Signs
The 12 Zodiac Signs in Vedic Astrology
The Rashis are the twelve 30-degree divisions of the zodiac used in a Vedic birth chart. Here are their Sanskrit names and common traditional groupings.
Rashi names and Western equivalents
The sequence is Mesha (Aries), Vrishabha (Taurus), Mithuna (Gemini), Karka (Cancer), Simha (Leo), Kanya (Virgo), Tula (Libra), Vrischika (Scorpio), Dhanu (Sagittarius), Makara (Capricorn), Kumbha (Aquarius), and Meena (Pisces). Jyotish typically uses a sidereal zodiac, so sign positions may differ from tropical Western astrology.
A person's Moon sign is often called their Janma Rashi. It is one chart factor, not a complete description of personality or destiny; astrologers read it alongside the ascendant, planets, houses, and other details.
Elements and modalities
Traditional element groups are fire (Mesha, Simha, Dhanu), earth (Vrishabha, Kanya, Makara), air (Mithuna, Tula, Kumbha), and water (Karka, Vrischika, Meena). Another grouping describes signs as movable, fixed, or dual. These are interpretive categories within astrology, not scientific measurements.
To understand a Rashi in a chart, first ask which planet or point is in it and which house it occupies. The same sign can be interpreted differently depending on the full chart and the astrological tradition being followed.
Read: What is Rashi?