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The 12 rashis (Moon signs)
A rashi is one of the twelve signs of the sidereal zodiac. In Vedic astrology it means your Moon sign, the sign Indian horoscopes read first.
Rashi means Moon sign
A rashi is one of the twelve 30° signs of the sidereal zodiac. In Vedic astrology your rashi is your Moon sign, the sign the Moon occupied when you were born, and it is the sign Indian horoscopes read first. It is used for names, for Kundali Milan, and for transits such as Sade Sati. The Western Sun sign in the newspaper is a different measure: it follows the Sun on the tropical zodiac, which today runs about 24°14′ ahead of the sidereal one.
Why the Moon sign needs your birth time
The Sun changes sign once a month, but the Moon changes sign about every two and a quarter days. On a little over four days in ten the Moon crosses a sign boundary during the day, so a birth date alone cannot always settle the rashi. With the time and place of birth, JYOTISH.info calculates the Moon’s sidereal longitude with the Lahiri ayanamsa and tells you the sign, the nakshatra and the pada. When the time is unknown it says so.
The twelve rashis
Each page gives the lord, element and quality of the sign, the nakshatras inside it, what a Moon there is like, how the sign counts in Kundali Milan, and the dates of its Sade Sati runs.
Each sign has a ruling planet, an element and a quality. The Sun and the Moon rule one sign each and the other five planets two each, so Mangal rules Mesha and Vrishchika, and Shukra rules Vrishabha and Tula. The four elements, fire, earth, air and water, describe temperament in broad strokes; the three qualities, movable, fixed and dual, describe how a sign meets change. None of these is a ranking: the classical texts treat every sign as a different way of being, never a better or a worse one.
- Meshathe ram · Mangalfire · movable (chara)
- Vrishabhathe bull · Shukraearth · fixed (sthira)
- Mithunathe twins · Budhaair · dual (dwiswabhava)
- Karkathe crab · Chandrawater · movable (chara)
- Simhathe lion · Suryafire · fixed (sthira)
- Kanyathe maiden · Budhaearth · dual (dwiswabhava)
- Tulathe scales · Shukraair · movable (chara)
- Vrishchikathe scorpion · Mangalwater · fixed (sthira)
- Dhanuthe archer · Gurufire · dual (dwiswabhava)
- Makarathe sea-goat · Shaniearth · movable (chara)
- Kumbhathe water-pot bearer · Shaniair · fixed (sthira)
- Meenathe two fish · Guruwater · dual (dwiswabhava)
| Rashi | Ruler | Element | Quality | Nakshatra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesha | Mangal | fire | movable (chara) | Ashwini, Bharani, Krittika |
| Vrishabha | Shukra | earth | fixed (sthira) | Krittika, Rohini, Mrigashira |
| Mithuna | Budha | air | dual (dwiswabhava) | Mrigashira, Ardra, Punarvasu |
| Karka | Chandra | water | movable (chara) | Punarvasu, Pushya, Ashlesha |
| Simha | Surya | fire | fixed (sthira) | Magha, Purva Phalguni, Uttara Phalguni |
| Kanya | Budha | earth | dual (dwiswabhava) | Uttara Phalguni, Hasta, Chitra |
| Tula | Shukra | air | movable (chara) | Chitra, Swati, Vishakha |
| Vrishchika | Mangal | water | fixed (sthira) | Vishakha, Anuradha, Jyeshtha |
| Dhanu | Guru | fire | dual (dwiswabhava) | Mula, Purva Ashadha, Uttara Ashadha |
| Makara | Shani | earth | movable (chara) | Uttara Ashadha, Shravana, Dhanishtha |
| Kumbha | Shani | air | fixed (sthira) | Dhanishtha, Shatabhisha, Purva Bhadrapada |
| Meena | Guru | water | dual (dwiswabhava) | Purva Bhadrapada, Uttara Bhadrapada, Revati |
Questions people ask
What is the difference between rashi, lagna and nakshatra?
Rashi is the sign the Moon was in at birth. Lagna is the sign rising on the eastern horizon at that moment, and it sets the first house. Nakshatra is the finer 13°20′ division of the zodiac that the Moon was in. All three come from the same birth moment and are read together.
Is my rashi my Sun sign?
No. Your rashi is your Moon sign. Your Sun sign is where the Sun stood, and in the sidereal zodiac it is usually the sign before the Western one, because the two zodiacs are about 24° apart.
How many rashis are there?
Twelve, each 30° wide: Mesha, Vrishabha, Mithuna, Karka, Simha, Kanya, Tula, Vrishchika, Dhanu, Makara, Kumbha and Meena. Their Western names are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces, but the two zodiacs are measured differently.
Which rashi am I if I do not know my birth time?
Usually the Moon stays in one sign all day and the rashi is certain; on about four days in ten it changes sign during the day. The kundali on JYOTISH.info casts a noon chart, tells you when the sign is uncertain and shows both possibilities.
Every position on this page is calculated sidereal with the Lahiri ayanamsa from the astronomy-engine library (MIT licence). The classical texts describe tendencies; this page is for guidance and reflection, not a verdict, and no outcome is promised. How we calculate. This is the English page and the legal reference. The same page is available in Hindi. Checked October 2026.