Kundli Matching Calculator (Ashtakoot Guna Milan)
Enter the date, time and birth-place time zone of the bride and the groom to get their Ashtakoot Guna Milan score out of 36, the points for each of the eight kootas, and whether Nadi dosha or Bhakoot dosha is present. The Moon positions are sidereal (Lahiri ayanamsa), work for births in any country, and the scoring follows the tables used by Drik Panchang. Everything is calculated privately in your browser.
What Ashtakoot Guna Milan measures
Ashtakoot (“eight factors”) is the North Indian system of matching two birth charts for marriage. It compares the bride's and groom's Moon - their Moon sign and birth Nakshatra - across eight kootas, each worth one more point than the last, for a total of 36. Because the system reads only the Moon, it is a screen of temperament and instinct, not a reading of the whole chart.
Not sure of a Moon sign or Nakshatra? The Vedic Moon sign calculator shows both for one person, with the pada and naming syllable.
The 8 kootas and their points
| # | Koota | Max points | Read from | Traditionally indicates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Varna | 1 | Moon sign | Temperament and spiritual outlook |
| 2 | Vashya | 2 | Moon sign | Mutual attraction and influence |
| 3 | Tara | 3 | Nakshatra | Fortune and well-being of the union |
| 4 | Yoni | 4 | Nakshatra | Physical and instinctive compatibility |
| 5 | Graha Maitri | 5 | Moon-sign lords | Mental harmony and friendship |
| 6 | Gana | 6 | Nakshatra | Nature and temperament |
| 7 | Bhakoot | 7 | Moon signs | Emotional bond, family welfare and finances |
| 8 | Nadi | 8 | Nakshatra | Health and progeny |
| Total | 36 | |||
Varna (1 point)
Each Moon sign belongs to one of four varnas - water signs Brahmin, fire signs Kshatriya, earth signs Vaishya, air signs Shudra. The point is given when the groom's varna is the same as or higher than the bride's, so this koota is read in one direction.
Vashya (2 points)
Signs fall into five classes: four-footed, human, water, wild and insect. Dhanu and Makara are split at 15°. Same class earns 2; other pairings earn 1, ½ or 0 depending on whether one class traditionally controls, ignores or preys on the other.
Tara (3 points)
Count the Nakshatras from the bride's birth star to the groom's and back, and divide each count by nine. Remainders 3, 5 and 7 (Vipat, Pratyari, Vadha) are unfavourable. Each favourable direction earns 1½.
Yoni (4 points)
Each Nakshatra carries one of fourteen animal yonis. The same yoni earns 4, friendly animals 3, neutral 2, wary 1, and the seven sworn-enemy pairs - such as cat and rat or cow and tiger - earn 0.
Graha Maitri (5 points)
Compares the planets ruling the two Moon signs. Same lord or mutual friends earn 5; friend and neutral 4; both neutral 3; friend and enemy 1; neutral and enemy ½; mutual enemies 0.
Gana (6 points)
Every Nakshatra is Deva (gentle), Manushya (human) or Rakshasa (fierce). Same gana earns 6. Deva with Manushya earns 5 or 6 depending on who is which; Rakshasa with either of the others earns 0 or 1.
Bhakoot (7 points)
Counts the Moon signs from each other. When they sit 2/12, 5/9 or 6/8 apart, Bhakoot scores 0 and the pair has Bhakoot dosha; every other relationship earns the full 7.
Nadi (8 points)
The Nakshatras divide into three Nadis - Aadi, Madhya and Antya. Different Nadis earn all 8 points; the same Nadi earns 0 and is Nadi dosha, the heaviest single factor in the system.
How to read the score
| Gunas | Conventional reading |
|---|---|
| Below 18 | Traditionally considered weak unless the full charts show strong compensating factors |
| 18 to 24 | Acceptable - the most common band for real proposals |
| 25 to 32 | Very good compatibility |
| Above 32 | Exceptional and uncommon |
Treat the bands as guidance. Bhakoot and Nadi together carry 15 of the 36 points, and a zero in either is read as a dosha in its own right, so the same total can hide very different matches. Classical texts also list exceptions to both doshas - the calculator shows them for an astrologer to weigh rather than quietly adding the points back.
Guna Milan is one part of compatibility. It says nothing about character, about Mangal dosha, about the 7th and 8th houses or about whether both partners are running Dasha periods that support marriage. The complete guide to Ashtakoot Guna Milan explains each of those layers.
Why birth time and birth place matter
Six of the eight kootas depend on the Nakshatra, and the Moon crosses into a new one roughly every 24 hours. If either partner was born near a boundary, a few hours can change Tara, Yoni, Gana and Nadi together - easily swinging the total by ten points or more. The birth place matters because it fixes the time zone: a 6 a.m. birth in London and a 6 a.m. birth in Mumbai are five and a half hours apart. When a time is unknown, the calculator shows the full range of possible scores for that day.
Matching across countries and time zones
Many proposals today join families on different continents - a groom born in New Jersey, a bride born in Pune, parents in Dubai. Do not convert either birth time to IST or to where you live now. Enter each person's clock time as written on the birth certificate and pick the time zone of the city where that person was born; daylight-saving rules for that date are applied automatically, including past changes to a country's rules.
Families abroad can also book a consultation in their own time zone over Google Meet, with both charts examined together.
How accurate is this calculator?
Moon positions use the same astronomical engine and Lahiri ayanamsa as our Moon sign calculator. Tested against 135 birth times run through Drik Panchang's Kundali Milan, every one gave the same Nakshatra, pada and Moon sign, and every koota score matched - except where Drik automatically cancels Nadi dosha, which this tool flags instead. Other software uses slightly different Yoni, Vashya and Gana tables, so a score elsewhere may differ by a point or two. Mangal dosha needs the Ascendant and is not calculated here.
Frequently asked questions
- How many gunas are needed for marriage?
- By convention, 18 or more out of 36 is acceptable, 25 to 32 is very good and above 32 is exceptional. These bands are guidance, not a verdict: Nadi and Bhakoot carry 15 of the 36 points, so a 20-point match with no dosha can be sounder than a 27-point match with Nadi dosha.
- Is kundli matching done with the Moon sign or the Sun sign?
- With the Moon. Ashtakoot Guna Milan uses each partner's Moon sign (Rashi) and birth Nakshatra, which is why the birth time matters: the Moon changes Nakshatra about once a day and sign about every two and a quarter days.
- Can I match kundlis without the exact birth time?
- Partly. Tick “Birth time not known” and the calculator checks the whole birth day. If the Moon changed Nakshatra or sign that day, it shows the lowest and highest score possible, so you can see how much the missing time matters.
- We were born in different countries. Does that change anything?
- Only the time zone. Enter each person's clock time from the birth certificate and choose the time zone of the place where that person was born. The calculator converts both to the same instant, including historical daylight saving, before it compares the Moons.
- Does this calculator check Manglik (Mangal) dosha?
- No. Mangal dosha depends on the house Mars occupies from the Ascendant, which needs the exact birth place and time and the full chart. This tool reads only the two Moon positions, so it flags Nadi and Bhakoot dosha but leaves Mangal dosha, the 7th house and the Navamsha to a full consultation.
- Why does another website give a slightly different score?
- Software follows slightly different Ashtakoot tables, especially for Yoni, Vashya and Gana, and some programs quietly cancel Nadi or Bhakoot dosha when an exception applies. This calculator follows Drik Panchang's tables and never cancels a dosha automatically - it lists the exceptions for an astrologer to check.
Go beyond the 36 points
A Horoscope Matching consultation reads both full charts: every koota explained, Mangal dosha and its cancellations, the 7th and 8th houses, the Navamsha and both partners' Dasha timing - live on Google Meet, from anywhere in the world.
Or browse all consultation services.