Rashi · Sign 4/12
Cancer कर्क Karka
nurturing · emotion · home · sensitivity
Karka (Cancer) is cardinal water ruled by the Moon — the sign of nurture, emotion and home. Its natives are sensitive, caring and intuitive, fiercely protective of family. Like the crab, they carry a soft heart behind a guarded shell.
| Sanskrit name | Karka कर्क |
|---|---|
| Symbol | The Crab |
| Order | 4th of 12 |
| Zodiac span | 90°–120° sidereal |
| Ruling planet | Moon (Chandra) |
| Element | Water |
| Modality | Movable (Chara) |
| Gender | Female |
| Body part | Chest, breasts and stomach |
| Planet exalted here | Jupiter |
| Planet debilitated here | Mars |
Cancer personality & traits
Strengths: Caring, intuitive, protective, loyal, emotionally deep and devoted to home.
Challenges: Moody, clingy, over-sensitive and prone to withdrawing into a shell.
Ruling planet — Moon
Cancer is ruled by Moon, so the condition of Moon in a chart strongly shapes any Cancer placement — and especially a Cancer ascendant. the mind, the mother, the emotions — the Vedic chart starts here.
A note on sidereal signs
Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac (Lahiri ayanamsa), measured against the fixed stars — not the season-based tropical zodiac of Western astrology. The two differ by about 24°, so your Vedic Sun sign is often the one before your familiar Western sign. See how sidereal positions are calculated.