In many Nepali families, a few days after a baby is born, the astrologer is asked one question: “Which letter should the name start with?” The answer — the namakshar — comes straight from the sky at the moment of birth. It is why siblings born in different months often have names beginning with very different sounds, and why your name can tell an astrologer your rashi.
Where the syllable comes from
The Moon’s path is divided into 27 nakshatras (birth stars). Each nakshatra has 4 padas (quarters), giving 108 parts in all. Tradition assigns one syllable to each pada: Ashwini’s four padas are चु, चे, चो and ला, Bharani’s are ली, लु, ले and लो, and so on.
When a child is born, the astrologer finds the nakshatra and pada of the Moon and gives the family that syllable. In Nepal the name is usually announced at Nwaran, the naming ceremony held on the eleventh day after birth in many families. The name chosen for everyday use may be different, but the namakshar is often kept as the child’s “astrological” name.
Because every nine padas make one rashi, the first syllable of a name points back to the rashi of the Moon.
The namakshar table
| Rashi | Syllables |
|---|---|
| Mesh (Aries) | चु चे चो ला ली लु ले लो अ (Chu, Che, Cho, La, Li, Lu, Le, Lo, A) |
| Brish (Taurus) | इ उ ए ओ वा वी वु वे वो (I, U, E, O, Va, Vi, Vu, Ve, Vo) |
| Mithun (Gemini) | का की कु घ ङ छ के को हा (Ka, Ki, Ku, Gha, Nga, Chha, Ke, Ko, Ha) |
| Karkat (Cancer) | ही हु हे हो डा डी डु डे डो (Hi, Hu, He, Ho, Da, Di, Du, De, Do) |
| Singha (Leo) | मा मी मु मे मो टा टी टु टे (Ma, Mi, Mu, Me, Mo, Ta, Ti, Tu, Te) |
| Kanya (Virgo) | टो पा पी पु ष ण ठ पे पो (To, Pa, Pi, Pu, Sha, Na, Tha, Pe, Po) |
| Tula (Libra) | रा री रु रे रो ता ती तु ते (Ra, Ri, Ru, Re, Ro, Ta, Ti, Tu, Te) |
| Brischik (Scorpio) | तो ना नी नु ने नो या यी यु (To, Na, Ni, Nu, Ne, No, Ya, Yi, Yu) |
| Dhanu (Sagittarius) | ये यो भा भी भु धा फा ढा भे (Ye, Yo, Bha, Bhi, Bhu, Dha, Pha, Dha, Bhe) |
| Makar (Capricorn) | भो जा जी खी खु खे खो गा गी (Bho, Ja, Ji, Khi, Khu, Khe, Kho, Ga, Gi) |
| Kumbha (Aquarius) | गु गे गो सा सी सु से सो दा (Gu, Ge, Go, Sa, Si, Su, Se, So, Da) |
| Meen (Pisces) | दी दु थ झ ञ दे दो चा ची (Di, Du, Tha, Jha, Nya, De, Do, Cha, Chi) |
For Shravana nakshatra (in Makar), some traditions use जु, जे, जो and ख instead of खी, खु, खे and खो. Both lead to Makar rashi.
Why English spelling can mislead
Devanagari has sounds that English writes the same way. “Ta” can be ट (Singha) or त (Tula); “Da” can be ड (Karkat) or द (Kumbha); “Tha” can be ठ (Kanya) or थ (Meen). So Tara (तारा) belongs to Tula, while a name starting with टा belongs to Singha. Always check how your name is written in Devanagari.
Name rashi or birth rashi?
This question comes up all the time. My answer:
- If you know your birth details, use your birth Moon sign (Chandra rashi) for Rashifal, Sade Sati and matching. It comes from the actual sky at your birth.
- If you do not know your birth time, the name rashi is the traditional alternative — many families use it for daily Rashifal and even for matching.
- If your everyday name does not follow the namakshar (very common today), only the birth chart can give your true rashi.
Choosing a name for a baby
For a newborn, the astrologer will give you the namakshar from the exact birth time. A few practical tips:
- Ask for the nakshatra and pada, not just the letter, so you know where it comes from.
- Many families use the exact syllable; others keep only its first sound and choose freely after that.
- Pick a name that is easy to say and spell in all the languages your child will live in.
Find your rashi
Type your name in English or Devanagari into the rashi from name tool to see your rashi, nakshatra and pada. For your exact birth rashi and your own namakshar, make your free Kundli — it shows the naming syllable for your Moon’s pada.
Planning a naming ceremony or choosing a name for your baby? Book a reading and I will give you the namakshar, a good muhurat for Nwaran and a few suitable names.