Kua Number Guide: Your Personal Feng Shui Direction

In Eight House Feng Shui, the Kua number is a personal compass. It groups people into East and West groups and assigns four auspicious and four inauspicious directions to each number. Used simply, it helps you decide where to point a bed, sit at a desk, or face during important meetings.

How to Calculate Your Kua Number

For men, add the last two digits of the birth year, reduce to a single digit, then subtract that digit from 10. For women, add the last two digits, reduce to a single digit, then add 5 and reduce again. Birth years after 2000 use slightly different constants: men subtract from 9, women add 6. For example, a man born in 1985 adds 8+5=13, reduces to 4, then 10-4=6, so his Kua number is 6.

Your Four Auspicious Directions

Each Kua number has four favorable directions: Sheng Qi, the direction of growth and success; Tian Yi, the direction of health and helpful people; Yan Nian, the direction of relationships; and Fu Wei, the direction of stability and personal development. The four remaining directions are less favorable and are usually avoided for sleep and important work where possible.

Using Directions at Home

Prioritize the directions where you spend still time: the bed, the desk, and the front door. Point the head of the bed toward a favorable direction, face an auspicious direction while working, and if a main door already faces an unfavorable direction, add a practical remedy instead of reorganizing the whole house. Small adjustments beat major renovations.

The Limits of the System

Eight House Feng Shui is one layer of the larger feng shui picture, not a complete system. The Kua number gives clear, repeatable guidance, but it ignores the annual stars, the shape of the home, and the five-element dynamics of the environment. Use it as a starting point and layer other considerations on top.

FAQ

Which year do I use for my Kua number?

Use your lunar or solar birth year depending on the school, but the common modern method uses the western year of birth, or the lunar year if you were born before Chinese New Year.

What is the best Kua number?

No number is better than another. Each number has four favorable directions; the goal is to use your own directions correctly.

Do I need my exact birth time?

No. The Kua number uses only the birth year, so it is one of the simplest systems to apply.

Where to Go Next

Pair the Kua number with the element framework in Lucky Colors by Element, and apply directions at your desk in Feng Shui Desk Layout.