Draft. This lesson is being reviewed and may change before publication.
Lesson 5 of 12 · Zones and elements
The sixteen zones
How the eight directions become sixteen zones of 22.5 degrees, each zone's attribute, finding them on a plan, and rooms that span two zones. Lesson 5.
Written by Khushal ThakkarReviewed by Review pendingUpdated October 29, 2026
The sixteen zones split each of the eight directions into two, giving sixteen wedges of 22.5° around the centre of the home, each with the element of its parent direction and a finer attribute. They are the grid every tool on the Vastu hub uses, and the floor-plan tool draws them over your own plan.
The sixteen
| Zone | Bearing | Element | Attribute |
|---|---|---|---|
| N · Uttar | 0° | Water (Jal) | Money and opportunities |
| NNE · Uttar-Ishan | 22.5° | Water (Jal) | Health and immunity |
| NE · Ishan | 45° | Water (Jal) | Clarity and wisdom |
| ENE · Purva-Ishan | 67.5° | Air (Vayu) | Recreation and fun |
| E · Purva | 90° | Air (Vayu) | Social connections |
| ESE · Purva-Agneya | 112.5° | Air (Vayu) | Analysis and churning |
| SE · Agneya | 135° | Fire (Agni) | Fire and cash |
| SSE · Dakshin-Agneya | 157.5° | Fire (Agni) | Power and confidence |
| S · Dakshin | 180° | Fire (Agni) | Fame and relaxation |
| SSW · Dakshin-Nairutya | 202.5° | Earth (Prithvi) | Disposal and release |
| SW · Nairutya | 225° | Earth (Prithvi) | Relationships and stability |
| WSW · Paschim-Nairutya | 247.5° | Earth (Prithvi) | Education and savings |
| W · Paschim | 270° | Space (Akash) | Gains and profits |
| WNW · Paschim-Vayavya | 292.5° | Space (Akash) | Detox and release of worry |
| NW · Vayavya | 315° | Air (Vayu) | Support and movement |
| NNW · Uttar-Vayavya | 337.5° | Water (Jal) | Attraction and intimacy |
The eight classical directions keep their Sanskrit names; the eight in-between zones are named by the two they fall between.
Finding a zone
- Find north and the centre (lesson 2).
- Take the bearing from the centre to the room or object.
- The zone is the wedge the bearing falls in: divide by 22.5°, and the zone's centre is the nearest multiple.
A bearing of 140° is in the south-east zone (centred on 135°, running 123.75° to 146.25°); 150° is in the south-south-east zone. The compass tool shows this live; the floor-plan tool draws all sixteen so you can read the whole home at once.
Reading the attributes
Each zone's attribute is the quality the tradition associates with it: money and opportunities in the north, health in the north-north-east, clarity in the north-east, and so on round the dial. The reading is what practitioners use to say what a zone is "for", and it is the layer the reviewer will look at hardest, which is why the site states the attributes in generic words and flags them.
The practical use is simpler than the symbolism: the zone tells you which element rules the spot and therefore which rooms and objects suit it. The Room placement checker turns that into a verdict.
Rooms across zones
Most rooms span more than one wedge. Read a room by where most of it lies and by where its main activity sits: the stove, the bed, the desk, the front door. A kitchen whose stove is in the south-east but whose sink is in the east is read as a south-east kitchen with an east sink, which is fine. A kitchen that straddles the north-east and east is read as a north-east kitchen if the stove is there.
Worked example
On a plan with north at the top, the kitchen sits in the lower right, the bedroom in the lower left, a small prayer corner in the upper right. Drawn with the floor-plan tool: kitchen in the south-east and south-south-east, bedroom in the south-west and west-south-west, prayer corner in the north-east. All three sit where the tradition puts them.
Calculate yours
Try the calculator this lesson explains.
Choose a photo or image of your floor plan to begin. A phone photo of a printed plan works.