional variants on the nakshatra chart.
Frequently asked questions
Is my baby's rashi the same as their zodiac sign?
Usually not. The rashi used for naming is the sign the Moon occupied at birth, in the sidereal zodiac of Vedic astrology. The zodiac sign in a Western horoscope is the Sun's sign in the tropical zodiac. The two zodiacs start at different points, and the Moon moves through all twelve signs every month, so it is usually in a different sign from the Sun.
Should a name use the rashi letters or the nakshatra syllable?
Families differ. The nakshatra syllable is the narrower choice: the one syllable for the exact pada the Moon was in. The rashi letters are all nine syllables of the Moon sign. The Moon changes pada roughly every six hours but changes sign only about every two and a quarter days, so the rashi is far less sensitive to an uncertain birth time.
Why do two rashis share a letter such as "Ta" or "Da"?
They don't, once you read the Devanagari. Singh's "Ta" is the retroflex ट and Tula's is the dental त; Kark's "Da" is ड and Kumbh's is द. English spelling uses the same letters for both sounds.