Find your birth star (janma nakshatra)
Your nakshatra, pada and Moon sign from the date, time and place of birth, with the syllables traditionally used to choose a name. Share it as a card with your family.
- Enter the birthDate, time and town. A blank time works unless the star changed that day.
- See the starThe nakshatra, pada and Moon sign, with the name syllables.
- Share the cardSend it to the family, or keep the star birthday with family dates.
Keep your star birthday each year: family dates works out the day in your city, for Tamil, Malayali and other traditions, and adds it to your calendar.
What the birth star is
The sky along the Moon's path is divided into 27 nakshatras. Your birth star is the one the Moon was in when you were born, and each is split into four quarters (padas). Because the Moon moves through a nakshatra in about a day, the time and place of birth matter.
The star is used for naming, for star birthdays (especially in Tamil Nadu and Kerala), for temple archanai and sankalpa, and as the starting point for kundli matching (porutham).
Name syllables
Each pada has a traditional first sound for a name (the nakshatra akshara). Lists differ a little between regions; where a well-known variant exists, we show it. Many families treat these as a suggestion rather than a rule.
All 27 nakshatras, with their deity, symbol and ruling planet
| # | Nakshatra | Where in the sky | Deity | Symbol | Ruled by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ashwini Aswini, Ashwathi | Mesha 0°–13°20′ | the Ashvins | a horse's head | Ketu |
| 2 | Bharani | Mesha 13°20′–26°40′ | Yama | the yoni | Venus |
| 3 | Krittika Karthigai, Karthika | Mesha 26°40′ to Vrishabha 10° | Agni | a razor or flame | the Sun |
| 4 | Rohini | Vrishabha 10°–23°20′ | Prajapati (Brahma) | an ox-cart | the Moon |
| 5 | Mrigashira Mrigasheersham, Makayiram, Mrigasira | Vrishabha 23°20′ to Mithuna 6°40′ | Soma | a deer's head | Mars |
| 6 | Ardra Thiruvathirai, Thiruvathira, Arudra | Mithuna 6°40′–20° | Rudra | a teardrop | Rahu |
| 7 | Punarvasu Punarpoosam, Punartham | Mithuna 20° to Karka 3°20′ | Aditi | a bow and quiver | Jupiter |
| 8 | Pushya Poosam, Pooyam, Pushyami | Karka 3°20′–16°40′ | Brihaspati | a cow's udder | Saturn |
| 9 | Ashlesha Ayilyam | Karka 16°40′–30° | the Nagas | a coiled serpent | Mercury |
| 10 | Magha Magam, Makam, Makha | Simha 0°–13°20′ | the Pitrs (ancestors) | a royal throne | Ketu |
| 11 | Purva Phalguni Pooram, Pubba | Simha 13°20′–26°40′ | Bhaga | the front legs of a bed | Venus |
| 12 | Uttara Phalguni Uthiram, Uthram, Uttara | Simha 26°40′ to Kanya 10° | Aryaman | the back legs of a bed | the Sun |
| 13 | Hasta Hastham, Atham | Kanya 10°–23°20′ | Savitr | a hand | the Moon |
| 14 | Chitra Chithirai, Chithira, Chitta | Kanya 23°20′ to Tula 6°40′ | Vishvakarma | a bright jewel | Mars |
| 15 | Swati Swathi, Chothi | Tula 6°40′–20° | Vayu | a young shoot | Rahu |
| 16 | Vishakha Visakam, Vishakham | Tula 20° to Vrishchika 3°20′ | Indra and Agni | a triumphal arch | Jupiter |
| 17 | Anuradha Anusham, Anizham | Vrishchika 3°20′–16°40′ | Mitra | a lotus | Saturn |
| 18 | Jyeshtha Kettai, Thrikketta | Vrishchika 16°40′–30° | Indra | a circular amulet | Mercury |
| 19 | Mula Moolam | Dhanu 0°–13°20′ | Nirriti | a bunch of roots | Ketu |
| 20 | Purva Ashadha Pooradam | Dhanu 13°20′–26°40′ | Apah (the waters) | a winnowing fan | Venus |
| 21 | Uttara Ashadha Uthiradam, Uthradam | Dhanu 26°40′ to Makara 10° | the Vishvedevas | an elephant's tusk | the Sun |
| 22 | Shravana Thiruvonam, Sravanam | Makara 10°–23°20′ | Vishnu | an ear | the Moon |
| 23 | Dhanishta Avittam | Makara 23°20′ to Kumbha 6°40′ | the eight Vasus | a drum | Mars |
| 24 | Shatabhisha Sadayam, Chathayam, Satabhisham | Kumbha 6°40′–20° | Varuna | an empty circle | Rahu |
| 25 | Purva Bhadrapada Poorattathi, Pooruruttathi, Purvabhadra | Kumbha 20° to Meena 3°20′ | Aja Ekapada | a sword | Jupiter |
| 26 | Uttara Bhadrapada Uthirattathi, Uthrattathi, Uttarabhadra | Meena 3°20′–16°40′ | Ahirbudhnya | twins | Saturn |
| 27 | Revati Revathi | Meena 16°40′–30° | Pushan | a pair of fish | Mercury |
The ruling planet sets the order of the planetary periods (Vimshottari dasha) an astrologer reads from your chart. Other names are the Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu forms.
Why your Vedic sign may differ from your Western one
Western astrology measures the zodiac from the March equinox, the point where the Sun crosses the equator (the tropical zodiac). Vedic astrology measures it from the fixed stars (the sidereal zodiac). The Earth's axis wobbles slowly like a spinning top, so the equinox drifts backwards against the stars by about 1° every 72 years. The two zodiacs lined up about 1,700 years ago; today they are about 24° apart. Panchangs call this gap the ayanamsa.
So about four people in five find that their Vedic Sun sign is one sign earlier than their Western one. Your birth star comes from the Moon, not the Sun: it's the nakshatra the Moon was in when you were born.
- 27.3 daysThe time the Moon takes to go once round the stars, so it passes through about one nakshatra a day.The sidereal month, 27.32 days (NASA)
- 25,800 yearsOne full turn of the Earth's wobbling axis, which is why the two zodiacs drift apart.Axial precession, first measured by Hipparchus in the 2nd century BCE
- 1 in 5Roughly how many people have the same Sun sign in both zodiacs: those born in the last 6° of a sign.30° minus the 24° ayanamsa, out of 30°
Planning a naming ceremony (namakarana)? Our astrologers can choose a muhurat where you live. Asking on WhatsApp is free, and you see the price before you book.
Worked out on your device with the Lahiri ayanamsa, as most Indian panchangs do. Nothing you enter is saved or sent to us or anyone else. This is general information about the traditional calendar and not a prediction or advice; see our disclaimer. City data from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Astronomy by Astronomy Engine (MIT licence).
