---
title: "Karka Rashi (Cancer) in Vedic Astrology"
url: "https://abhisheksoni.in/learn/rashi/karka"
language: "en"
updated: "2026-10-27"
description: "Karka (Cancer), rashi 4 of 12: Movable water sign of nurture, memory and shelter. Lord Chandra, 90°00' - 120°00'."
---

# Karka Rashi (Cancer)

*Rashi · ♋*

Karka (Cancer, कर्क) is the 4th of the twelve rashis of Vedic astrology and spans 90°00' to 120°00' of the zodiac. Movable water sign of nurture, memory and shelter. Its lord is Chandra, and it holds the nakshatras Punarvasu, Pushya and Ashlesha. Guru is exalted here and Mangala debilitated.

## Classical facts

- **Number:** 4
- **Sanskrit name:** Karka
- **Hindi name:** कर्क
- **English name:** Cancer
- **Glyph:** ♋
- **Lord:** Chandra
- **Element:** Water
- **Quality:** Movable (chara)
- **Gender:** Female
- **Symbol:** Crab
- **Body (Kalapurusha):** chest, heart
- **Degree range:** 90°00' - 120°00'
- **Nakshatras in this sign:** Punarvasu, Pushya, Ashlesha
- **Exalted here:** Guru 5°
- **Debilitated here:** Mangala 28°
- **Reference:** [Cancer (astrology) (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_%28astrology%29)

## Articles about Karka Rashi (Cancer)

- [Jupiter transiting the 8th house, and the inheritance story that gets oversold](/learn/jupiter-transit-through-the-8th-house): Tradition reads Jupiter through the 8th house as demanding, not a windfall. It touches shared money, loans and inheritance, usually as paperwork.
- [Rahu and Ketu in 2026 and 2027, without the fear](/learn/rahu-ketu-transit-2026-2027): Rahu is in Aquarius and Ketu in Leo until about the start of December 2026, then Capricorn and Cancer for eighteen months. What the shadow planets do not mean.
- [Jupiter in the navamsa (D9) chart, read plainly](/learn/jupiter-in-the-navamsa-chart): Jupiter in the navamsa, the ninth-part chart read for marriage, shows how protected and principled a marriage tends to be. A leaning to read, not a verdict.
- [Pushya nakshatra compatibility, and how much the match score really settles](/learn/pushya-nakshatra-compatibility): Pushya scores highest with Hasta and Uttara Phalguni and lowest with Dhanishta, and here is why that score is only a first screen and not a verdict.
- [Ketu transits Ashlesha from December 2026, and what that period is about](/learn/ketu-transit-ashlesha-nakshatra): Ketu enters Ashlesha on 5 December 2026 and leaves on 14 August 2027. Here is who it touches, what tradition says about it, and what is worth doing.
- [Jupiter's 2026 transit, from Gemini into exalted Cancer and on to Leo](/learn/jupiter-transit-2026): Jupiter enters Cancer, its sign of exaltation, on 2 June 2026 and moves to Leo on 31 October. The real dates, and what they mean from each moon sign.
- [Jupiter in Gemini, and what it means for a marriage year](/learn/jupiter-in-gemini-and-marriage): Jupiter crossed Gemini from mid 2025 to June 2026, then moved into Cancer. What tradition holds about Jupiter and marriage, and what it does not settle.
- [Jupiter in Cancer, 2026 and 2027, and what it means for marriage](/learn/jupiter-in-cancer-2026-and-marriage): Jupiter is in Cancer from June 2026 into mid 2027. What that transit can honestly say about marriage, and what it cannot.
- [Ashlesha nakshatra in the kundli, with Ketu there and with the 7th lord there](/learn/ashlesha-nakshatra-ketu-and-seventh-lord): Ashlesha is the coiled serpent at the end of Cancer. Here is what tradition holds when Ketu sits there, and when the ruler of your 7th house does.
- [The planet transits of 2026, with the actual dates](/learn/2026-planet-transits): Jupiter enters Cancer on 2 June 2026 and Leo on 31 October. Saturn stays in Pisces all year. Rahu changes sign on 5 December. The dates, and what they mean.
- [Cancer horoscope tomorrow: read from the panchang](/learn/cancer-horoscope-tomorrow): What actually changes for Cancer rashi between today and tomorrow is the Moon's position. Here is how to read it from the panchang instead of guessing.