By Aravind Krishnan · Lo Shu Grid practitioner since 2010 · Last reviewed August 2026
Every result on this site comes from four calculations applied to a date of birth. This page publishes all four in full so any result can be checked by hand, along with our sources, how we resolve disagreement between traditions, every correction we have made, and what this system does not claim to do.
What Formulas Does This Calculator Use?
Every result on this site is produced from a date of birth using four calculations: the grid placement, the Driver number, the Destiny number, and the Kua number. All four are set out below in full, so any result can be checked by hand.
Grid placement
Every non-zero digit of the date of birth is placed into its fixed cell in the 3×3 magic square (4-9-2 / 3-5-7 / 8-1-6), together with the Driver and Destiny numbers. Zeros are excluded from placement. Repeats stack in the same cell.
Driver number
The day of birth reduced to a single digit. Born on the 29th: 2+9 = 11 → 1+1 = 2.
Destiny number
All digits of the full date of birth added and reduced to a single digit. For 08-05-1984: 0+8+0+5+1+9+8+4 = 35 → 3+5 = 8.
Kua number
Calculated from the last two digits of the birth year, using the Eight Mansions (Ba Zhai) method, with a solar-year adjustment.
- Add the last two digits of the birth year and reduce to a single digit. Call this S.
- Born before 2000: male Kua = 10 − S; female Kua = 5 + S, reduced.
- Born 2000 or later: male Kua = 9 − S; female Kua = 6 + S, reduced.
- Kua 5 substitution: a result of 5 becomes 2 for males and 8 for females, since the centre has no direction.
- Solar-year rule: the Chinese solar year begins on 4 February. Anyone born on or before 3 February belongs to the previous year for Kua purposes. A birth on 15 January 2000 is calculated as 1999.
How Are the Eight Lines Determined?
The grid is read through the eight straight lines of the magic square itself: three rows, three columns and two diagonals. Six are planes and the two diagonals are Yogs.
| Line | Numbers | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Mind Plane | 4-9-2 | Row |
| Emotional Plane | 3-5-7 | Row |
| Practical Plane | 8-1-6 | Row |
| Planning Plane | 4-3-8 | Column |
| Willpower Plane | 9-5-1 | Column |
| Success Plane | 2-7-6 | Column |
| Golden Yog | 4-5-6 | Diagonal |
| Silver Yog | 2-5-8 | Diagonal |
Strength is reported at four tiers by how many cells are filled: Strong (3), Moderate (2), Weak (1), Absent (0). A line with all three cells empty is an Arrow of Frustration.
No groupings outside these eight lines are evaluated. Sequential combinations such as 1-2-3 or 7-8-9 belong to Pythagorean charts, which use a different layout, and are not part of Lo Shu Grid analysis. There is no separate concept of “arrows of strength” in this system.
How Is Compatibility Scored?
The couple compatibility score compares two complete grids using three inputs and no others:
- Destiny harmony — whether the two Destiny numbers form one of the traditional harmony pairs (graha maitri). Raises the score.
- Shared missing numbers — digits absent from both grids, the couple’s common blind spots. Lowers the score, per number.
- Complementary missing numbers — digits missing in one grid and present in the other, counted in both directions so the score is identical whichever partner it is run from. Raises the score, per number.
Plane alignment and Kua direction harmony appear in the narrative of the full report but are not part of the score.
What Sources Is the Interpretation Based On?
The calculations follow the standard Indian numerology tradition based on the Lo Shu Grid, cross-referenced against published works in that lineage. Interpretive content is written and reviewed by Aravind Krishnan, who has worked with the system since 2010.
Where sources disagree — and they do, particularly on Kua formulas and on which number groupings count as lines — this site follows the magic square itself: only the eight lines that exist geometrically in the 3×3 square are evaluated. That choice is stated here rather than left implicit, because it is the point on which Lo Shu practice most often diverges.
What Corrections Have Been Published?
Errors in a calculation system should be published rather than quietly fixed. Corrections to date:
| Date | Correction |
|---|---|
| July 2026 | Kua formulas. The female Kua formula and the 2000-onwards formulas were corrected to the classical Ba Zhai method, and the 4 February solar-year rule was implemented. Charts generated before this date may show a different Kua number. |
| July 2026 | Line definitions. Analysis was corrected to the eight lines of the magic square. Sequential-number groupings drawn from Pythagorean practice were removed. |
| July 2026 | Elements table. The element assigned to each number was corrected to match the Later Heaven Bagua arrangement. |
What This System Does Not Do
The Lo Shu Grid does not predict events, dates, amounts or outcomes. It describes patterns — behavioural tendencies, structural strengths and gaps, and traditional timing cycles. Two people with identical grids can lead entirely different lives, because the grid maps tendencies while decisions and circumstances determine results.
Nothing on this site is medical, legal or financial advice. Interpretations are presented as traditional practice, and readers are asked to treat them as a structured way of reflecting on themselves rather than as predictions.
To see the method applied to your own date, use the Lo Shu Grid calculator, or work through it by hand with how to make a Lo Shu Grid.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the Kua number calculated?
From the last two digits of the birth year, reduced to a single digit, then 10 minus that figure for males born before 2000 and 5 plus it for females, with different constants from 2000 onward. A result of 5 becomes 2 for males and 8 for females.
Why does my Kua number differ from another website?
Most often because of the solar-year rule. Anyone born on or before 3 February belongs to the previous year for Kua purposes, and many calculators omit this. Female formulas also vary between sources; this site uses the classical Ba Zhai method.
Are 1-2-3 and 7-8-9 arrows part of the Lo Shu Grid?
No. Those sequential groupings come from the Pythagorean chart, which uses a different layout. Lo Shu Grid analysis evaluates only the eight lines that exist in the magic square — three rows, three columns and two diagonals.
Can I verify these calculations myself?
Yes. Every formula on this page is complete and needs no software. Working a chart by hand and comparing it against the calculator is the recommended way to check any result.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check these calculations myself?
Yes. Every formula on this page is complete and requires no software — a pen and your date of birth are enough. Working a chart by hand and comparing it against the calculator is the recommended way to verify any result.
Why did my Kua number change after July 2026?
Because we corrected the female and post-2000 formulas to the classical Ba Zhai method and implemented the 4 February solar-year rule. Charts generated before that date may show a different Kua. The correction is recorded above with its date.
Which numerology tradition does this site follow?
Standard Indian numerology practice based on the Lo Shu Grid — the Chinese magic square with Vedic planetary rulers applied to it. Where sources disagree, we follow the eight lines that exist geometrically in the 3×3 square and state that choice rather than leaving it implicit.
Do you use birth time or place?
No. Every calculation on this site uses the date of birth only. Birth time and place are required for Vedic astrology systems such as Guna Milan, but not for the Lo Shu Grid or the Kua calculation.