What the Kua number is
The Kua or Gua number comes from the birth year and gender, and it sits at the meeting point of feng shui and numerology. It splits people into the east group, covering 1, 3, 4 and 9, and the west group, covering 2, 6, 7 and 8. Number 5 is reassigned, to 2 for men and 8 for women.
Your four good directions
Each Kua number has four supportive directions, usually named success, health, love and growth. The practical applications are simple and cost nothing: face your success direction at your desk, sleep with your head toward your health direction, keep the love direction of your home clean and well lit, and face your growth direction when studying or meditating.
A note on the calculation
Some practitioners use the Chinese solar year, which starts around 4 February, so anyone born in January or early February would use the previous year. This calculator uses the calendar year, which is the more common approach in Indian practice. If you were born in that window, check both and see which set of directions feels right in your own home.
The Kua number can also be added to your Lo Shu grid, using the toggle on that page.
Questions people ask
How is the Kua number calculated?
Reduce the digits of the birth year to one digit. Men subtract it from 11, women add 4, then reduce again, with 5 becoming 2 for men and 8 for women.
What is the difference between east and west group?
Kua numbers 1, 3, 4 and 9 form the east group and 2, 6, 7 and 8 the west group. Each group has its own four supportive and four unfavourable directions.
Which direction should I sleep in?
Point your head toward your health direction, shown on the wheel above. Facing your success direction while working is the other change worth making.