Kua Number: How to Find and Use Your Personal Energy Direction
Key Takeaways
Your Kua Number (or Gua Number) is derived from your birth year and gender and reveals your four favorable compass directions — Sheng Chi (success), Tien Yi (health), Yan Nian (relationships), and Fu Wei (growth) — plus four to avoid. You belong to either the East Group (Kua 1, 3, 4, 9; favorable: N, S, E, SE) or West Group (Kua 2, 5/8, 6, 7; favorable: W, NW, SW, NE). Use your Kua Number to orient your bed, desk, stove, and front door.
Autumn Moon
Practitioner & Guide
Your Kua Number (also called Gua Number) is one of the most practical tools in Classical Feng Shui. It's a single number — derived from your birth year and gender — that reveals your four most favorable compass directions and your four most challenging ones. Once you know your Kua Number, you can align your bed, desk, stove, and front door with directions that genuinely support your energy.
What the Kua Number Tells You
Each person has eight compass directions: four auspicious and four inauspicious. Your Kua Number determines which directions are which for you. The four favorable directions are:
Sheng Chi (Success Direction): Your primary wealth and success direction. Face this direction when working, negotiating, or making important decisions. It supports career advancement, financial growth, and opportunity.
Tien Yi (Health Direction): Your health and vitality direction. Sleeping with the crown of your head pointing this direction supports physical wellbeing and recovery. It's especially important if you're dealing with health challenges.
Yan Nian (Relationship Direction): Your relationship and harmony direction. Face this direction when spending time with loved ones or working on partnerships. It supports communication, stability, and connection.
Fu Wei (Growth Direction): Your personal growth and stability direction. Face this direction for study, meditation, or personal development. It supports learning, calm, and steady progress.
The four inauspicious directions — Ho Hai (bad luck), Wu Wei (five ghosts), Liu Sha (six killings), and Chueh Ming (total loss) — are directions to avoid facing when possible, especially for sleeping and working.
How to Calculate Your Kua Number
The calculation differs slightly depending on whether you were born before or after 2000, and it differs by gender. Here's the method:
For Males (born before 2000):
1. Take the last two digits of your birth year (e.g., 1985 → 85).
2. Add them together (8 + 5 = 13).
3. Reduce to a single digit (1 + 3 = 4).
4. Subtract from 10 (10 - 4 = 6). Your Kua Number is 6.
For Females (born before 2000):
1. Take the last two digits of your birth year (e.g., 1990 → 90).
2. Add them together (9 + 0 = 9).
3. Add 5 (9 + 5 = 14).
4. Reduce to a single digit (1 + 4 = 5). Your Kua Number is 5.
Important: If the result is 5, males use 2 and females use 8 (since 5 has no fixed direction). For births after 2000, males subtract from 9 (instead of 10) and females add 6 (instead of 5).
Also note: the Chinese solar year begins around February 4th, not January 1st. If you were born in January or early February, you may need to use the previous year for your calculation. A professional consultation ensures your Kua Number is calculated correctly.
East Group vs. West Group
Your Kua Number places you in one of two groups:
East Group (Kua 1, 3, 4, 9): Your favorable directions are North, South, East, and Southeast.
West Group (Kua 2, 5/8, 6, 7): Your favorable directions are West, Northwest, Southwest, and Northeast.
This matters enormously for home selection. If you're an East Group person living in a West-facing house, the energy of the home may not naturally support you. If you're a West Group person, a South-facing home may create friction. Understanding your group helps you choose, orient, and adjust your living space.
How to Use Your Kua Number in Daily Life
Sleeping Direction
Position your bed so the crown of your head points toward your Sheng Chi (success) or Tien Yi (health) direction while you sleep. This is one of the most impactful feng shui adjustments you can make — you spend roughly a third of your life in this position.
Working Direction
Face your Sheng Chi direction when working at your desk. If you can't move your desk, orient your chair so you face this direction while working. Read more in Feng Shui Your Home Office for Maximum Productivity.
Front Door Direction
While you can't always change which way your front door faces, you can work with the energy. If your front door faces one of your inauspicious directions, you can redirect the chi with entryway adjustments — plants, lighting, color, or a pathway that curves the energy.
Stove Direction
The direction you face while cooking at the stove should ideally be one of your favorable directions. The stove represents nourishment and wealth — see Feng Shui for the Kitchen for the full guide.
Kua Number vs. BaZi: What's the Difference?
Your Kua Number is derived from your birth year and gender only — it's a directional tool. Your BaZi chart is far more detailed, using your full birth date, time, and location to map your elemental balance and life cycles. The Kua Number tells you which directions to face; the BaZi tells you which elements you need. In a full consultation, I use both together — the BaZi reveals your elemental needs, and the Kua Number translates those into physical direction.
Common Mistakes
Using the wrong year. Because the Chinese solar year starts in early February, people born in January or early February often calculate with the wrong year. Always check.
Forgetting gender. The formula differs for males and females. Using the wrong formula gives you a completely different Kua Number.
Over-relying on Kua Number alone. The Kua Number is a directional tool, not a complete feng shui system. It works alongside the Bagua map, Five Elements, and Flying Stars. A single number can't replace a full analysis.
Ready to discover your personal energy directions? Book a consultation and I'll calculate your Kua Number, map your favorable directions, and show you exactly how to align your space.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find my Kua Number?+
Take the last two digits of your birth year, add them together, and reduce to a single digit. Males (born before 2000) subtract that digit from 10. Females (born before 2000) add 5 to that digit and reduce again. If the result is 5, males use 2 and females use 8. For births after 2000, males subtract from 9 and females add 6. Remember to use the Chinese solar year (starts ~February 4) if you were born in January or early February.
What is the difference between East Group and West Group in feng shui?+
Your Kua Number places you in either the East Group (Kua 1, 3, 4, 9) or West Group (Kua 2, 5/8, 6, 7). East Group people are supported by North, South, East, and Southeast directions. West Group people are supported by West, Northwest, Southwest, and Northeast. This affects which direction your home should face and which directions you should orient your bed, desk, and stove.
Does my Kua Number change over time?+
No. Your Kua Number is fixed — it's derived from your birth year and gender, which don't change. However, the Flying Stars energy in your home does change annually, which is why a full feng shui consultation considers both your fixed Kua Number and the time-based Flying Stars chart.
What if my bed can't face my best direction?+
Do your best — even a partial alignment helps. If you can't align the bed to your Sheng Chi direction, try your Tien Yi (health) or Yan Nian (relationship) direction. If none of those work due to room layout, focus on other feng shui principles like the commanding position and clearing clutter under the bed. A consultation can identify workarounds for challenging room layouts.
Is the Kua Number the same as the Chinese zodiac animal?+
No. Your Chinese zodiac animal (Rat, Ox, Tiger, etc.) is based on your birth year and represents one of twelve Earthly Branches. Your Kua Number is a separate calculation based on birth year and gender that determines your favorable and unfavorable compass directions. They're different systems that complement each other.
Continue Reading
What Is Feng Shui? A Complete Beginner's Guide
Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of arranging your environment to harmonize energy flow. Learn what feng shui is, how it works, and how to start using it.
Read MoreFeng Shui Your Bedroom for Better Sleep
Read MoreFeng Shui Your Home Office for Maximum Productivity
Read MoreFeng Shui for the Kitchen: Nourishment & Abundance
The kitchen represents nourishment and prosperity. Learn feng shui kitchen principles for stove placement, the Five Elements, and attracting abundance.
Read MoreAbout the Author
Autumn Jensen
Classical Feng Shui Consultant · Chinese Astrology (BaZi) Practitioner · Holy Fire III Reiki Master
Autumn Jensen is the founder of Autumn Moon LLC, based in Lehi, Utah. With over 15 years of clinical practice, she integrates Classical (Form and Compass) Feng Shui, BaZi Chinese Astrology, Holy Fire III Reiki, and permanent cosmetics artistry into a holistic approach to space, energy, and self. She serves clients in person across the Wasatch Front and virtually worldwide.