What Is Guna Milan in Kundli Matching?

When families "match kundlis" before a marriage, the number they usually talk about — "we got 28 out of 36" — comes from Guna Milan, the traditional Ashtakoota compatibility system. Here is what it actually measures.

What Guna Milan is

Guna Milan is a point-based compatibility method that compares the Moon signs and Nakshatras of two people across eight factors (koota), totalling 36 points (gunas). The higher the score, the more compatible the pairing is considered on these traditional measures.

The eight kootas

• Varna (1 point): spiritual compatibility and ego balance.
• Vashya (2 points): mutual attraction and influence.
• Tara (3 points): health and well-being of the couple.
• Yoni (4 points): physical and instinctive compatibility.
• Graha Maitri (5 points): mental and intellectual friendship (via Moon-sign lords).
• Gana (6 points): temperament compatibility.
• Bhakoot (7 points): emotional bond and family welfare.
• Nadi (8 points): health and progeny — the most heavily weighted.

How the score is read

A total is calculated out of 36. Traditionally, a score of 18 or above is considered acceptable, and higher is better. But the raw number is not the whole story — the distribution matters (e.g. Nadi dosha or Bhakoot dosha can be flagged even with a decent total).

Important limitations

Guna Milan is based only on the Moon and Nakshatra. A thorough match also considers the full charts — the 7th houses, Venus, Jupiter, Manglik status of both, and dasha compatibility. A high Guna score with unaddressed chart issues is not a complete green light, and a slightly lower score is not necessarily a red flag.

Match your charts

Learn more in our guide to Kundli matching for marriage, and generate your report to understand your own marriage indicators in depth.