To understand how to read kundali, first find your lagna (the sign in the first house), then count the 12 houses from it, note which sign sits in each house, and see which planets are placed where. Each house stands for one area of life, such as wealth, marriage or career. An accurate reading needs your exact date, time and place of birth.

Most of us have seen our kundali at least once. Maybe it was made when we were born, or when the family started talking about marriage. But for many people it stays a confusing box of lines, numbers and short words like “Su”, “Mo” and “Ra”.

The good news is that the basics are not hard. Once you understand two things, the lagna and the 12 houses, the chart starts to make sense. This guide on how to read kundali explains both in simple steps, with an example, so you can look at your own chart with fresh eyes.

What is a kundali?

A kundali, also called a janam kundli or birth chart, is a map of the sky at the exact moment and place you were born. It shows where the nine planets (navagraha) were sitting in the twelve signs (rashis) at that moment. Understanding this map is the first step in learning how to read kundali.

The nine planets in a kundali are the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. In most charts they are written in short form:

You may also see “As” or “La”, which marks the lagna.

What you need before you start

Learning how to read kundali begins with a correct chart. For that you need three details:

• Date of birth: the exact day, month and year you were born, as it fixes where each planet was placed in your chart
• Exact time of birth: even a few minutes can change the lagna, so take it from a birth certificate or hospital record if you can
• Place of birth: the city or town, because the sky looks different from different places

If your birth time is not known, an astrologer can try to work it out through birth time rectification, but a reading based on a guessed time is never as reliable.

North Indian vs South Indian kundali

Before you learn how to read kundali, check which style your chart follows. The two most common styles in India look very different:

• North Indian chart: a square with diamond shaped boxes. The houses are fixed, and the first house is always the top middle diamond. The numbers inside the boxes are sign numbers, and they change from person to person.
• South Indian chart: a grid of boxes where the signs are fixed. Aries is always in the second box of the top row, and the lagna is marked with a diagonal line or the word “Lagna”.

There is also an East Indian style, used mainly in Bengal and Odisha. This guide uses the North Indian chart, the style most people in North India receive.

What is lagna in kundli?

The lagna, or ascendant, is the zodiac sign that was rising on the eastern horizon at the moment you were born. It is the starting point of the whole chart, so every other house is counted from it.

Because the lagna changes about every two hours on average, two people born on the same day can have very different charts. That is why the exact birth time matters so much when you learn how to read kundali.

How to find your lagna in a North Indian chart: look at the number written in the top middle diamond. That number is your lagna sign. For example, if it shows 5, your lagna is Leo.

So when people ask what is lagna in kundli, the simple answer is this: it is your rising sign, and it shapes your nature, your body and the way you meet the world.

The 12 signs and their lords

Every number in a North Indian chart stands for a sign, and every sign has a ruling planet, called its lord. Keep this table handy, because you will use it at every step of learning how to read kundali:

The 12 houses in kundli and what they mean

Each of the 12 houses in kundli looks after a different part of life. In a North Indian chart, the first house is the top middle diamond, and the rest follow in an anticlockwise direction.

Astrologers also group the houses. The 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th are called kendra (pillar houses). The 1st, 5th and 9th are trikona (houses of fortune). The 6th, 8th and 12th are dusthana, the houses linked with struggles. Knowing these groups makes it easier to see how to read kundali as one whole picture.

How to read kundali in 6 simple steps

Now let us put it all together. Here is how to read kundali step by step, using a North Indian chart.

1. Find the lagna: read the number in the top middle diamond and match it to the sign table.
2. Number the houses: start from the top middle diamond as the 1st house and move anticlockwise to the 12th.
3. Note the sign in each house: the number in each box tells you which sign sits in that house.
4. Find the lord of each house: use the sign table to see which planet rules each house.
5. See where the planets sit: a planet’s short form inside a box shows the house and sign it is placed in.
6. Join the meaning: a planet brings its nature to the house it sits in, and the house lord’s position adds more detail.

A simple example

Say your chart shows the number 5 in the top middle diamond. Your lagna is Leo, and its lord is the Sun.

• Count anticlockwise and the 7th house will show 11, which is Aquarius. Its lord is Saturn, so Saturn rules your house of marriage.
• If you see “Ju” in that 7th house, Jupiter sits in Aquarius in your house of marriage. By tradition, Jupiter in the 7th is seen as a helpful placement for married life.
• The 10th house will show 2, which is Taurus, ruled by Venus. So Venus becomes the planet of your career.

This is how to read kundali at a basic level: house, sign, lord, planet. A full reading also looks at the strength of each planet, the aspects between them and the running dasha, which is where an experienced astrologer helps.

How to read kundali for career and marriage

Two of the most common questions are about work and marriage. Here is where astrologers look first:

• Career: the 10th house and its lord, along with the 2nd and 11th houses for income and the 6th house for jobs and competition. The Sun and Saturn are also checked.
• Marriage: the 7th house and its lord, along with Venus. For matching two charts, astrologers use kundli milan, which gives a score out of 36 gunas.

Knowing how to read kundali at this level helps you ask better questions, but timing questions, such as when a job change or marriage may happen, need the dasha periods to be studied as well.

Common mistakes beginners make

Here are the mistakes people often make when they first learn how to read kundali:

• Using a wrong birth time: a small error can shift the lagna and change the whole chart.
• Mixing up rashi and lagna: your rashi is your Moon sign, while the lagna is your rising sign. They are often different.
• Reading one planet alone: no planet is good or bad by itself. Its house, sign, lord and strength all matter.
• Getting scared by one dosha: a single placement rarely decides your whole life. Look at the full chart, or ask an expert.

When to consult an astrologer

Learning how to read kundali on your own is a great start. It helps you understand your chart and ask the right questions. But a full reading weighs dozens of factors together, such as planet strength, aspects, divisional charts and dasha timing.

For important decisions about career, marriage or health, speak to an experienced astrologer. If you are looking for the best astrologer in india for consultation, you can book a one to one session with Astrologer Sachin Pandit. Call 9971230555 or 9315926721.

About the author: Astrologer Sachin Pandit

This guide is written by the Astro Invite team and reviewed by Astrologer Sachin Pandit, a Vedic astrologer with over 30 years of practice in Vedic astrology, Lal Kitab, palmistry and numerology. He shares daily Hindi astrology guidance on the Astro Invite YouTube channel, covering festivals, muhurat, planetary transits and remedies, and offers one to one consultations in Hindi and English.

Disclaimer: this article is based on Vedic astrology and tradition. It is shared for learning and guidance and is not a promise of any result. Astrology is not a substitute for medical, legal or financial advice.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Kundali (astrology)
2. Wikipedia: Bhava (houses in Vedic astrology)
3. Astropatri: Ascendant (Lagna) and its role in your kundli
4. Astropatri: 12 houses in Vedic astrology
5. VedicFeed: The basic meaning of 12 houses in Vedic astrology