The whole grid
Zodiac Compatibility
Traditional astrology reads fire and air signs as energetically compatible with each other, and earth and water signs as compatible with each other. Signs sharing an element are read as sharing a basic temperament. That is the whole of the heuristic, and the grid below is simply that rule applied to all 144 combinations.
It is a starting point, not a verdict. A pairing outside the rule is not “incompatible” — plenty of lasting relationships sit there, and a real reading compares two whole charts rather than two sun signs.
The grid
- ◐Same element
- ●Paired elements
- ·Outside the heuristic
| Aquarius | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pisces | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● |
| Aries | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · |
| Taurus | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ |
| Gemini | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · |
| Cancer | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● |
| Leo | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · |
| Virgo | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ |
| Libra | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · |
| Scorpio | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● |
| Sagittarius | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · |
| Capricorn | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ | · | ● | · | ◐ |
Why the elements pair the way they do
fire
Aries, Leo, Sagittarius. Traditionally read as compatible with the air signs.
earth
Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn. Traditionally read as compatible with the water signs.
air
Aquarius, Gemini, Libra. Traditionally read as compatible with the fire signs.
Modality matters too
Element describes temperament; modality describes how a sign meets change. Two signs can share an element and still grind if they meet it the same way.
- cardinal
- Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn — they start things, and can compete over who sets the direction.
- fixed
- Aquarius, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio — they sustain things, and are the hardest pairing to move once dug in.
- mutable
- Pisces, Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius — they adapt, and can struggle to settle on one.
Sun signs are one factor
Everything above compares sun signs, which is a single placement out of a whole chart. Moon, rising and the rest do at least as much work in how two people actually get along, and a chart needs an exact birth date, time and location to calculate — which a grid like this cannot know. Read it as a conversation starter.
All 12 sign guides →Men of the zodiac →Women of the zodiac →