The basics
What is Kundali matching?
Your Kundali (or Kundli) is your birth chart: where the Moon, the Sun and the planets stood at the moment you were born. Kundali matching puts two of them side by side, the way families have done before a marriage for generations.
The method most families use is Ashtakoota, also called Guna Milan or Gun Milan. It looks at eight things about your two Moons, the kootas, and gives each a few points. Add them up and you get a score out of 36: the 36 gunas.
All eight come from two facts about each person: the Moon’s nakshatra (one of 27 birth stars) and its rashi (one of 12 Moon signs). That’s why you can match with just those two, if your family already has them written down.
The 36 gunas
The eight kootas, one at a time
Each koota looks at one thing and is worth a different number of points. Nadi and Bhakoot carry the most: 15 of the 36 between them.
Varna
1 pointHow you both approach work and life.
An old grouping of Moon signs by outlook on work and life. It’s worth a single point, so it rarely changes the picture.
Vashya
2 pointsWho pulls whom. Healthy give and take.
Groups Moon signs into five types (human, four-legged, water, wild and insect) and asks how they influence each other. A natural pull scores 2, partial 1, none 0.
Tara
3 pointsLuck as a pair.
Counts the birth stars from yours to theirs and back, and checks whether the count lands on a lucky star. Lucky both ways scores 3, one way 1, neither 0.
Yoni
4 pointsChemistry. Yes, that kind.
Each birth star is linked to an animal, 14 in all. The same animal scores 4, friendly animals 3, neutral 2, unfriendly 1, and natural enemies 0.
Graha Maitri
5 pointsDo your minds click?
Each Moon sign is ruled by a planet. Friends score 5, friendly-and-neutral in between, and planets that don’t get along 0 or 1.
Gana
6 pointsYour temper type: angel, human or a little demon.
Deva (gentle), Manushya (balanced) or Rakshasa (fiery). The same Gana scores 6; Deva with Manushya 5; Deva with Rakshasa 1; Manushya with Rakshasa 0.
Bhakoot
7 pointsWill your two families get along?
How far apart your two Moon signs sit. Most distances score the full 7; three awkward pairings (2 and 12, 5 and 9, 6 and 8 signs apart) score 0, called Bhakoot dosha.
Nadi
8 pointsHealth and future kids. The big one.
Every birth star belongs to one of three Nadis: Adi (Aadi), Madhya or Antya. Different Nadis score the full 8; the same Nadi scores 0, called Nadi dosha.
Want the long version? Read our guide to Ashtakoota Milan
Your score
What is a good Kundali matching score?
Traditionally, 18 out of 36 is the minimum. Bhava uses the same four bands everywhere, in the app and on this page:
- Under 18Never in a Bhava Drop
- 18–24Good match
- 25–32Strong match
- 33–36Excellent match
A high total doesn’t settle everything. A 0 on Nadi or Bhakoot is worth a conversation even at 30, and a total in the low 20s with no dosha is a solid start. Look at the eight rows, not just the number.
The long version: How many gunas should match for marriage?
Doshas
Nadi dosha and Bhakoot dosha, without the fear
Nadi and Bhakoot are all or nothing. A 0 on either has a name.
Nadi dosha
You both belong to the same Nadi (Adi, Madhya or Antya). Families weigh it most, because it’s traditionally linked to health and children.
Bhakoot dosha
Your Moon signs sit 2 and 12, 5 and 9, or 6 and 8 signs apart. It’s read as harmony between the two families, and in money matters after marriage.
A dosha is something to talk about, not a verdict. Some traditions cancel a dosha in certain cases; that’s a conversation for your family or your pandit, and Bhava leaves it to them. What Bhava does is tell you, every time, even when the total looks great.
Manglik dosha works differently: it comes from where Mars sits in the full birth chart, and it isn’t part of the 36 points. When you give both birth times and places above, the calculator works it out the way the app does. Read Manglik dosha, explained.
Birth time
What if we don’t know our birth time?
Use the time on the birth certificate, or ask your family. If you only know it roughly, use your best guess. The score comes from the Moon, and the Moon spends about a day in each nakshatra, so a rough time usually gives the same result.
It matters on the days the Moon moved into the next nakshatra. If that happened on your birth date, or your Moon was within a degree of the edge, the calculator says so and shows both results.
No time at all? Tick “We don’t know the time” and we use noon, or pick “We know our nakshatra and rashi” above if your family has them written down. Matching by name alone is a guess (see the questions below).
For parents
Kundali matching for parents checking a rishta
Someone sent a rishta on WhatsApp? Pick “Checking a rishta for my son or daughter” above. Put in your child’s birth details, and whatever the rishta’s profile gives you: birth details, or just a nakshatra and rashi. You get the same score and all eight checks, worded for you, ready to send on.
On Bhava, parents get their own view. Your son or daughter invites you from the app; then you see their matches and scores, check a rishta and leave notes only they see.
North and South
Kundali matching vs South Indian porutham
This calculator, and Bhava, use Ashtakoota, the system most North Indian families know. Many South Indian families use porutham instead: ten checks of its own, counted as matching or not rather than as points out of 36. A few names overlap, like Gana and Yoni, but one doesn’t convert into the other. If your family goes by porutham, ask your pandit for that too.
In the app
How Bhava uses this score
Bhava is a dating and matrimony app where every introduction is already matched. Each evening at 7 your Drop brings up to five people, ranked by Kundali, distance and how active they are. Bhava never puts anyone scoring under 18 of 36 in your Drop, explains all eight checks on every match and always flags a dosha. Your parents can see the scores too, if you invite them.
Questions
Questions about Kundali matching
How many gunas should match for marriage?
Traditionally 18 of 36. Bhava never puts anyone scoring under 18 of 36 in your Drop, and always tells you about a Nadi or Bhakoot dosha, even when the total is high.
Which koota matters most?
Nadi (8 points), then Bhakoot (7). Together they’re 15 of the 36, and each scores all or nothing. A 0 on either is a dosha, which is why Bhava flags it even when the total looks great.
Is Kundali matching necessary for marriage?
That’s your family’s call. Many people use the score the way their family would, as one signal among many, next to photos, values and real conversations. You don’t need to believe in astrology to find it useful.
Can we match Kundali by name only?
Not reliably. Name matching picks a nakshatra from the first sound of the name. That’s only your birth nakshatra if the name was chosen from it, so treat a name match as a guess. A rough birth time, or the nakshatra and rashi from your family, is much better.
What if our score is low?
Look at which checks scored low before deciding anything. Missing Varna or Vashya costs a point or two; a 0 on Nadi or Bhakoot is worth a conversation with family or your pandit. In the app, Bhava doesn’t put pairs under 18 in a Drop, but this calculator shows every score.
Is my birth data saved?
No. Birth details are sent once to work out where the Moon was, the answer comes straight back, and nothing is stored or logged: no names, no dates, no places. Nakshatra-and-rashi matches don’t leave your browser at all.
Does Bhava match Kundali automatically?
Yes. Bhava is dating for marriage with the Kundali check done first: in the app, everyone in your Drop is already scored from both birth charts, with all eight checks explained and any dosha flagged. Your birth details are never shown to anyone.