Nakshatra Name Letters
Each nakshatra is divided into four padas of 3°20', and the naming tradition fixes a starting syllable for every one of them — a hundred and eight in all. A child born in the first pada of Ashwini is named from Chu, in the second from Che, and so on down the table. The Moon crosses a pada in about six hours, so the pada, and therefore the syllable, comes from the time of birth rather than the date.
Every nakshatra in full
| # | Nakshatra | Name letters, pada 1 – 4 | Span |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ashwini | Chu · Che · Cho · La | 0° – 13.33° |
| 2 | Bharani | Li · Lu · Le · Lo | 13.33° – 26.67° |
| 3 | Krittika | A · I · U · E | 26.67° – 40° |
| 4 | Rohini | O · Va · Vi · Vu | 40° – 53.33° |
| 5 | Mrigashira | Ve · Vo · Ka · Ki | 53.33° – 66.67° |
| 6 | Ardra | Ku · Gha · Ang · Chha | 66.67° – 80° |
| 7 | Punarvasu | Ke · Ko · Ha · Hi | 80° – 93.33° |
| 8 | Pushya | Hu · He · Ho · Da | 93.33° – 106.67° |
| 9 | Ashlesha | Di · Du · De · Do | 106.67° – 120° |
| 10 | Magha | Ma · Mi · Mu · Me | 120° – 133.33° |
| 11 | Purva Phalguni | Mo · Ta · Ti · Tu | 133.33° – 146.67° |
| 12 | Uttara Phalguni | Te · To · Pa · Pi | 146.67° – 160° |
| 13 | Hasta | Pu · Sha · Na · Tha | 160° – 173.33° |
| 14 | Chitra | Pe · Po · Ra · Ri | 173.33° – 186.67° |
| 15 | Swati | Ru · Re · Ro · Ta | 186.67° – 200° |
| 16 | Vishakha | Ti · Tu · Te · To | 200° – 213.33° |
| 17 | Anuradha | Na · Ni · Nu · Ne | 213.33° – 226.67° |
| 18 | Jyeshtha | No · Ya · Yi · Yu | 226.67° – 240° |
| 19 | Mula | Ye · Yo · Bha · Bhi | 240° – 253.33° |
| 20 | Purva Ashadha | Bhu · Dha · Pha · Dha | 253.33° – 266.67° |
| 21 | Uttara Ashadha | Bhe · Bho · Ja · Ji | 266.67° – 280° |
| 22 | Shravana | Khi · Khu · Khe · Kho | 280° – 293.33° |
| 23 | Dhanishta | Ga · Gi · Gu · Ge | 293.33° – 306.67° |
| 24 | Shatabhisha | Go · Sa · Si · Su | 306.67° – 320° |
| 25 | Purva Bhadrapada | Se · So · Da · Di | 320° – 333.33° |
| 26 | Uttara Bhadrapada | Du · Tha · Jha · Da | 333.33° – 346.67° |
| 27 | Revati | De · Do · Cha · Chi | 346.67° – 360° |
The Roman spellings are approximate: the table collapses dental and retroflex sounds, so Ta, Ti and Tu appear under more than one nakshatra, and Da and Dha repeat. Where the Devanagari differs from the Roman letters, the Devanagari is the one to follow.
Common questions
- How many nakshatras are there in total?
- Twenty-seven. The 360° of the zodiac is divided into twenty-seven equal parts, so each nakshatra spans 13°20'.
- How do I find my own nakshatra?
- It is the nakshatra the Moon occupied at the moment you were born. The Moon crosses one in about a day and a pada in about six hours, so it has to be computed from the date, time and place of birth rather than guessed.
Which nakshatra is yours?
The Moon crosses a nakshatra in about a day, so the only way to know is from the date, time and place of birth. It computes in a second.