Mercury Sign Calculator: Find Your Budha Rashi
Your Mercury sign is the zodiac sign Mercury occupied at your birth, calculated in the Vedic sidereal zodiac. The calculator gives Mercury’s sign, degree, nakshatra, pada and whether it was retrograde. Mercury stays close to the Sun, so it is always in the same sign as the Sun or one sign either side.
By Dr. Mekhala V Jois · Last updated: 2 November 2026
Mercury Sign Calculator Calculator
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What does the Mercury sign calculator show?
The calculator shows your Mercury sign, its degree, its nakshatra and pada and whether Mercury was retrograde at birth. With your birth time it also shows which house Mercury occupies. A table lists the other eight grahas for context.
Mercury is Budha in Sanskrit. Because it never strays more than about 28 degrees from the Sun, it sits in the Sun’s sign or in a neighbouring one. That is why the calculator asks for the date and place first, and only needs the time if Mercury changed sign on your birth day.
How this mercury sign calculator checks retrograde motion
After finding Mercury’s sidereal longitude at your birth moment, the calculator measures it again one hour later. If the longitude has decreased, Mercury was retrograde. It happens three or four times a year and lasts about three weeks each time.
Retrograde Mercury has its own reading in Jyotisha, known as Vakri Budha. Rather than treating it as a flaw, classical texts describe the retrograde planet as strong in a particular way. How that plays out for you is a question for the full chart.
Mercury at a glance
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Own signs | Mithuna (Gemini) and Kanya (Virgo) |
| Exalted | Kanya (Virgo), strongest at 15 degrees |
| Debilitated | Meena (Pisces), weakest at 15 degrees |
| Time in each sign | About 3 to 4 weeks, longer around retrograde |
| Retrograde | 3 to 4 times a year, about 3 weeks each |
| Nakshatras ruled | Ashlesha, Jyeshtha, Revati |
How is Mercury read in a Vedic chart?
Mercury is the natural significator of intellect, speech, learning and trade. Its sign shows the style of thinking, and its house shows where communication and skill are used most.
Its condition also depends on company. A Mercury close to the Sun is called combust in Jyotisha and is read differently from one standing clear of it. The calculator gives you the sign and degree so a reader can check this.
Where to go next
Mercury Sign Calculator: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Mercury sign calculator?
A Mercury sign calculator finds the sign Mercury occupied at your birth in the Vedic sidereal zodiac. It gives the degree, nakshatra, pada, retrograde status and, with the birth time, the house.
How do I find my Mercury sign by date of birth?
Enter your date, time and birth city above. Mercury changes sign every few weeks, so the date usually decides the sign, and the calculator tells you if it changed sign that day.
What is Budha in Vedic astrology?
Budha is the Sanskrit name for Mercury. It is the natural significator of intelligence, speech, learning and commerce.
Can Mercury be in a different sign from the Sun?
Yes, but only the next sign on either side. Mercury never goes more than about 28 degrees from the Sun, which limits it to the Sun’s sign or the one before or after.
Was I born during Mercury retrograde?
The result table says whether Mercury was retrograde at your birth moment. In Jyotisha this is called Vakri Budha and is read as a feature of the chart rather than a fault.
Why does my Vedic Mercury sign differ from my Western one?
Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac, about 24 degrees behind the Western tropical zodiac. Mercury therefore falls in the earlier sign for most birth dates.
Read this result with Dr. Mekhala
A short consultation looks at the planets, houses and the running dasha together. Share your name, date, time and place when you book.