Kua Number Calculator

In short Your Kua number (1–9, no 5) comes from your birth year and sex under the Eight Mansions (Ba Zhai 八宅) school of feng shui. It assigns you to the East or West group and gives you four traditionally lucky and four unlucky compass directions. Enter your birth date below — the result is computed in your browser and nothing is stored or sent anywhere.

How this calculator works

The method below is the standard Eight Mansions calculation, documented so you can verify every result by hand:

Adjust the year. The feng shui year follows the Chinese solar calendar and begins at Li Chun (立春, "Start of Spring"), around February 3–5 — not January 1. If you were born before Li Chun, use the previous calendar year.
Reduce the year. Add the digits of the adjusted year repeatedly until one digit remains. Example: 1987 → 1+9+8+7 = 25 → 2+5 = 7.
Apply the formula. Males: subtract from 11 (11 − 7 = Kua 4). Females: add 4 (4 + 7 = 11 → Kua 2). Reduce again if needed.
Replace 5. If the result is 5, males take Kua 2 and females take Kua 8.

You may also see a "last two digits" version of the formula with different constants for births before and after 2000. It is mathematically identical to the single formula above — this calculator uses the single formula for all years.

Where schools differ

The formula itself is universal, but the year boundary is not. Classical compass-school practice uses Li Chun (solar); the popular Lillian Too / WOFS lineage uses Chinese New Year (lunar), which can fall up to three weeks later. This calculator uses Li Chun and flags early-year birthdays where the lineages may disagree. Neither convention is "wrong" — they are different schools, and we tell you which one we follow.

The eight energies of the Eight Mansions system

Each Kua number maps the eight compass directions to eight traditional energies — four favorable, four unfavorable:

Eight Mansions terminology
Term	Pinyin	Chinese	Meaning
Growth	Shēng Qì	生氣	Vitality, success, and forward momentum — traditionally the best direction.
Heavenly Doctor	Tiān Yī	天醫	Health and recovery — traditionally linked to wellbeing.
Longevity	Yán Nián	延年	Relationships, harmony, and durability.
Stability	Fú Wèi	伏位	Calm, clarity, and personal development.
Mishaps	Huò Hài	禍害	Minor setbacks and friction — the mildest of the four.
Five Ghosts	Wǔ Guǐ	五鬼	Conflict, quarrels, and disruption.
Six Killings	Liù Shà	六煞	Missed opportunities and legal or relationship trouble.
Total Loss	Jué Mìng	絕命	The most unfavorable direction in the traditional system.

Full Kua direction chart

The complete reference table for all eight Kua numbers (directions are the same in every major modern reference):

Kua	Shēng Qì 生氣	Tiān Yī 天醫	Yán Nián 延年	Fú Wèi 伏位	Huò Hài 禍害	Wǔ Guǐ 五鬼	Liù Shà 六煞	Jué Mìng 絕命
1	SE	E	S	N	W	NE	NW	SW
2	NE	W	NW	SW	E	SE	S	N
3	S	N	SE	E	SW	NW	NE	W
4	N	S	E	SE	NW	SW	W	NE
6	W	NE	SW	NW	SE	E	N	S
7	NW	SW	NE	W	N	S	SE	E
8	SW	NW	W	NE	S	N	E	SE
9	E	SE	N	S	NE	W	SW	NW

Frequently asked questions

What is a Kua number?

A Kua (or Gua) number is a value from 1 to 9 (excluding 5) assigned to a person in the Eight Mansions school of feng shui, based on birth year and sex. It places you in the East or West group and determines your four traditionally auspicious and four inauspicious compass directions.

How is a Kua number calculated?

Reduce the digits of your Chinese solar birth year to a single digit S. For males the Kua is 11 minus S; for females it is 4 plus S, each reduced again to a single digit. A result of 5 becomes 2 for males and 8 for females. Births before Li Chun (around February 4) count as the previous year.

Why is there no Kua number 5?

In the Eight Mansions system the number 5 sits at the center of the Lo Shu square and has no trigram or direction of its own. By convention, males who compute 5 use Kua 2 and females use Kua 8.

Do all feng shui schools calculate the year boundary the same way?

No. Classical compass-school practice starts the year at Li Chun, the solar 'Start of Spring' around February 3–5. Some popular lineages, notably Lillian Too's, use Chinese New Year instead. The two boundaries can differ by up to three weeks, so January and early-February birthdays may get different results depending on the school.

Is there scientific evidence for lucky directions?

No controlled studies support the idea that personal compass directions affect luck, health, or wealth. The Kua system is a traditional cultural framework, not a scientific one. We present it accurately as tradition and keep evidence claims separate.

Your four auspicious directions

Your four inauspicious directions