Home › Generators & Text Tools › Rashi Calculator
Rashi Calculator
Find your rashi — your Moon sign — from your birth date, time and timezone. In Vedic astrology the rashi is the sign the Moon occupied when you were born, and this free calculator shows it together with your nakshatra and your sidereal Sun sign, so you can see how the Indian and Western answers differ.
| Rashi (Moon sign) | — |
| Nakshatra and pada | — |
| Sun sign (sidereal) | — |
| Moon sidereal longitude | — |
| Sun sidereal longitude | — |
In Vedic astrology your rashi is your Moon sign — the sign the Moon was in at your birth — not the Sun sign used in Western astrology.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your date of birth.
- Enter your birth time. The Moon changes rashi roughly every two and a quarter days, so the date alone is sometimes enough — but near a boundary the time decides the sign.
- Select the timezone of your birthplace. IST is selected by default.
- Press Find my rashi.
- Your rashi (Moon sign) appears in large type, with your nakshatra and your sidereal Sun sign below for comparison.
How the rashi is calculated
When an Indian horoscope says "your rashi", it almost always means the sign occupied by the Moon at your birth — called the Chandra rashi. This is different from Western astrology, where the "star sign" in newspapers is the Sun sign. The Moon moves quickly, about 13 degrees a day, so it crosses one 30-degree rashi in a little over two days; the Sun needs about a month for the same journey, which is why the Sun sign is the same for everyone born in the same few weeks.
The calculator finds the Moon's sidereal longitude — its position measured from the start of Mesha (Aries) after subtracting the Lahiri ayanamsa — and divides by 30:
For comparison the result also shows your sidereal Sun sign, which is the Vedic counterpart of the Western Sun sign and is usually one sign behind it, because the ayanamsa of roughly 24 degrees has shifted the two zodiacs apart. A note on accuracy: this tool uses a compact, standard set of astronomical formulas. The Moon's position is accurate to within about half a degree, so if the Moon sits very close to a boundary, exact ephemeris software or a printed panchang may place the result in the neighbouring nakshatra or rashi. For important religious or personal decisions, cross-check with a detailed panchang.
| Rashi | Western name | Element | Ruling planet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mesha | Aries | Fire | Mars |
| Vrishabha | Taurus | Earth | Venus |
| Mithuna | Gemini | Air | Mercury |
| Karka | Cancer | Water | Moon |
| Simha | Leo | Fire | Sun |
| Kanya | Virgo | Earth | Mercury |
| Tula | Libra | Air | Venus |
| Vrischika | Scorpio | Water | Mars |
| Dhanu | Sagittarius | Fire | Jupiter |
| Makara | Capricorn | Earth | Saturn |
| Kumbha | Aquarius | Air | Saturn |
| Meena | Pisces | Water | Jupiter |
Worked example
Take a birth on 5 October 1988 at 09:05 IST — the values the calculator starts with.
Step 1: the Moon's sidereal longitude works out inside the nakshatra Pushya, pada 4 — that is, between 103°20′ and 106°40′ of the sidereal zodiac.
Step 2: divide the longitude by 30 — any value between 90 and 120 degrees falls in the fourth rashi, Karka (Cancer). So the rashi is Karka.
Step 3: the Sun's sidereal longitude for the same moment is 168.42 degrees, which falls between 150 and 180 degrees — the sixth rashi, Kanya (Virgo). So the sidereal Sun sign is Kanya, even though the Western Sun sign for 5 October is Libra.
That one-sign gap between the Moon-based rashi and the familiar Western sign is normal — it comes from the ayanamsa, and it is why Indian and Western horoscopes often name different signs for the same person.
FAQ
What is my rashi?
Your rashi is the sign of the zodiac in which the Moon was placed when you were born, measured in the sidereal zodiac used by Vedic astrology. It is found from your birth date, time and place. In everyday Indian usage — horoscope columns, match-making and name selection — 'rashi' almost always means this Moon sign.
Why is my rashi different from my Western zodiac sign?
Two things differ. First, Western astrology uses the Sun sign while Vedic astrology uses the Moon sign, and the Moon changes sign every two and a quarter days. Second, the two systems measure from different starting points: the sidereal zodiac used in India is currently about 24 degrees behind the tropical zodiac used in the West, which alone can shift a sign by one.
Can I find my rashi from date of birth only, without the time?
Often, yes. The Moon stays in one rashi for about two and a quarter days, so for most birth dates the sign is the same all day. But if you were born on the day the Moon changed signs, only the birth time can settle it. If you do not know your time, try 00:00 and 23:59 — if both give the same rashi, the date alone was enough.
Which rashi is considered the first?
Mesha (Aries) is the first rashi, starting at 0 degrees of the sidereal zodiac. The order then runs Vrishabha, Mithuna, Karka, Simha, Kanya, Tula, Vrischika, Dhanu, Makara, Kumbha and finally Meena (Pisces), which ends where Mesha begins, completing the 360-degree circle.
What is my rashi used for?
The Moon sign is the base of the Vedic birth chart. It decides the starting point of the Vimshottari dasha sequence together with the nakshatra, it is the sign from which transit results (gochar) are commonly read in Indian practice, and it is one of the main inputs to kundli matching for marriage.
How accurate is this rashi calculator?
The Moon's sidereal longitude is accurate to about half a degree, so the rashi is reliable unless the Moon was within roughly half a degree of a sign boundary at your birth — a window of about an hour. In that rare case, exact ephemeris software or a professionally cast chart may place the Moon in the neighbouring sign.