Rashi Guide
Karka Rashi (Cancer) in Vedic Astrology
Karka (Cancer) is one of the twelve rashis (moon signs) of Vedic astrology. It is ruled by Moon, belongs to the Water element and is a Chara (movable) sign. People with the Moon in Karka tend to be nurturing, sensitive and protective. Below is a practical guide to the sign's nature across life areas — remembering that your full chart, not the moon sign alone, gives the complete picture.
Not sure this is your rashi? The free moon sign calculator finds it from your birth date, time and place.
Karka Rashi at a glance
| Karka (Kark, Cancer) | |
|---|---|
| Position | Fourth sign, 90° to 120° of the sidereal (Lahiri) zodiac |
| Lord | Chandra (Moon) |
| Element and quality | Water (Jala); movable (Chara) |
| Symbol | A crab |
| Nakshatras | Punarvasu pada 4, Pushya (all four), Ashlesha (all four) |
| Name letters (Avakahada) | Hi (Punarvasu); Hu, He, Ho, Da (Pushya); Di, Du, De, Do (Ashlesha) |
| Sun in Karka | 16 July to 17 August 2026 |
These are sidereal (Vedic) values; spellings of the name letters vary slightly between panchangs. The Western sign "Cancer" is tropical and runs about 24 days earlier, so a Vedic Karka Moon is often a different Western sun sign.
Karka Rashi in 2026 and 2027: the slow planets
For a Karka Moon sign the year is read mainly from Jupiter, Saturn and Rahu, counted from Karka. Dates are sidereal ingresses computed with the Swiss Ephemeris.
| Planet | Where, counted from Karka | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Jupiter | 12th house (Mithuna): expenses, distance, retreat | 5 Dec 2025 to 2 Jun 2026 |
| Jupiter | 1st house (Karka): self and body | 2 Jun 2026 to 31 Oct 2026 |
| Jupiter | 2nd house (Simha): family, savings, speech | 31 Oct 2026 to 25 Jan 2027 |
| Jupiter | 1st house (Karka): self and body | 25 Jan 2027 to 26 Jun 2027 |
| Jupiter | 2nd house (Simha): family, savings, speech | 26 Jun 2027 to 26 Nov 2027 |
| Jupiter | 3rd house (Kanya): effort, siblings, short journeys | 26 Nov 2027 to beyond 2027 |
| Saturn | 9th house (Meena): fortune, teachers, long journeys | 29 Mar 2025 to 3 Jun 2027 |
| Saturn | 10th house (Mesha): career and duty | 3 Jun 2027 to 20 Oct 2027 |
| Saturn | 9th house (Meena): fortune, teachers, long journeys | 20 Oct 2027 to beyond 2027 |
| Rahu | 8th house (Kumbha): the hidden and the sudden | 18 May 2025 to 5 Dec 2026 |
| Rahu | 7th house (Makara): marriage and partners | 5 Dec 2026 to beyond 2027 |
Sade Sati and dhaiya: Karka is not in Sade Sati or Saturn's dhaiya at any point in 2026 or 2027. What any transit means for one person depends on the whole birth chart and the running dasha, which a Moon-sign reading cannot show.
Core nature & strengths
The defining strengths of Karka are emotional intelligence, care and strong intuition. At its best the sign brings these qualities steadily and constructively. The main thing to watch is moodiness and holding on to hurts — awareness of this tendency is usually enough to balance it.
Career & work
Karka natives often do well in care-giving, hospitality, real estate, food and family-run enterprise. The ruling planet Moon colours how these strengths show up at work, and the current dasha and transits shape when opportunities open.
Love & relationships
In relationships, Karka is warm and devoted, building a home and needing emotional security. Compatibility depends on the whole chart — the 7th house, Venus and the Moon together — rather than the sign alone, but the moon sign sets the emotional tone a partner will notice first.
Health & wellbeing
For Karka, stomach, chest and emotional balance benefit from steady routine and calm surroundings. This is general guidance from the sign's classical associations, not medical advice; astrology complements rather than replaces professional care.
Karka Rashi lucky number, colour, day and gemstone
The traditional associations for Karka (Cancer) as the Moon sign follow its lord the Moon: lucky number 2; lucky day Monday; colours white, silver and cream; gemstone pearl (moti). A gemstone is worn only after the full chart has been checked, never on the Moon sign alone.
To find the stones that suit your whole chart, not just the Moon sign, use the gemstone calculator.
Karka as your lagna (ascendant)
With Karka (Cancer) rising, Moon is the lagna lord. Its strength, sign and house colour your health, temperament and the general direction of life, so Moon is the first planet to read in a Karka lagna chart. Karka is a movable water sign.
The lords of the 5th and 9th houses, the trines, are the most supportive planets for any lagna. For Karka lagna they are Mars (5th lord) and Jupiter (9th lord). Mars is the yogakaraka for Karka lagna: it rules both a kendra and a trikona, so a strong, well-placed Mars is the single most rewarding planet in the chart.
Traditionally the lagna lord's gemstone, pearl for Moon, is considered for this lagna, but only after the whole chart has been checked, because the same stone can strengthen an afflicted house too. Not sure of your lagna? The lagna calculator finds it from your birth date, time and place.
Frequently asked questions
Which nakshatras fall in Karka rashi?
Punarvasu pada 4, Pushya (all four), Ashlesha (all four).
What are the name letters for Kark rashi?
Hi (Punarvasu); Hu, He, Ho, Da (Pushya); Di, Du, De, Do (Ashlesha), by the Avakahada chakra.
Is Kark rashi in Sade Sati or Shani dhaiya in 2026?
No. Karka is not in Sade Sati or Saturn's dhaiya in 2026 or 2027.
Know your exact rashi
To confirm your moon sign and read how Moon and your dasha shape your life, you need your birth date, time and place. Try the free kundli tool to find your rashi, read the guide to all 12 rashis, or book a personal reading with Dr. R.P. Sharma — in Faridabad or online across India and abroad, flat fee ₹5,100.
For a reading of your whole chart — lagna, dashas and transits together — see a personal consultation with Dr. R.P. Sharma.