Lucky Corner · Kua number · 1
Kua number 1
Kan (坎) — water · East Group (东四命 Dōng Sì Mìng)
The short answer
Point the head of the crib Southeast. Keep it away from Northeast.
Southeast is this Kua's Sheng Qi (生气) direction — the strongest supportive one. Northeast is Wu Gui (五鬼), the “five ghosts” direction traditionally blamed for babies fighting sleep.
Four directions that support a Kua 1 baby
In order of strength. Use the first one that works with the room you actually have — a practical layout beats a perfect compass reading.
Southeast
#1
Sheng Qi 生气 · Best direction
Strongest auspicious energy. Best choice for the head of the crib, the entry door, and (later) your child's study desk.
East
#2
Tian Yi 天医 · Health direction
Healing energy. Second-best for crib head if Sheng Qi isn't practical. Excellent for the side of the room you change diapers / nurse in.
South
#3
Yan Nian 延年 · Longevity & calm
Stable, harmonious energy. Good for the seating / nursing chair, or anywhere the family spends slow time.
North
#4
Fu Wei 伏位 · Steady direction
Calm everyday energy. A safe fallback when none of the other three work with your room layout.
Four to keep the crib away from
These are not “bad rooms” — they are corners better spent on storage than on sleep.
Southwest
Jue Ming 绝命 · Avoid for sleep
The strongest inauspicious direction. Don't aim the crib head here. If unavoidable, place a wooden screen or soft fabric panel as a buffer.
Northeast
Wu Gui 五鬼 · Restless sleep direction
The 'five ghosts' direction — most associated with babies fighting sleep, crying for no apparent reason, restless nights. Especially avoid for the crib in the first year.
Northwest
Liu Sha 六煞 · Conflict direction
Disruptive interpersonal energy. Not for the crib; ok-ish for storage furniture (closet, dresser).
West
Huo Hai 祸害 · Misfortune direction
Minor inauspicious. Reserve this corner for inert storage rather than where the baby spends active time.
Which babies are Kua 1?
Kua depends on birth year and gender only. One caveat that catches a lot of people: the year turns over at Start of Spring (立春), around February 4 — not January 1. A baby born on 20 January 2032 counts as 2031 for this purpose.
Girls
2023 · 2032
Boys
2018 · 2027
Not sure, or born near the February boundary? Use the calculator — it handles the solar-year adjustment for you. Or see every year and gender in one chart.
East Group — what it shares
Kua 1 sits in the East Group alongside Kua 3, 4 and 9. Everyone in a group draws from the same four auspicious directions, in a different order — which is what makes a shared room workable: if both parents and the baby are in one group, a single crib orientation can suit all three.
Next: the room itself
A direction only helps once it meets a floor plan. The nursery guide covers where the crib goes relative to the door and window, what not to hang above it, and how to read the room as a nine-square grid.