Feng Shui: The Ancient Wisdom of Harmonious Living for Modern Times
by Eva Wong
A respected scholar’s introduction to the different schools of feng shui, including the compass methods behind the Kua Number.
Free calculators
Kua Number calculator
In feng shui your Kua Number links you to the eight compass directions. Find yours and learn which directions support success, health, love and growth.
Calculate your Kua Number
Enter your date of birth and choose the formula. Births in January and early February count in the previous Chinese year.
Example shown: male formula, born 23 July 1990. Enter your own details to calculate yours.
Your Kua Number1
Kua 1 belongs to the trigram Kan and the element Water. It is linked with career, wisdom and the North.
Your four lucky directions
| Direction | Meaning |
|---|---|
| South-East SE | Sheng Chi — success Your best direction for wealth, career and reputation. |
| East E | Tien Yi — health Supports health, healing and help from others. |
| South S | Nien Yen — love Supports relationships, harmony and family life. |
| North N | Fu Wei — growth Supports personal development, study and calm. |
Your four unlucky directions
| Direction | Meaning |
|---|---|
| West W | Ho Hai — mishaps Minor setbacks and frustrations. |
| North-East NE | Wu Kwei — five ghosts Arguments, gossip and loss. |
| North-West NW | Lui Sha — six killings Obstacles in health, work and relationships. |
| South-West SW | Chueh Ming — total loss The least favourable direction; avoid it for important activities. |
East group numbers (1, 3, 4, 9) do best facing East, South-East, South and North.
For reflection & entertainment; not a substitute for professional, medical, financial or legal advice.
What is a Kua Number?
The Kua Number comes from the Eight Mansions school of feng shui, the Chinese art of arranging space. It is calculated from your birth year and links you to one of the eight trigrams of the I Ching, and through it to an element and a compass direction.
Unlike the numbers in Vedic or Western numerology, the Kua Number is used mainly for spatial decisions: which way to face when you work, where to put your bed, which room suits you best. Every Kua Number has four favourable and four unfavourable directions.
How the Kua Number is calculated
- Use the Chinese solar year, which begins at Li Chun, around 4 February. If you were born before that, use the previous year.
- Add the digits of the year and reduce them to one digit.
- Male formula: 11 minus that digit, reduced to one digit.
- Female formula: that digit plus 4, reduced to one digit.
- There is no Kua 5: it becomes 2 for men and 8 for women.
For a man born in 1990: 1 + 9 + 9 + 0 = 19, 1 + 9 = 10, 1 + 0 = 1, and 11 − 1 = 10, which reduces to 1. His Kua Number is 1. For a woman born the same year: 1 + 4 = 5, and 5 becomes 8, so her Kua Number is 8. The date of Li Chun moves between 3 and 5 February; if you were born on one of those days, check an almanac for the exact time.
East group and West group
Kua Numbers 1, 3, 4 and 9 form the East group; their good directions are North, South, East and South-East. Kua Numbers 2, 6, 7 and 8 form the West group; their good directions are West, North-West, South-West and North-East.
Couples from different groups are common. Feng shui consultants usually give priority to the main earner’s directions for the front door and desk, and find a shared good direction for the bed.
The eight directions
Each Kua Number assigns its own meaning to the eight directions. The four favourable ones are traditionally ranked from the strongest, Sheng Chi, to the gentlest, Fu Wei; the four unfavourable ones from the mildest, Ho Hai, to the most serious, Chueh Ming.
- Sheng Chi — success — Your best direction for wealth, career and reputation.
- Tien Yi — health — Supports health, healing and help from others.
- Nien Yen — love — Supports relationships, harmony and family life.
- Fu Wei — growth — Supports personal development, study and calm.
- Ho Hai — mishaps — Minor setbacks and frustrations.
- Wu Kwei — five ghosts — Arguments, gossip and loss.
- Lui Sha — six killings — Obstacles in health, work and relationships.
- Chueh Ming — total loss — The least favourable direction; avoid it for important activities.
The eight Kua Numbers
Each Kua Number is linked with a trigram of the I Ching, an element and a home direction.
1 Water · East group
Kua 1 belongs to the trigram Kan and the element Water. It is linked with career, wisdom and the North.
2 Earth · West group
Kua 2 belongs to the trigram Kun and the element Earth. It is linked with motherhood, receptivity and the South-West.
3 Wood · East group
Kua 3 belongs to the trigram Zhen and the element Wood. It is linked with growth, family and the East.
4 Wood · East group
Kua 4 belongs to the trigram Xun and the element Wood. It is linked with wealth, wind and the South-East.
6 Metal · West group
Kua 6 belongs to the trigram Qian and the element Metal. It is linked with leadership, helpful people and the North-West.
7 Metal · West group
Kua 7 belongs to the trigram Dui and the element Metal. It is linked with joy, children and the West.
8 Earth · West group
Kua 8 belongs to the trigram Gen and the element Earth. It is linked with knowledge, stillness and the North-East.
9 Fire · East group
Kua 9 belongs to the trigram Li and the element Fire. It is linked with fame, clarity and the South.
How to use your lucky directions
You do not need to rebuild your home. Small changes in how you sit and sleep are the usual starting point.
- Face your Sheng Chi direction when you work, study or sign important papers.
- Point the top of your head towards your Tien Yi or Nien Yen direction when you sleep.
- Avoid sitting with your face towards Chueh Ming for long periods.
- If a good direction is not possible, the next one on the list is still favourable.
Feng shui books and tools
Trusted introductions to feng shui, and the two tools most often used to apply Kua directions at home.
The Complete Illustrated Guide to Feng Shui
by Lillian Too
A richly illustrated guide by one of the best-known feng shui authors, with practical layouts for every room.
Feng shui compass (luo pan)
The traditional compass used to find exact directions in a room before arranging furniture.
Bagua mirror
A traditional octagonal mirror often hung outside a front door that faces an unfavourable direction.
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Frequently asked questions
Why does the Kua Number depend on gender?
Classical Eight Mansions feng shui uses separate formulas for men and women, based on yin and yang. The calculator offers both so you can follow the tradition you prefer.
I was born in January. Why is my year different?
The Chinese solar year begins at Li Chun, around 4 February. Births before that date belong to the previous year in feng shui.
Is the Kua Number part of numerology?
It is a feng shui number rather than a numerology number, but it uses the same kind of digit reduction and is often read alongside Vedic and Western numbers.
What if my partner and I are in different groups?
It is very common. Use each person’s best direction for their own desk, and choose a direction that is favourable to both, or to the person who sleeps more poorly, for the bed.