Kua Number: Your Personal Direction Map
本命卦
Learn what a Kua Number is, how it is calculated, and how it helps identify your most supportive directions in feng shui.
Kua Number: Your Personal Direction Map
The Kua number (also spelled Gua number) is the part of feng shui that explains why two people can live in the same home and still respond differently to the same direction. Calculated from your birth year and gender, it gives you a personal set of supportive and draining directions within the Eight Mansions tradition.
Calculation
The Kua number is derived by:
- Adding all digits of your birth year until you get a single digit
- Applying a gender-specific formula (different for pre-2000 and post-2000 births)
- Converting the number 5 to either 2 (male) or 8 (female)
The Eight Kua Numbers
| Kua | Trigram | Element | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kan (坎) | Water | East |
| 2 | Kun (坤) | Earth | West |
| 3 | Zhen (震) | Wood | East |
| 4 | Xun (巽) | Wood | East |
| 6 | Qian (乾) | Metal | West |
| 7 | Dui (兑) | Metal | West |
| 8 | Gen (艮) | Earth | West |
| 9 | Li (离) | Fire | East |
East vs West Group
People are divided into two groups based on their Kua number:
- East Group (1, 3, 4, 9): Best directions are N, S, E, SE
- West Group (2, 6, 7, 8): Best directions are W, NW, SW, NE