Kua number calculator
Enter a birth year and gender to find the Feng Shui kua number, whether it is in the east or west group, and the four favourable and four unfavourable directions from the Eight Mansions table. A birthday before about 4 February counts as the previous year. It is a tradition shared for interest and does not predict anything.
How to calculate a kua number
- Take the birth year. If the birthday is between 1 January and 3 February, use the year before.
- Add the digits of the year, and keep adding until one digit is left.
- For a man, subtract that digit from 11. For a woman, add 4 to it.
- If the answer has two digits, add them. A man's 5 becomes 2 and a woman's 5 becomes 8.
For 1990 the digits reduce as 1 + 9 + 9 + 0 = 19 → 1 + 9 = 10 → 1 + 0 = 1. A man born in 1990 has 11 − 1 = 10 → 1 + 0 = 1, kua number 1. A woman born in 1990 has 1 + 4 = 5, and 5 becomes 8 for women, kua number 8.
Two more examples: a man born in 1986 has 1 + 9 + 8 + 6 = 24 → 2 + 4 = 6, then 11 − 6 = 5, and 5 becomes 2 for men. A woman born in 2005 has 2 + 0 + 0 + 5 = 7, then 7 + 4 = 11 → 1 + 1 = 2, kua number 2.
Kua numbers and their lucky directions
Each kua number belongs to a trigram and a group. The four favourable directions below are listed from best to fourth (Sheng Qi, Tian Yi, Yan Nian, Fu Wei), and the unfavourable ones from mildest to worst (Huo Hai, Wu Gui, Liu Sha, Jue Ming).
| Kua | Group | Trigram | Favourable directions | Unfavourable directions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East | Kan (water) | Southeast, East, South, North | West, Northeast, Northwest, Southwest |
| 2 | West | Kun (earth) | Northeast, West, Northwest, Southwest | East, Southeast, South, North |
| 3 | East | Zhen (thunder) | South, North, Southeast, East | Southwest, Northwest, Northeast, West |
| 4 | East | Xun (wind) | North, South, East, Southeast | Northwest, Southwest, West, Northeast |
| 6 | West | Qian (heaven) | West, Northeast, Southwest, Northwest | Southeast, East, North, South |
| 7 | West | Dui (lake) | Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, West | North, South, Southeast, East |
| 8 | West | Gen (mountain) | Southwest, Northwest, West, Northeast | South, North, East, Southeast |
| 9 | East | Li (fire) | East, Southeast, North, South | Northeast, West, Southwest, Northwest |
What the eight directions mean
- Sheng Qi: success and prosperity.
- Tian Yi: health.
- Yan Nian: relationships and harmony.
- Fu Wei: personal growth and stability.
- Huo Hai: mishaps and setbacks.
- Wu Gui: quarrels and loss.
- Liu Sha: scandal and bad influences.
- Jue Ming: the worst direction, total loss.
Kua number by birth year, 1950 to 2030
For a birthday on or after 4 February. If you were born before Li Chun, read the row for the year before. The kua number repeats every nine years.
| Year | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2 | 1 |
| 1951 | 4 | 2 |
| 1952 | 3 | 3 |
| 1953 | 2 | 4 |
| 1954 | 1 | 8 |
| 1955 | 9 | 6 |
| 1956 | 8 | 7 |
| 1957 | 7 | 8 |
| 1958 | 6 | 9 |
| 1959 | 2 | 1 |
| 1960 | 4 | 2 |
| 1961 | 3 | 3 |
| 1962 | 2 | 4 |
| 1963 | 1 | 8 |
| 1964 | 9 | 6 |
| 1965 | 8 | 7 |
| 1966 | 7 | 8 |
| 1967 | 6 | 9 |
| 1968 | 2 | 1 |
| 1969 | 4 | 2 |
| 1970 | 3 | 3 |
| 1971 | 2 | 4 |
| 1972 | 1 | 8 |
| 1973 | 9 | 6 |
| 1974 | 8 | 7 |
| 1975 | 7 | 8 |
| 1976 | 6 | 9 |
| 1977 | 2 | 1 |
| 1978 | 4 | 2 |
| 1979 | 3 | 3 |
| 1980 | 2 | 4 |
| 1981 | 1 | 8 |
| 1982 | 9 | 6 |
| 1983 | 8 | 7 |
| 1984 | 7 | 8 |
| 1985 | 6 | 9 |
| 1986 | 2 | 1 |
| 1987 | 4 | 2 |
| 1988 | 3 | 3 |
| 1989 | 2 | 4 |
| 1990 | 1 | 8 |
| 1991 | 9 | 6 |
| 1992 | 8 | 7 |
| 1993 | 7 | 8 |
| 1994 | 6 | 9 |
| 1995 | 2 | 1 |
| 1996 | 4 | 2 |
| 1997 | 3 | 3 |
| 1998 | 2 | 4 |
| 1999 | 1 | 8 |
| 2000 | 9 | 6 |
| 2001 | 8 | 7 |
| 2002 | 7 | 8 |
| 2003 | 6 | 9 |
| 2004 | 2 | 1 |
| 2005 | 4 | 2 |
| 2006 | 3 | 3 |
| 2007 | 2 | 4 |
| 2008 | 1 | 8 |
| 2009 | 9 | 6 |
| 2010 | 8 | 7 |
| 2011 | 7 | 8 |
| 2012 | 6 | 9 |
| 2013 | 2 | 1 |
| 2014 | 4 | 2 |
| 2015 | 3 | 3 |
| 2016 | 2 | 4 |
| 2017 | 1 | 8 |
| 2018 | 9 | 6 |
| 2019 | 8 | 7 |
| 2020 | 7 | 8 |
| 2021 | 6 | 9 |
| 2022 | 2 | 1 |
| 2023 | 4 | 2 |
| 2024 | 3 | 3 |
| 2025 | 2 | 4 |
| 2026 | 1 | 8 |
| 2027 | 9 | 6 |
| 2028 | 8 | 7 |
| 2029 | 7 | 8 |
| 2030 | 6 | 9 |
Related tools and guides
- Lucky number by date of birth: the birth number (mulank) and destiny number (bhagyank) of Indian numerology.
- Lo Shu grid calculator: the 4-9-2 magic square filled from a date of birth.
- Name numerology calculator: the Chaldean and Pythagorean number of a name.
- Mobile number numerology calculator: the total and root number of a phone number.
- Vehicle number numerology calculator: the same arithmetic for a car or bike plate.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate a kua number?
Add the digits of the birth year until one digit is left. A man's kua number is 11 minus that digit and a woman's is that digit plus 4, each reduced to one digit. For 1990 the digits give 1 + 9 + 9 + 0 = 19 → 1 + 9 = 10 → 1 + 0 = 1, so a man born in 1990 has 11 − 1 = 10 → 1 + 0 = 1 and a woman has 1 + 4 = 5, and 5 becomes 8 for women.
Why is there no kua number 5?
The Eight Mansions school works with eight trigrams and eight directions, and 5 is the centre of the Lo Shu square with no direction of its own. So a 5 is replaced: it becomes 2 for men and 8 for women.
I was born in January. Which year do I use?
The Feng Shui year begins at Li Chun, the start of spring in the Chinese solar calendar, on about 4 February. If you were born between 1 January and 3 February, use the previous year. A man born on 20 January 2000 counts as 1999 and has kua number 1. Li Chun falls on 3, 4 or 5 February depending on the year, so check that year's exact date if your birthday is on one of those days.
What are the east group and west group?
Kua numbers 1, 3, 4 and 9 form the east group, whose four favourable directions are north, south, east and southeast. Kua numbers 2, 6, 7 and 8 form the west group, whose favourable directions are west, northwest, southwest and northeast.
What is the best direction for my kua number?
The Sheng Qi direction, linked with success, is treated as the best: 1 southeast, 2 northeast, 3 south, 4 north, 6 west, 7 northwest, 8 southwest, 9 east. Followers face it when working or sleep with their head towards it.
Is the kua number the same in all Feng Shui books?
The formula and the direction table here are the standard Eight Mansions version found in most books. A few teachers use the lunar new year instead of Li Chun as the year boundary, and a few systems treat 5 differently, so another site may differ for birthdays near the start of the year.
Is my birth year stored anywhere?
No. The kua number is worked out inside your browser tab. The year is not saved, not put in the page address and not sent to analytics.