Bhava · भाव
The 12 houses in a Kundli and what each one rules
A Kundli is divided into 12 houses (bhava). Each one stands for a part of life, from the self in the 1st to letting go in the 12th. Here is each house with its Sanskrit name, natural sign and lord, karaka and the groups it belongs to.
The 12 houses at a glance
| House | Sanskrit name | Life areas | Natural sign | Natural lord | Karaka |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st house | Tanu bhava तनु भाव | Self, body, personality, health habits and the start of life | Mesha (Aries) | Mars | Sun |
| 2nd house | Dhana bhava धन भाव | Money and savings, family, speech, food and values | Vrishabha (Taurus) | Venus | Jupiter |
| 3rd house | Sahaja bhava सहज भाव | Courage, younger siblings, effort, skills, communication and short trips | Mithuna (Gemini) | Mercury | Mars |
| 4th house | Sukha bhava सुख भाव | Home, mother, comfort, property, vehicles and peace of mind | Karka (Cancer) | Moon | Moon |
| 5th house | Putra bhava पुत्र भाव | Children, intelligence, studies, creativity, romance and past merit | Simha (Leo) | Sun | Jupiter |
| 6th house | Ari bhava अरि भाव | Daily work, service, competition, debts, disputes and routine | Kanya (Virgo) | Mercury | Mars, Saturn |
| 7th house | Kalatra bhava कलत्र भाव | Marriage, spouse, partnerships, business deals and dealings with the public | Tula (Libra) | Venus | Venus |
| 8th house | Ayu bhava आयु भाव | Change, research, hidden matters, shared resources, inheritance and longevity (in tradition) | Vrishchika (Scorpio) | Mars | Saturn |
| 9th house | Dharma bhava धर्म भाव | Luck, dharma, father, teachers, higher learning, faith and long journeys | Dhanu (Sagittarius) | Jupiter | Jupiter, Sun |
| 10th house | Karma bhava कर्म भाव | Career, work, status, reputation, authority and public life | Makara (Capricorn) | Saturn | Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn |
| 11th house | Labha bhava लाभ भाव | Gains, income, friends, networks, elder siblings and wishes | Kumbha (Aquarius) | Saturn | Jupiter |
| 12th house | Vyaya bhava व्यय भाव | Expenses, rest and sleep, foreign lands, solitude, charity and spiritual life | Meena (Pisces) | Jupiter | Saturn |
House groups: kendra, trikona, dusthana, upachaya and maraka
Houses are grouped by the kind of work they do in a chart. A house can belong to more than one group: the 1st is both a kendra and a trikona, the 6th both a dusthana and an upachaya.
| Kendra angular houses | 1st, 4th, 7th, 10th. The 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th houses are the pillars of the chart: self, home, partnership and work. Planets here are commonly read as having a strong, visible effect on life. |
|---|---|
| Trikona trines | 1st, 5th, 9th. The 1st, 5th and 9th houses are the houses of dharma and good fortune. They are commonly read as the most supportive houses, and their lords as helpful planets for the chart. |
| Dusthana houses of effort | 6th, 8th, 12th. The 6th, 8th and 12th houses deal with obstacles, change and letting go. They are not "bad houses": they show where life asks for effort, patience and inner work, and planets here can also give strength to overcome difficulties. |
| Upachaya houses of growth | 3rd, 6th, 10th, 11th. The 3rd, 6th, 10th and 11th houses are the houses of growth: what they show tends to improve with time and effort. Firm planets such as Mars, Saturn and Rahu are commonly read as doing well here. |
| Maraka a classical term | 2nd, 7th. Classical texts call the 2nd and 7th houses maraka sthana, as they are the 12th from the 3rd and the 8th (the two houses of life span in the old texts). It is a technical term used with dashas in a full reading; on its own it predicts nothing, and these houses are just as much about wealth, family and marriage. |
How houses are counted on this site
This site uses whole-sign houses, as in the traditional North Indian chart: the whole sign of the lagna is the 1st house, the next sign is the 2nd house, and so on round the zodiac. A planet’s house is simply the sign it is in, counted from the lagna sign.
Some astrologers use other systems (bhava chalit or Placidus cusps), where a planet near the edge of a sign can fall in the next or previous house. If another chart shows a planet one house away, that is usually why.
The natural sign of a house is the sign it would hold if Mesha (Aries) were rising: the 1st house is Mesha, the 2nd Vrishabha, up to Meena for the 12th. In your own chart the signs move round with your lagna, but the meaning of each house stays the same.
How to see your own houses
Your houses depend on your lagna, which changes about every two hours, so you need your date, time and place of birth. The Kundli calculator draws your chart with every planet’s house; the lagna calculator finds the rising sign; each house page below has a small form that shows that one house in your chart.
- Navamsa (D9) chart
- Marriage prediction (the 7th house)
- Manglik dosh check
- Vimshottari dasha
- Lal Kitab pakka ghar
Questions about the 12 houses
What are the 12 houses in astrology?
They are the 12 parts of a birth chart, each standing for areas of life: 1 self, 2 wealth and family, 3 courage and siblings, 4 home and mother, 5 children and studies, 6 work and competition, 7 marriage and partners, 8 change and shared resources, 9 luck and faith, 10 career, 11 gains and friends, 12 expenses and spiritual life.
How do I find which sign is in each house?
Find your lagna from your date, time and place of birth with the lagna calculator. That sign is your 1st house, and the following signs fill the next houses in order. The Kundli calculator does it for you.
What is the difference between a house and a sign?
A sign (rashi) is a 30° part of the zodiac and has a nature of its own. A house (bhava) is a part of life. Your lagna decides which sign falls in which house, so the same sign can be your 1st house and someone else’s 7th.
What is a karaka of a house?
A planet that naturally signifies the matters of that house in every chart, such as Venus for marriage (7th) or Saturn for the 8th. Astrologers read the house, its lord and its karaka together. Texts differ a little on the list: this page gives the one most often quoted, and some lists add others, such as Mercury for learning in the 4th.
What does an empty house mean?
Nothing bad. Every chart has empty houses, since nine planets share twelve houses. An empty house is read through its lord, the planets aspecting it and the dasha.
Are the 6th, 8th and 12th houses bad?
They are called dusthana and deal with effort, change and letting go, but they are not bad houses. Firm planets often do well in the 6th, the 8th is the house of research and renewal, and the 12th of rest and spiritual life.