The Lo Shu grid explained

The Lo Shu grid is a 3×3 square with a fixed cell for each number from 1 to 9, on which the digits of a date of birth are placed so you can see at a glance which numbers a person has, how many times, and which are missing.

Chinese tradition tells of the pattern being seen on the shell of a turtle that rose from the river Lo, which gives the square its name. The same square sits behind feng shui and the Kua number, and Indian numerology uses it as a picture of the date of birth. Where the Moolank and Bhagyank each give one number, the grid shows the whole spread.

The layout

4	9	2
3	5	7
8	1	6

Every row, column and diagonal sums to 15. The positions never change; only which cells are filled. In feng shui the square is also laid on the compass with 9 at the south and 1 at the north, which is why it is drawn with 9 at the top. Numerology reads it differently: each row, column and diagonal is a "plane" with its own meaning, covered in lesson 12.

Which numbers go on the grid?

1. Every non-zero digit of the date of birth, written DD MM YYYY.
2. The Moolank.
3. The Bhagyank.
4. The Kua number (lesson 13), which is why the calculator asks for gender.

Items 2 to 4 are a common Indian addition. This site places all three by default, and each is a separate switch in its configuration. The calculator places the numbers in that order, and its "How it was calculated" line lists them in the same order, so you can check every placement. The Kua follows the solar-year rule: a birth before 4 February counts as the previous year. A Kua is never 5 (a raw 5 becomes 2 for a man and 8 for a woman), so the Kua itself never fills the centre cell.

Worked example, by hand

Born 14 August 1990, male.

• Date digits: 1, 4, 0, 8, 1, 9, 9, 0. Drop the zeros: 1, 4, 8, 1, 9, 9.
• Moolank: 1 + 4 = 5.
• Bhagyank: 1 + 4 + 0 + 8 + 1 + 9 + 9 + 0 = 32 → 5.
• Kua: the birthday is after 4 February, so the year is 1990. 1 + 9 + 9 + 0 = 19 → 10 → 1. For a man, 11 − 1 = 10 → 1.

The calculation line reads 1, 4, 8, 1, 9, 9, 5, 5, 1. Place them: 1 three times, 9 twice, 5 twice, 4 once, 8 once. Cells 2, 3, 6 and 7 stay empty.

4	9 9	·
·	5 5	·
8	1 1 1	·

Notice what the additions did. From the date alone this grid has no 5 at all; the centre cell is filled only by the Moolank and Bhagyank. The third 1 comes from the Kua.

Second worked example

Born 23 January 2002, female.

• Date digits: 2, 3, 0, 1, 2, 0, 0, 2. Drop the zeros: 2, 3, 1, 2, 2.
• Moolank: 2 + 3 = 5.
• Bhagyank: 2 + 3 + 0 + 1 + 2 + 0 + 0 + 2 = 10 → 1.
• Kua: 23 January is before 4 February, so use 2001. 2 + 0 + 0 + 1 = 3. For a woman, 4 + 3 = 7.

The calculation line reads 2, 3, 1, 2, 2, 5, 1, 7: 2 three times, 1 twice, and 3, 5 and 7 once each. Missing: 4, 6, 8 and 9.

·	·	2 2 2
3	5	7
·	1 1	·

The middle row, 3-5-7, is complete, so the card's headline names the emotional plane. Two of its three cells come from the additions: the 5 from the Moolank and the 7 from the Kua. Had the calendar year 2002 been used, the Kua would be 4 + 4 = 8, the 7 would be missing and the 8 would be filled instead. The year boundary changes the reading, not only the Kua.

Reading the filled grid

• Present numbers are qualities available by birth. Each number's full profile has its own page, from 1 to 9.
• Repeated numbers are emphasised, sometimes to excess: three 1s is a strong, possibly stubborn, sense of self; three 2s is deep sensitivity that can tip into taking things to heart.
• Missing numbers are qualities to learn rather than rely on. In the first example they are 2 (sensitivity), 3 (expression), 6 (harmony) and 7 (analysis).

The card lists missing and repeated numbers as facts, shows the Moolank, Bhagyank and Kua it placed, and names where the numbers came from.

Where do schools disagree?

• Date only, or date plus additions. Some practitioners place only the digits of the date. Many Indian numerologists add the Moolank and Bhagyank, and some the Kua. This site adds all three by default because it is the common Indian practice; each can be switched off.
• Other additions. Some also place the name number, or the current year's digits for a yearly view. This site does neither.
• The Kua year. Most Kua methods use the solar year starting on 4 February. A few use the calendar year, which changes the Kua for January and early February births.

Common mistakes

• Counting zeros. 0 has no cell. A date full of zeros simply places fewer numbers.
• Using a two-digit year. Writing 90 for 1990 loses the 1 and one 9.
• Forgetting the year boundary for a birth in January or early February, as the second example shows.
• Mixing methods. A grid built from the date alone and one with additions are both legitimate, but compare like with like.

Calculate yours

Try the calculator this lesson explains.

Date of birth

Day

Month

Year

For example 14 08 1990 · Remembered on this device only, never sent anywhere.

Gender (the Kua formula needs it)

MaleFemale

Calculate