Chinese name numerology: the Five Grids calculator
In Taiwan, many people check the Five Grids when they choose or change a name: convert each character to its Kangxi stroke count, combine the counts into five numbers, and look those up in the 81-number table. This method only works on names written in Chinese characters. The calculator below takes the name in characters, looks up the strokes for you and explains the result in English, and it marks the places where different sources disagree.
Five Grids calculator
Enter a Chinese surname and given name in characters (traditional forms). The calculator looks up the Kangxi stroke count of each character and works out the Heaven, Person, Earth, Outer and Total grids and the San Cai elements, explained in English. If a character is missing or you follow another counting school, you can edit the strokes yourself. Everything is calculated in your browser.
Strokes follow the Kangxi Dictionary with radicals restored to their full form (氵 counts 4, 艹 counts 6 …); the numerals one to ten count as their value. Character data derived from the Unicode Unihan database.
Three steps
| Step | What happens | More |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Count strokes | Use Kangxi Dictionary counts with radicals restored (氵 counts 4, 艹 counts 6 …) | Kangxi strokes |
| 2. Build the grids | Heaven, Person, Earth, Outer and Total | How the Five Grids work |
| 3. Read numbers and San Cai | Look up each grid in the 81 numbers; check the elements of Heaven, Person and Earth | The 81 numbers, San Cai |
Worked examples (fictional names)
| Name (strokes) | Heaven | Person | Earth | Outer | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 王小明 (Wang Xiaoming): 王 4, 小 3, 明 8 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 15 |
| 陳雅文 (Chen Yawen): 陳 16, 雅 12, 文 4 | 17 | 28 | 16 | 5 | 32 |
| 歐陽宇 (Ouyang Yu): 歐 15, 陽 17, 宇 6 | 32 | 23 | 7 | 16 | 38 |
| 林一 (Lin Yi): 林 8, 一 1 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
If you don't have a Chinese name
The Five Grids depend entirely on the stroke counts of Chinese characters, so there is no way to apply them to a name spelled in the Latin alphabet, and a transliteration picked only for its strokes would be missing the point. If you are choosing a Chinese name, start with meaning and sound, ideally with help from a native speaker; the strokes can be a final curiosity, not the deciding factor.
Where sources disagree
- Strokes: most schools use Kangxi counts with radicals restored; some count the strokes as written.
- Lucky and unlucky numbers: comparing two common versions, 9 numbers (29, 38, 55, 57, 58, 61, 72, 73, 80) are read differently; see the 81 numbers.
- What matters most: some stress the Person grid, some the Total grid, and some also pick characters by Chinese zodiac sign or by the BaZi Useful God.
Want to pick characters by your BaZi Useful God instead of by stroke numbers? See BaZi baby names →
Three common misconceptions
The Five Grids are an ancient Chinese tradition.
The Five Grids and the 81 numbers were systematized by Kumasaki Kenō in early 20th-century Japan and later became popular in Taiwan.
Change your name and your destiny changes with it.
A BaZi chart is fixed by your birth time, and a new name can't change it. A name can bring a fresh start and new hopes, but it is not a switch for fate.
A name's elements can top up your BaZi chart.
San Cai elements come from stroke-count digits and are unrelated to BaZi elements. To see what your chart needs, look at its Useful God.
Read on
A straight word: the Five Grids are a modern Japanese method, not an ancient one
The popular Five Grids method (Heaven, Person, Earth, Outer and Total grids read against the 81 numbers) was put together by the Japanese author Kumasaki Kenō in the early 20th century and later became common in Taiwan. It is not a classical Chinese tradition, and schools disagree both on how to count strokes and on which numbers are lucky. What makes a name good is its meaning, its sound, how it feels to write, and what it means to you; none of that is measured by strokes. We don't recommend changing a name because of an "unlucky" number. Everything on this site is for reference and entertainment.
Beyond your name, read your BaZi chart
A BaZi chart comes from your birth time and shows the Five Elements and Ten Gods of the whole chart. Enter your birth date for a free Four Pillars chart.
Chinese name numerology FAQ
How are the Five Grids calculated?
Count Kangxi strokes, then build the Heaven grid (surname + 1, or both surname characters), the Person grid (last surname character + first given-name character), the Earth grid (given-name characters added, or + 1), the Outer grid and the Total grid (everything added), and look each up in the 81 numbers.
Can I use this for an English name?
No. The method depends on the stroke counts of Chinese characters, so it only applies to names written in Chinese. Enter the Chinese characters of the name.
Who invented the Five Grids?
They are generally credited to Kumasaki Kenō, who systematized the method in Japan in the early 20th century; it later spread to Taiwan.
Should I change a name with an unlucky number?
We don't recommend changing a name over strokes alone. The 81-number tables don't even agree with each other (two common versions differ on 9 numbers), and the name's meaning and how you feel about it matter more.