Vastu Compass

Free online 16-zone direction finder — point your phone to read any direction, its Vastu zone and your house facing.

0° N

North zone · Uttara

Tap Start, then point the top of your phone

Hold the phone flat, away from metal, magnets and appliances, and tap Lock to keep a reading. Jumpy? Move the phone in a figure-8 to calibrate. How to use ↓

Current zone

North (N) · 348.75°–11.25°

Vastu name: Uttara (उत्तर)
Element: Water (Jal)
Deity: Kubera
Governs: Wealth and career — money flow and new opportunities
Ideal for: Main entrance, living room, study, cash locker, open space
Avoid: Toilet, kitchen, heavy storage, staircase

In India magnetic north is within about 1.5° of true north (up to 3° in the far north), so no correction is needed.

Open on your phone

Computers have no compass sensor. Scan this with your phone camera to use the live compass at your main door.

How to use a Vastu compass

A Vastu compass is an ordinary compass with the 16 Vastu zones marked on it. This online Vastu compass uses the compass sensor in your phone, so there is nothing to install. Tap Start Compass, allow motion access, and hold the phone flat in front of you. The blue pointer at the top marks where the top of your phone points; the dial turns so that its N always faces real north. The large number is the exact direction in degrees, and the card shows what that zone governs and what belongs there.

Calibrate first. Move the phone in a slow figure-8 a few times. Do it again if the reading says Low accuracy.
Hold it flat, screen facing up, at waist height. A tilted phone gives a wrong reading.
Keep away from metal — steel doors and grills, fridges, speakers, inverters, magnetic phone cases and parked cars.
Take two or three readings a step apart. If they agree within a few degrees, lock one in.

To find the zone of a room, stand at the centre of your home (the Brahmasthan) and point the phone at the room. The zone shown is where that room sits in the Vastu grid.

How to find your house facing direction

Your house facing direction is the direction you face as you walk out of the main door. It is not the direction the door faces when you look at it from the road — that is the opposite. Switch the compass to Find my house facing, stand just inside the main door looking out, hold the phone flat with its top edge pointing straight out through the door, and tap Lock.

The result gives one of the 8 directions with the exact degrees — for example “Your house is South-West facing (218°)”. That is the number the floor-plan check asks for. Your main door's pada is a separate question: it depends on where the door sits along the front wall, so the floor-plan check works it out from your plan. Read the guide for your direction: North, North-East, East, South-East, South, South-West, West, North-West or the house-facing Vastu guide.

For a flat, use the main door of the flat, not the building gate. If the reading sits within a few degrees of the line between two directions, the compass warns you — take a few more readings before you decide.

The 16 Vastu zones explained

Vastu divides the home into 16 zones of 22.5° each around the centre. The four cardinal and four corner zones carry the main elements; the eight zones between them blend their neighbours. North sits on 0° and covers 348.75° to 11.25°.

Zone	Vastu name	Degrees	Element	Governs	Best for
N · North	Uttara (उत्तर)	348.75°–11.25°	Water (Jal)	Wealth and career — money flow and new opportunities	Main entrance, living room, study, cash locker, open space
NNE · North-North-East	Between Uttara and Ishanya	11.25°–33.75°	Water (Jal)	Health and immunity	Living room, drinking water, medicines, open and light space
NE · North-East	Ishanya (ईशान्य)	33.75°–56.25°	Water (Jal)	Wisdom and spirituality — clarity of mind	Pooja room, meditation, underground water tank, open and light space
ENE · East-North-East	Between Ishanya and Purva	56.25°–78.75°	Between Water and Air	Recreation, fun and refreshment	Family lounge, living room, light seating
E · East	Purva (पूर्व)	78.75°–101.25°	Air (Vayu)	Health and vitality — morning energy and new beginnings	Main entrance, living room, study, large windows
ESE · East-South-East	Between Purva and Agneya	101.25°–123.75°	Between Air and Fire	Churning and analysis — linked to anxiety when misused	Toilet or washing area (traditionally acceptable here)
SE · South-East	Agneya (आग्नेय)	123.75°–146.25°	Fire (Agni)	Energy and transformation — fire, vitality and cash flow	Kitchen, electrical panel, inverter, generator
SSE · South-South-East	Between Agneya and Dakshina	146.25°–168.75°	Fire (Agni)	Power, confidence and strength	Kitchen, bedroom, storage
S · South	Dakshina (दक्षिण)	168.75°–191.25°	Fire (Agni)	Rest and discipline — restful sleep and willpower	Bedrooms, storage, staircase, heavy furniture
SSW · South-South-West	Between Dakshina and Nairutya	191.25°–213.75°	Between Fire and Earth	Disposal and letting go of what is not needed	Toilet, store room, dustbins
SW · South-West	Nairutya (नैऋत्य)	213.75°–236.25°	Earth (Prithvi)	Stability and strength — grounding and preserving wealth	Master bedroom, heavy storage, overhead water tank
WSW · West-South-West	Between Nairutya and Paschima	236.25°–258.75°	Between Earth and Water	Education, knowledge retention and savings	Study, children's bedroom, library
W · West	Paschima (पश्चिम)	258.75°–281.25°	Water (Jal)	Water and nourishment — family meals and sustenance	Children's bedroom, dining room, overhead water tank
WNW · West-North-West	Between Paschima and Vayavya	281.25°–303.75°	Between Water and Air	Releasing sorrow and detox	Toilet, laundry, store room
NW · North-West	Vayavya (वायव्य)	303.75°–326.25°	Air (Vayu)	Movement and change — support and help from others	Guest bedroom, food storage, garage, car parking
NNW · North-North-West	Between Vayavya and Uttara	326.25°–348.75°	Between Air and Water	Attraction and support from others	Living room, guest seating

See how each zone's element matches your rooms with the five elements zone calculator.

Common mistakes with a Vastu compass

Reading from outside, looking in. That gives the opposite of your facing direction. Always stand inside and look out.
Standing next to metal. A steel door frame, safety grill or a car in the porch can swing the needle by 10–30°. Step away and compare.
Trusting a single reading. Each zone is only 22.5° wide. Take two or three readings and use the one they agree on.
Tilting the phone. Phone compasses are only reliable when held flat.
Mixing magnetic and true north outside India. In the USA, Canada or Australia the gap can push a reading into the next zone. This compass corrects for it.
Using the plot gate instead of the main door. House facing is taken at the main entrance of the home.

Phone compass vs a physical Vastu compass

A good physical compass is steady, needs no battery or calibration, and is what most consultants carry for a full site survey. A phone compass is a magnetometer chip: it is quick, always in your pocket and shows the 16 zones and degrees for you, but it needs calibrating and is more easily thrown off by nearby metal and electronics. Held flat and away from interference, a calibrated phone is usually within a few degrees — enough to find your house facing and the zone of each room.

Both read magnetic north. Vastu directions come from the sun's path, so they follow true north. In India the two are within about 1.5° in most places, so the difference does not matter. Elsewhere it can be 10–20°: this compass works out the correction on your phone with the World Magnetic Model, and never sends your location anywhere.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Vastu Compass

How do I use a Vastu compass on my phone?

Open the Vastu compass on your phone, tap Start Compass and allow motion access. Hold the phone flat, away from metal, and turn until the top of the phone points the way you want to check. The large reading shows the exact degrees and the Vastu zone, and the card below explains that zone. Tap Lock to freeze the reading and share it.

How do I find my house facing direction as per Vastu?

Stand inside your main door, looking out of the house. Hold the phone flat with its top edge pointing straight out through the door, then lock the reading. The direction you face when you walk out of the main door is your house facing direction — for example, if you face south-west, it is a south-west facing house.

Should a Vastu compass use magnetic north or true north?

Vastu directions follow the sun, so true north is the reference. In India the two are within about 1.5° in most places (up to about 3° in the far north), so a magnetic compass reading can be used as it is. In other countries the gap can be 10–20°, so this compass corrects to true north using your location, calculated on your phone with the World Magnetic Model.

How accurate is an online Vastu compass?

A phone compass is usually accurate to within a few degrees outdoors, but steel, wiring, appliances and cars nearby can push it off by 10° or more indoors. Each of the 16 Vastu zones is 22.5° wide, so take two or three readings at different spots, keep the phone away from metal, and calibrate it by moving it in a figure-8 if the reading jumps around.

What are the 16 zones in Vastu?

Vastu divides a home into 16 zones of 22.5° each around the centre: North, North-North-East, North-East, East-North-East, East, East-South-East, South-East, South-South-East, South, South-South-West, South-West, West-South-West, West, West-North-West, North-West and North-North-West. Each zone has its own element, deity and purpose — for example the north-east for pooja and the south-east for the kitchen.

Is a phone compass as good as a physical Vastu compass?

For finding your house facing direction and the zone of a room, a calibrated phone compass is good enough when you take a few readings away from metal. A good physical compass is steadier and needs no calibration, and is still preferred by consultants for a full site survey. Both read magnetic north, so outside India both need correcting to true north.

Get your full house plan checked

Knowing your directions is the first step. Upload your floor plan for your Vastuscore™ and verdict — your first 2 checks are free. The full report adds every room's zone and what to fix first.

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