Nakshatra compatibility is the first filter in kundli matching. It is one slice of Ashtakoot (Gun Milan), the 36-point system, and it works from a single fact about each person: the nakshatra their Moon occupied at birth. This page shows which pairs of the 27 nakshatras score well, which score badly, and why, so you can read it before you run a full match.
What "Compatible" Means Here
Four of the eight koots read the nakshatra alone. Together they carry 21 of the 36 points:
| Koot | Points | What it compares |
|---|---|---|
| Tara | 3 | Birth-star distance, for health and well-being |
| Yoni | 4 | Instinctive and physical temperament |
| Gana | 6 | Temperament: Deva, Manava or Rakshasa |
| Nadi | 8 | Constitution: Aadi, Madhya or Antya |
The other four (Varna, Vashya, Graha Maitri and Bhakoot) read the Moon's sign. A nakshatra can sit across two signs, so those four can move the score even when both nakshatras are fixed. That is why this page works in ranges rather than single scores.
Gana: the Pairing That Matters Most
Gana carries 6 points, and its scores come straight from the nakshatras. The engine's values:
| Gana | Nakshatras |
|---|---|
| Deva | Ashwini, Mrigashira, Punarvasu, Pushya, Hasta, Swati, Anuradha, Shravana, Revati |
| Manava | Bharani, Rohini, Ardra, Purva Phalguni, Uttara Phalguni, Purva Ashadha, Uttara Ashadha, Purva Bhadrapada, Uttara Bhadrapada |
| Rakshasa | Krittika, Ashlesha, Magha, Chitra, Vishakha, Jyeshtha, Mula, Dhanishtha, Shatabhisha |
- Same Gana: 6 of 6.
- Deva with Manava: 5 of 6.
- Manava with Rakshasa: 1 of 6.
- Deva with Rakshasa: 0 of 6.
Nadi is the other big one, and it shares the same base rate: the 27 nakshatras split three ways, so about a third of all pairings share a Nadi. How that scores and cancels is on the Nadi Dosha page.
Compatible Nakshatras: The Table
Your nakshatra is the one your Moon was in at birth. A partner is listed only if the pair clears 24 of 36 in Ashtakoot in both role orders and in every Moon placement the two nakshatras allow, with no uncancelled Nadi or Bhakoot dosha. The figure in brackets is the lowest total the pair can score.
| Your nakshatra | Reliably strong partners (lowest total of 36) |
|---|---|
| Ashwini | Bharani (30), Pushya (29.5), Swati (28.5), Shravana (26), Anuradha (24.5), Uttara Ashadha (24.5) |
| Bharani | Ashwini (30), Swati (27.5), Ardra (26), Punarvasu (25), Shravana (25), Ashlesha (24.5), Revati (24.5), Uttara Ashadha (24) |
| Krittika | Shatabhisha (26), Jyeshtha (24.5), Dhanishtha (24.5) |
| Rohini | Anuradha (27.5), Purva Bhadrapada (26), Uttara Bhadrapada (26), Shatabhisha (25.5), Pushya (25), Hasta (25), Purva Phalguni (24.5) |
| Mrigashira | Revati (26) |
| Ardra | Purva Phalguni (28.5), Uttara Bhadrapada (26.5), Bharani (26), Swati (26), Purva Ashadha (26), Revati (25.5) |
| Punarvasu | Bharani (25), Swati (24) |
| Pushya | Ashwini (29.5), Hasta (27), Shravana (27), Swati (26.5), Rohini (25), Ashlesha (25) |
| Ashlesha | Chitra (26.5), Pushya (25), Bharani (24.5) |
| Magha | Purva Phalguni (28), Jyeshtha (28), Mula (25), Shatabhisha (24.5) |
| Purva Phalguni | Ardra (28.5), Magha (28), Rohini (24.5), Jyeshtha (24.5) |
| Uttara Phalguni | Uttara Bhadrapada (25.5), Anuradha (25) |
| Hasta | Pushya (27), Swati (26.5), Revati (26.5), Anuradha (26), Uttara Bhadrapada (25.5), Rohini (25), Purva Ashadha (25) |
| Chitra | Mula (27), Ashlesha (26.5) |
| Swati | Ashwini (28.5), Bharani (27.5), Pushya (26.5), Hasta (26.5), Ardra (26), Purva Ashadha (25), Punarvasu (24) |
| Vishakha | Dhanishtha (25.5), Shatabhisha (24) |
| Anuradha | Rohini (27.5), Jyeshtha (27), Hasta (26), Shravana (26), Uttara Phalguni (25), Ashwini (24.5) |
| Jyeshtha | Magha (28), Anuradha (27), Dhanishtha (26), Krittika (24.5), Purva Phalguni (24.5) |
| Mula | Chitra (27), Uttara Bhadrapada (26), Magha (25), Purva Ashadha (25) |
| Purva Ashadha | Revati (29.5), Purva Bhadrapada (28.5), Ardra (26), Hasta (25), Swati (25), Mula (25) |
| Uttara Ashadha | Uttara Bhadrapada (28.5), Ashwini (24.5), Bharani (24) |
| Shravana | Uttara Bhadrapada (27.5), Pushya (27), Ashwini (26), Anuradha (26), Bharani (25) |
| Dhanishtha | Jyeshtha (26), Vishakha (25.5), Krittika (24.5) |
| Shatabhisha | Krittika (26), Rohini (25.5), Magha (24.5), Vishakha (24) |
| Purva Bhadrapada | Purva Ashadha (28.5), Rohini (26) |
| Uttara Bhadrapada | Revati (31), Uttara Ashadha (28.5), Shravana (27.5), Ardra (26.5), Rohini (26), Mula (26), Uttara Phalguni (25.5), Hasta (25.5) |
| Revati | Uttara Bhadrapada (31), Purva Ashadha (29.5), Hasta (26.5), Mrigashira (26), Ardra (25.5), Bharani (24.5) |
Not on the list does not mean incompatible. The bar is deliberately strict: it must hold in every placement. A pair outside it can still score well for two actual charts. It just isn't guaranteed by the nakshatras alone.
How to Read It
- The same nakshatra never appears. Same nakshatra means same Nadi, so the 8 Nadi points are zero. It is cancelled only when the padas differ, and that is not guaranteed.
- Why a range. Sign-based koots (Varna, Vashya, Graha Maitri, Bhakoot) depend on the Moon's sign, and some nakshatras span two. Two nakshatras fix a range, not a score. The bracketed figure is its floor.
- What it can't see. Ashtakoot reads the two Moon positions only. The 7th house, Mangal Dosha, the Navamsa and the running dashas all sit outside it.
The Numbers Across All 729 Pairings
We scored every ordered pair of the 27 nakshatras (729 of them) across every Moon placement each allows. What came out:
- 427 pairings (59%) reach the traditional 18-point minimum in every placement.
- 165 pairings (23%) never reach 18 in any placement.
- The rest, about 19%, depend on where the Moon actually sits.
- Of the 351 distinct pairs of different nakshatras, 61 clear the strict bar in the table above.
- The highest guaranteed floor is Uttara Bhadrapada with Revati, at 31 of 36. Ashwini with Bharani follows at 30.
Those 165 low pairings are where the nakshatras alone put a match at risk: a zero on Nadi, a near-zero on Gana, or both. The usual culprits are a shared Nadi and a Deva–Rakshasa pairing.
What About the Same Nakshatra?
Two people born under the same nakshatra share a Nadi, so the 8 Nadi points score zero. The dosha is cancelled when the padas differ, and the engine confirms this: for Rohini with Rohini, 12 of the 16 pada combinations cancel it and 4 do not. The heaviest case, same nakshatra and same pada, is the one nothing cancels. So a same-nakshatra match is a case to check, never a guaranteed pass, which is why it is absent from the table.
What Nakshatra Compatibility Can't Tell You
It is a screen on two Moon positions. It cannot see the 7th house or its lord in either chart, Mangal Dosha and its cancellations, the Navamsa, or the dasha each partner is running. A pair that tops the table can still be a hard match, and a pair that is off the list can still be a good one. The full chart-to-chart read, with timing, is where a marriage is actually judged.
For how the eight koots add up, see Ashtakoot explained; for the biggest one, Nadi Dosha. Not sure of your nakshatra? See the 27 nakshatras.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which nakshatras are most compatible for marriage?
There is no single best partner, but there are reliably strong ones. A partner is listed in the table only if the pair scores at least 24 of 36 in both role orders and every Moon placement, with no uncancelled Nadi or Bhakoot dosha. Every one of the 27 nakshatras has at least one.
Does the same nakshatra match well?
Not reliably. Two people with the same nakshatra share a Nadi, so the 8 Nadi points score zero. The dosha is cancelled only if the pada differs. Same-nakshatra pairs appear in the table for none of the 27 nakshatras.
Why is a range shown instead of one score?
Gun Milan depends on the Moon's sign as well as its nakshatra, and a nakshatra can sit across two signs. So two nakshatras fix a range. The number beside each partner is the lowest total across every placement and both role orders.
Is a compatible nakshatra enough to decide a marriage?
No. Ashtakoot reads only the two Moon positions. It does not look at the 7th house, Mangal Dosha, the Navamsa or the dashas each partner is running. Treat a compatible nakshatra as a good opening filter, not a verdict.
Which Gana pairings should I avoid?
Deva with Rakshasa scores 0 of 6, and Manava with Rakshasa scores 1 of 6. Same Gana scores 6, and Deva with Manava scores 5. A weak Gana is one koot, not a verdict, and other koots can offset it.
How many nakshatra pairs are guaranteed to reach 18 points?
Of the 729 ordered pairings of the 27 nakshatras, 427 (59%) reach 18 of 36 in every Moon placement, and 165 (23%) never do. The remaining pairings depend on the exact sign and degree of the Moon.
Does my Moon sign matter, or only my nakshatra?
Both. Tara, Yoni, Gana and Nadi (21 of 36 points) read the nakshatra alone. Varna, Vashya, Graha Maitri and Bhakoot read the Moon sign, and one nakshatra can span two signs.