Guide · At home
Front Door Feng Shui by Kua Number
Updated
Feng shui calls the main door the "mouth of qi" (氣口), the place where energy, people and opportunities enter a home. Its direction is one of the first things a practitioner checks. Here is how to see whether yours suits you, and what to do if it doesn't, which is the more common situation.
On this page 5 sections
How to measure your door direction
Teachers disagree on this more than on anything else in Eight Mansions, so it is worth being clear about the method:
- Facing direction (most common): stand just inside the main door and look straight out. The compass direction you are facing is the door's facing direction. This is the reference we use on this site, including in our HDB flat guide.
- Entering direction: some teachers instead use the direction you face as you walk in. It is exactly the opposite. If you follow a teacher who uses this method, flip the result.
Hold a phone compass flat at chest height, a step back from the door. Metal gates, door frames and lift lobbies can pull the reading badly, so take it two or three times and average them. Each direction spans 45 degrees.
Good and bad door directions for every Kua Number
All four good directions are favourable for a door. Sheng Qi (生氣) is traditionally the best, followed by Tian Yi (天醫), Yan Nian (延年) and Fu Wei (伏位). Of the four unfavourable directions, Jue Ming (絕命) is the one to worry about; Huo Hai (禍害) is the mildest. Don't know your number? Use the calculator.
| Kua | Group | Best (Sheng Qi) | Also good | Unfavourable | Worst (Jue Ming) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kua 1 | East | Southeast | East, South, North | West, Northeast, Northwest | Southwest |
| Kua 2 | West | Northeast | West, Northwest, Southwest | East, Southeast, South | North |
| Kua 3 | East | South | North, Southeast, East | Southwest, Northwest, Northeast | West |
| Kua 4 | East | North | South, East, Southeast | Northwest, Southwest, West | Northeast |
| Kua 6 | West | West | Northeast, Southwest, Northwest | Southeast, East, North | South |
| Kua 7 | West | Northwest | Southwest, Northeast, West | North, South, Southeast | East |
| Kua 8 | West | Southwest | Northwest, West, Northeast | South, North, East | Southeast |
| Kua 9 | East | East | Southeast, North, South | Northeast, West, Southwest | Northwest |
The short version: East group Kua Numbers (1, 3, 4, 9) suit doors facing North, South, East or Southeast. West group Kua Numbers (2, 6, 7, 8) suit doors facing West, Northwest, Southwest or Northeast.
Whose Kua counts when you live with family
A home has one front door and several people. Traditionally the door is judged against the Kua of the main breadwinner or head of the household. In practice, many families now look at whoever spends the most time at home, or simply note who the door suits and give everyone else their good directions indoors.
If the household is split between East and West groups, the door will suit some people and not others. That is normal. Use the bed, desk and dining seat to look after the people the door doesn't suit; see bedroom feng shui by Kua and desk feng shui by Kua.
The entrance matters as much as the direction
A well-kept entrance facing a so-so direction is better than a neglected one facing a perfect direction. These apply to everyone, whatever their Kua:
- Bright and clean. Fix a dim corridor light, replace a worn mat, and keep the door and gate free of dust and peeling paint.
- Clear of clutter. Shoes, bags, prams and parcels piled at the door are read as blocking what comes in. A closed shoe cabinet helps more than any ornament.
- Opens fully. A door that catches on a mat or hits furniture is traditionally read as obstacles in life. Fix the hinge or move the obstruction.
- A welcoming first view. What you see first as you step in sets the tone: a pleasant picture, a plant or a tidy console is better than a toilet door or a pile of laundry.
Common front door problems
Door faces a bad direction for you
You almost never get to choose this, especially in an apartment block. Keep the entrance in good order, avoid lingering in the doorway, and put your effort into the directions you can change indoors.
Door in line with a window or back door
When you can see straight through the home and out the other side, qi is said to rush through without settling. A shoe cabinet, screen, rug, low shelf or plant partway along the line slows it down.
Door facing a staircase, lift or another door
These are common in apartment corridors. Keep your side calm and tidy. Avoid hanging a bagua mirror that points at a neighbour's door; it is widely considered aggressive, and good relations next door matter more.
Door opening onto a wall
If the door opens straight onto a wall close by, the entrance feels cramped. A mirror on the side wall (not directly facing the door), a bright light or an open-landscape picture makes the space feel larger.
Kua directions come from the Eight Mansions school; other schools, such as Flying Stars, judge the door differently and change over time. Treat this as a gentle guide, not a reason to move house.
Short on time? Watch the 20-second reel.