Rashi · the 12 signs
Rashi by date of birth: the 12 rashis, their lords and how to find yours
Your rashi is your Moon sign. The 12 rashis with their English names, lords, elements and nakshatras, from Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, and why the birth time matters.
In short
Your rashi by date of birth is the sign the Moon was in when you were born. There are 12 rashis of 30° each, from Mesha (Aries) to Meena (Pisces), each ruled by a planet. The date usually decides it, but on the days the Moon changes sign the birth time does.
What is a rashi?
A rashi is one of the 12 equal signs of the Vedic zodiac, each 30° wide. BPHS names them Mesha, Vrishabha, Mithuna, Karka, Simha, Kanya, Tula, Vrishchika, Dhanu, Makara, Kumbha and Meena (ch. 4 sl. 3) and calls them the limbs of time: Mesha is the head, Meena the feet (sl. 4). When people in India ask “what is my rashi”, they mean the sign the Moon occupied at birth: the Moon sign, or janma rashi.
The Vedic zodiac is sidereal, fixed to the stars. The Western zodiac, used for the “zodiac sign” in newspapers, is tropical and runs about 24° ahead, so the two rarely agree.
How to find your rashi by date of birth
The Moon moves about 13° a day, so it stays in each rashi for about 2¼ days. Look up where the Moon was on your birth date: if it stayed in one sign all day, that sign is your rashi. If it changed sign that day, you need the birth time (and place, for the time zone) to know which side of the change you were born.
The quickest way: sign up free on Astrojar with your date, time and place of birth. Your chart card shows your rashi, nakshatra and pada, and your Lagna, computed with the Lahiri ayanamsa.
The 12 rashis: English names, lords and nakshatras
| Rashi (English) | Hindi name | Lord | Element | Nature | Nakshatra padas in it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesha (Aries) | Mesh | Mars | Fire | Movable | Ashwini (all 4 padas), Bharani (all 4 padas) and Krittika (pada 1) |
| Vrishabha (Taurus) | Vrishabh | Venus | Earth | Fixed | Krittika (padas 2, 3, 4), Rohini (all 4 padas) and Mrigashira (padas 1, 2) |
| Mithuna (Gemini) | Mithun | Mercury | Air | Dual | Mrigashira (padas 3, 4), Ardra (all 4 padas) and Punarvasu (padas 1, 2, 3) |
| Karka (Cancer) | Kark | Moon | Water | Movable | Punarvasu (pada 4), Pushya (all 4 padas) and Ashlesha (all 4 padas) |
| Simha (Leo) | Singh | Sun | Fire | Fixed | Magha (all 4 padas), Poorva Phalguni (all 4 padas) and Uttara Phalguni (pada 1) |
| Kanya (Virgo) | Kanya | Mercury | Earth | Dual | Uttara Phalguni (padas 2, 3, 4), Hasta (all 4 padas) and Chitra (padas 1, 2) |
| Tula (Libra) | Tula | Venus | Air | Movable | Chitra (padas 3, 4), Swati (all 4 padas) and Vishakha (padas 1, 2, 3) |
| Vrishchika (Scorpio) | Vrishchik | Mars | Water | Fixed | Vishakha (pada 4), Anuradha (all 4 padas) and Jyeshtha (all 4 padas) |
| Dhanu (Sagittarius) | Dhanu | Jupiter | Fire | Dual | Moola (all 4 padas), Poorva Ashadha (all 4 padas) and Uttara Ashadha (pada 1) |
| Makara (Capricorn) | Makar | Saturn | Earth | Movable | Uttara Ashadha (padas 2, 3, 4), Shravana (all 4 padas) and Dhanishta (padas 1, 2) |
| Kumbha (Aquarius) | Kumbh | Saturn | Air | Fixed | Dhanishta (padas 3, 4), Shatabhisha (all 4 padas) and Poorva Bhadrapada (padas 1, 2, 3) |
| Meena (Pisces) | Meen | Jupiter | Water | Dual | Poorva Bhadrapada (pada 4), Uttara Bhadrapada (all 4 padas) and Revati (all 4 padas) |
Nature: Mesha, Karka, Tula and Makara are movable; Vrishabha, Simha, Vrishchika and Kumbha fixed; the rest dual (BPHS ch. 4 sl. 5). Odd signs (Mesha, Mithuna and every second sign) are male, even signs female. Each nakshatra has its own page in the nakshatra list.
Rashi names in English, Hindi and South Indian languages
| English | Sanskrit | Hindi | Kannada | Tamil | Telugu |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | Mesha | Mesh | Mesha | Mesham | Mesha |
| Taurus | Vrishabha | Vrishabh | Vrishabha | Rishabam | Vrushabha |
| Gemini | Mithuna | Mithun | Mithuna | Mithunam | Mithuna |
| Cancer | Karka | Kark | Karkataka | Kadagam | Karkataka |
| Leo | Simha | Singh | Simha | Simmam | Simha |
| Virgo | Kanya | Kanya | Kanya | Kanni | Kanya |
| Libra | Tula | Tula | Tula | Thulam | Tula |
| Scorpio | Vrishchika | Vrishchik | Vrischika | Viruchigam | Vruschika |
| Sagittarius | Dhanu | Dhanu | Dhanu | Dhanusu | Dhanassu |
| Capricorn | Makara | Makar | Makara | Magaram | Makara |
| Aquarius | Kumbha | Kumbh | Kumbha | Kumbam | Kumbha |
| Pisces | Meena | Meen | Meena | Meenam | Meena |
The Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu names are the common spellings; local spellings vary.
Rashis and their lords
| Planet | Rules |
|---|---|
| Sun | Simha |
| Moon | Karka |
| Mars | Mesha and Vrishchika |
| Mercury | Mithuna and Kanya |
| Jupiter | Dhanu and Meena |
| Venus | Vrishabha and Tula |
| Saturn | Makara and Kumbha |
Five planets rule two rashis each; the Sun and the Moon rule one. A rashi's lord is how the sign is read: a planet placed there is coloured by its lord's strength and placement.
Sade Sati for each Moon sign
| Moon sign | Sade Sati (as of 18 October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Mesha (Aries) | Running: Mar 2025 – May 2032 |
| Vrishabha (Taurus) | Next: Jun 2027 – Jul 2034 |
| Mithuna (Gemini) | Next: Aug 2029 – Aug 2036 |
| Karka (Cancer) | Next: May 2032 – Jul 2039 |
| Simha (Leo) | Next: Jul 2034 – Sep 2041 |
| Kanya (Virgo) | Next: Aug 2036 – Aug 2044 |
| Tula (Libra) | Next: Oct 2038 – Dec 2046 |
| Vrishchika (Scorpio) | Next: Sep 2041 – Dec 2049 |
| Dhanu (Sagittarius) | Next: Dec 2043 – Feb 2052 |
| Makara (Capricorn) | Next: Dec 2046 – Feb 2055 |
| Kumbha (Aquarius) | Running: Jan 2020 – Feb 2028 |
| Meena (Pisces) | Running: Apr 2022 – Apr 2030 |
Sade Sati is Saturn's 7½-year passage over the sign before your Moon, your Moon sign and the sign after it. The dates are computed by our engine; the Sade Sati guide explains the three phases.
Questions about rashi
How do I find my rashi by date of birth?
Your rashi is the sign the Moon was in when you were born. On most days the date alone gives it, but the Moon changes sign every 2¼ days, so on a changeover day the birth time decides. With your date, time and place, Astrojar's free chart card shows your rashi, nakshatra and Lagna.
Is rashi the same as my zodiac sign?
Not usually. In India, rashi means the Moon sign. The zodiac sign in newspapers is the Sun sign, counted on the Western (tropical) zodiac. The Vedic zodiac is sidereal and sits about 24° behind it, so even your Sun sign is often one sign earlier in Vedic astrology.
How many rashis are there?
There are 12 rashis of 30° each: Mesha, Vrishabha, Mithuna, Karka, Simha, Kanya, Tula, Vrishchika, Dhanu, Makara, Kumbha and Meena (BPHS ch. 4 sl. 3), the same 12 signs as Aries to Pisces.
Which planet rules each rashi?
Mars rules Mesha and Vrishchika, Venus Vrishabha and Tula, Mercury Mithuna and Kanya, the Moon Karka, the Sun Simha, Jupiter Dhanu and Meena, and Saturn Makara and Kumbha. Rahu and Ketu own no sign in this scheme.
Is my rashi the same as my Lagna?
No. The rashi is the Moon's sign; the Lagna (ascendant) is the sign rising in the east at your birth, and it changes about every two hours. Both are read: the Lagna for the houses and the rashi for the mind, Sade Sati and transits.
Which nakshatras fall in my rashi?
Each rashi holds 9 nakshatra padas of 3°20': two full nakshatras and a part of a third, or parts of three. The table on this page lists them for every rashi.
Why does my rashi matter in matching?
Kundli matching compares the two Moons: Varna, Vashya, Graha Maitri and Bhakoot read the two rashis, and the other kootas read the two nakshatras. That is why matching needs the birth time as well as the date.
Keep learning
- 1st house and Lagna The rising sign, and how it differs from the rashi.
- The Moon in astrology The planet whose sign is your rashi.
- Star matching for marriage Matches two rashis and nakshatras (36 gunas).
- Sun sign by date of birth Your sun sign, Western and Vedic, for any date.
- Learn Vedic astrology Signs, houses, planets and dashas, step by step.
Sources
- BPHS ch. 4 sl. 3 (the 12 rashis), sl. 4 (the limbs of Kalapurusha), sl. 5 (movable, fixed and dual; odd and even; the humours) and sl. 6-24 (each sign described).
- BPHS ch. 3 (sign lords, exaltation, debilitation and moolatrikona), as coded in Astrojar's engine.
- Sade Sati dates: computed by Astrojar's engine (Lahiri ayanamsa, Saturn's sidereal ingresses) as of 18 October 2026.
Chapter and verse numbers follow R. Santhanam's English translation of BPHS (Ranjan Publications). About the text.
This is the traditional reading of the classical texts, given for learning and reflection. It is not a prediction for you, and not medical, legal or financial advice.
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