My Vedic Kundali › Baby names by nakshatra

Baby name letters by nakshatra and pada

Many Hindu families choose the first sound of a baby's name from the Moon's nakshatra and pada at birth. Here is the traditional table for all 27 birth stars, and how to find your baby's.

How it works

The Moon's path is divided into 27 nakshatras of 13°20′, and each nakshatra into four padas (quarters) of 3°20′, 108 padas in all. Each pada has a traditional sound (akshara). The baby's name is started with the sound of the pada the Moon was in at the moment of birth.

How to find your baby's nakshatra and pada

You need the exact date, time and place of birth. The nakshatra can change during the day, and a pada lasts only about six hours, so a calendar "star of the day" is not enough when the birth was near a change. A Janma Patrika gives the nakshatra, pada and name letter calculated for the exact minute.

Regional spellings

The sounds are written in English letters here. The same sound may be spelled differently in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi or Marathi, and some families use slightly different letters for a few padas. Your family priest's tradition comes first.

Name letters for all 27 nakshatras

Sidereal (Lahiri) zodiac. Swipe the table sideways for each nakshatra's lord and position.
#	Nakshatra	Pada 1	Pada 2	Pada 3	Pada 4	Lord	Where in the zodiac
1	Ashwini	Chu	Che	Cho	La	Ketu	Aries 0°–13°20′
2	Bharani	Li	Lu	Le	Lo	Venus	Aries 13°20′–26°40′
3	Krittika	A	I	U	E	Sun	Aries 26°40′ – Taurus 10°
4	Rohini	O	Va	Vi	Vu	Moon	Taurus 10°–23°20′
5	Mrigashira	Ve	Vo	Ka	Ki	Mars	Taurus 23°20′ – Gemini 6°40′
6	Ardra	Ku	Gha	Na	Chha	Rahu	Gemini 6°40′–20°
7	Punarvasu	Ke	Ko	Ha	Hi	Jupiter	Gemini 20° – Cancer 3°20′
8	Pushya	Hu	He	Ho	Da	Saturn	Cancer 3°20′–16°40′
9	Ashlesha	Di	Du	De	Do	Mercury	Cancer 16°40′–30°
10	Magha	Ma	Mi	Mu	Me	Ketu	Leo 0°–13°20′
11	Purva Phalguni	Mo	Ta	Ti	Tu	Venus	Leo 13°20′–26°40′
12	Uttara Phalguni	Te	To	Pa	Pi	Sun	Leo 26°40′ – Virgo 10°
13	Hasta	Pu	Sha	Na	Tha	Moon	Virgo 10°–23°20′
14	Chitra	Pe	Po	Ra	Ri	Mars	Virgo 23°20′ – Libra 6°40′
15	Swati	Ru	Re	Ro	Ta	Rahu	Libra 6°40′–20°
16	Vishakha	Ti	Tu	Te	To	Jupiter	Libra 20° – Scorpio 3°20′
17	Anuradha	Na	Ni	Nu	Ne	Saturn	Scorpio 3°20′–16°40′
18	Jyeshtha	No	Ya	Yi	Yu	Mercury	Scorpio 16°40′–30°
19	Mula	Ye	Yo	Bha	Bhi	Ketu	Sagittarius 0°–13°20′
20	Purva Ashadha	Bhu	Dha	Pha	Dha	Venus	Sagittarius 13°20′–26°40′
21	Uttara Ashadha	Bhe	Bho	Ja	Ji	Sun	Sagittarius 26°40′ – Capricorn 10°
22	Shravana	Ju	Je	Jo	Gha	Moon	Capricorn 10°–23°20′
23	Dhanishta	Ga	Gi	Gu	Ge	Mars	Capricorn 23°20′ – Aquarius 6°40′
24	Shatabhisha	Go	Sa	Si	Su	Rahu	Aquarius 6°40′–20°
25	Purva Bhadrapada	Se	So	Da	Di	Jupiter	Aquarius 20° – Pisces 3°20′
26	Uttara Bhadrapada	Du	Tha	Jha	Na	Saturn	Pisces 3°20′–16°40′
27	Revati	De	Do	Cha	Chi	Mercury	Pisces 16°40′–30°

Get your baby's Janma Patrika →

Questions

Is it necessary to name a baby by nakshatra?

No. It is a family tradition. Many families keep the nakshatra name as a private or ceremonial name and use another everyday name.

What if the birth time is near a nakshatra change?

Then the exact minute matters. Calculate the Moon's position for the recorded time and place of birth rather than using the day's star from a calendar.

When is the naming ceremony done?

Traditionally on the 11th, 12th or 16th day after birth, or on a good muhurtham chosen by the family priest.

Traditional Vedic astrology, explained for guidance and reflection. See how we calculate.