Which Rashi Is Compatible for Marriage? A Chart for All 12

In Vedic matching, two rashis (moon signs) are most compatible when they sit 1, 3, 4, 7, 10 or 11 places from each other and their ruling planets are friends. Pairs that sit 2 and 12, 5 and 9, or 6 and 8 apart give bhakoot dosha, unless both rashis share a lord.

So Simha with Vrischika, or Vrishabha with Kumbha, is a good rashi match. Mesha with Kanya is not.

The chart below gives this for all 12 rashis. It uses only the moon signs, so read it as a first check and not as the full match.

Rashi or Zodiac Sign, Which One Is Used?

Indian marriage matching uses the rashi, which is the sign the moon was in at birth. It does not use the "sun sign" printed in newspaper horoscopes.

The two are different in another way too. Western sun signs use the tropical zodiac. Indian astrology uses the sidereal zodiac, which today sits about 24 degrees behind. That is why the sun enters Mesha around 14 April, the day of Mesha Sankranti, Vishu and the Tamil new year, while the Western Aries starts around 21 March.

So a person who calls themselves "Aries" may well have Karka or Dhanu as their rashi. For marriage, only the rashi on the kundli or jathagam counts.

How Rashi Compatibility Is Worked Out

Two kootas of gun milan, and two poruthams of the South Indian system, come from the rashis alone.

Together they carry 12 of the 36 gunas. The chart below combines them: a pair is listed as best when the distance is fine and the lords are the same planet or friends of each other.

The lords are Mars for Mesha and Vrischika, Venus for Vrishabha and Tula, and Mercury for Mithuna and Kanya. The Moon rules Karka and the Sun rules Simha. Jupiter has Dhanu and Meena, and Saturn has Makara and Kumbha. Friendships follow the standard table from Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra.

Rashi Compatibility Chart for All 12

"Same lord" in the last column means most astrologers cancel the bhakoot dosha for that pair. The pairs in the "Good distance" column pass bhakoot but may lose some points in graha maitri, because their lords are neutral or unfriendly.

Rashi by Rashi, in Short

Hindi speakers know these as Mesh, Vrishabh, Mithun, Kark, Singh, Kanya, Tula, Vrishchik, Dhanu, Makar, Kumbh and Meen. Tamil families say Mesham, Rishabam, Mithunam, Kadagam, Simmam, Kanni, Thulam, Viruchigam, Dhanusu, Magaram, Kumbam and Meenam.

Mesha (Mesh) has only one "best" partner in the chart, another Mesha. Mars is neutral or unfriendly to the lords of most good-distance rashis, so those pairs pass bhakoot but lose some graha maitri points. Mesha with Vrischika is a 6 and 8 pair, but both are ruled by Mars, so most pandits cancel the dosha.

Vrishabha (Vrishabh) and Kumbha (Kumbh) suit each other well: 4 and 10 apart, with Venus and Saturn as friends.

Mithuna (Mithun) and Kanya both belong to Mercury and sit 4 and 10 apart, so they pair cleanly.

Karka (Kark) matches well by distance with Mesha, Vrishabha, Kanya, Tula and Makara, but the Moon has only two natural friends, so graha maitri points vary.

Simha (Singh) and Vrischika (Vrishchik) are a strong pair, 4 and 10 apart, with the Sun and Mars as friends.

Tula and Makara (Makar) pair well, with Venus and Saturn as friends.

Dhanu and Meena (Meen) share Jupiter as their lord and sit 4 and 10 apart.

The 6-8 and 2-12 Pairs to Watch

Two kinds of pairs worry families most.

The 6 and 8 pair, called shadashtak, is the one most pandits take seriously. Examples are Mesha with Kanya, Vrishabha with Dhanu, and Karka with Kumbha.

The 2 and 12 pair, called dwi-dwadash, links in belief to money troubles. Examples are Mithuna with Karka, and Simha with Kanya.

The exceptions matter. When both rashis share a lord, as Makara and Kumbha do with Saturn, the dosha is usually cancelled. Some texts also cancel it when the lords are friends. The bhakoota article on OnlineJyotish quotes Muhurta Pradipa naming Karka with Dhanu and Simha with Meena as 6 and 8 pairs that are not harmful. Our page on bhakoot dosha lists the rules in full.

Same Rashi Marriage

Two people with the same rashi pass bhakoot with the full 7 points, and their lords are obviously the same. By rashi alone, it is a good match.

The catch is in the stars. A same-rashi pair often shares a nakshatra, or has stars in the same nadi. Prokerala's rasi porutham page also adds a rule for same-rashi matches in the South: the girl's nakshatra should not come before the boy's, except for a short list of stars. So check the nakshatras before you celebrate a same-rashi match.

Rashi Is Only One Part of Matching

Rashi decides 12 of the 36 gunas. The other 24 come from the nakshatras: nadi, gana, yoni, tara, and part of varna and vashya. Manglik dosha comes from Mars and needs the birth time.

A "best" rashi pair can still fail on nadi, and a bhakoot dosha pair can still be approved after cancellation. Use this chart to understand a report or to filter proposals roughly. Leave the final reading to the pandit. Our nakshatra matching guide covers the star side, and the 36 gun milan guide shows how all 8 kootas add up.

Putting the Rashi on the Biodata

Print the rashi on the biodata in the spelling your family uses. The other side will look for it first.

Our maker has a Rasi field that fills in from the date, time and place of birth. It prints in the language you choose for the biodata. A Hindi biodata shows the Hindi name, a Tamil one the Tamil name. Start with a biodata with horoscope. For how the score is read once you have both rashis and stars, see the kundli milan guide.