Moon Sign & Nakshatra Calculator
Your Vedic rashi is the Moon’s sidereal sign — not the Western sun sign. चंद्र राशि
Moon sign (Rashi) and Nakshatra explained
What is a Moon sign in Vedic astrology?
Your Moon sign, or Rashi (राशि), is the zodiac sign the Moon occupied at the moment you were born. In Vedic astrology the Moon represents the mind (manas), emotions and how you instinctively respond to life, which is why Indian astrologers give the Rashi more weight than the Sun sign. Daily and yearly horoscopes (rashifal), Sade Sati and Kundli matching are all read from the Moon sign.
The twelve Rashis are Mesh (Aries), Vrishabh (Taurus), Mithun (Gemini), Kark (Cancer), Simha (Leo), Kanya (Virgo), Tula (Libra), Vrishchik (Scorpio), Dhanu (Sagittarius), Makar (Capricorn), Kumbh (Aquarius) and Meen (Pisces).
Why your Vedic sign differs from your Western sign
Western astrology uses the tropical zodiac and usually talks about your Sun sign. Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac, aligned with the fixed stars, and focuses on the Moon. The gap between the two zodiacs (the ayanamsa) is currently about 24 degrees, so planets often fall one sign earlier in a Vedic chart. Astrojanta uses the Lahiri ayanamsa.
The Moon moves fast — about one sign every two and a half days — so you need the correct date and, ideally, birth time and place. Near a sign boundary the time can change your Rashi.
What is a Nakshatra?
Nakshatras are the 27 lunar mansions of Vedic astrology, from Ashwini to Revati. Each covers 13°20′ of the zodiac, and the one holding your Moon is your birth star (janma nakshatra). Each Nakshatra is divided into four padas of 3°20′, which link it to the Navamsa chart and to the traditional starting syllables used for baby names.
Your birth Nakshatra decides where your Vimshottari dasha begins, and it is the basis of several kootas in Kundli matching such as Tara, Yoni, Gana and Nadi. Each Nakshatra has a ruling planet, a deity and a symbol that astrologers use to describe temperament.
How to use your result
Use your Rashi to read rashifal and to check Sade Sati — the roughly seven-and-a-half-year period when Saturn transits the sign before, the sign of, and the sign after your Moon. Use your Nakshatra and pada for naming, Kundli matching and understanding your dasha sequence. For the complete picture, generate your full Janam Kundli.
Related free tools
- Free Janam Kundli — full birth chart with Lagna, houses and dasha.
- Kundli Matching (36 Gun Milan) — uses both partners' Rashi and Nakshatra.
- Manglik Dosha Calculator — Mars is checked from your Moon sign too.
Frequently asked questions
Is my Moon sign the same as my zodiac sign?
Not usually. The zodiac sign people quote in Western astrology is the tropical Sun sign. Your Vedic Moon sign is the sidereal sign of the Moon at birth and is often completely different.
Do I need my birth time to find my Moon sign?
Usually the date is enough, because the Moon stays in a sign for about two and a half days. If you were born on a day when the Moon changed sign, the time decides your Rashi and Nakshatra.
How many Nakshatras are there?
There are 27 Nakshatras, each spanning 13°20′ of the zodiac and divided into four padas of 3°20′.
What is Nakshatra pada used for?
The pada links your Moon to a Navamsa sign and gives the traditional starting syllable for names. It also refines personality descriptions.
Why is my Vedic sign one sign behind my Western sign?
Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac. Because of the precession of the equinoxes, it is currently about 24° behind the tropical zodiac used in Western astrology.
Which ayanamsa is used?
Astrojanta uses the Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsa.