Human Design Compatibility
In Human Design, compatibility is read from the combined chart of two people — the composite: both people’s gates are put together to see which channels arise between them and who sets the tone in which theme. The calculator builds this chart and explains each connection.
If a time is unknown, clear the field: the chart will be calculated for noon, and this is noted in the result. Names are used only as labels and are not sent anywhere. For a “parent and child” pair, enter the parent first.
What the Calculation Shows
- The couple’s composite chart — a bodygraph where one person’s gates are marked in one color and the other’s in another, and the centers that are defined when you are together are colored in.
- Four kinds of channel connections: electromagnetic (each has half of a channel), companionship (both have the whole channel), dominance and compromise.
- Center formula — how many centers are defined together and how many remain open: from 9-0 to 5-4.
- The couple’s centers — where you are alike, where one constantly influences the other and where you are open to the world together.
- Bridges — whether one of you bridges a gap in the other’s definition.
- Types, profiles, authorities and Gates of Love for both.
- “Key points” summary — a few lines on what holds the couple together and where they need agreements.
There is no overall compatibility score or percentage: Ra Uru Hu’s teaching has none; the system describes how the interaction works rather than rating the couple.
How it is calculated
A full chart is built for each person — 26 activations of Personality and Design. Then all the gates of both are put into one chart, and for each of the 36 channels we look at who holds which gates:
| Interaction | Rule | What it means according to the system |
|---|---|---|
| Electromagnetic | one has one gate of the channel, the other has the other gate | attraction; together something arises that neither has alone |
| Companionship | both have the whole channel | a common language, the basis of friendship |
| Dominance | one has the whole channel, the other has none of its gates | one sets the tone, the other adapts |
| Compromise | one has the whole channel, the other has one of its two gates | the hardest spot, recurring arguments |
The center formula is written as two numbers: how many centers are defined in the composite chart and how many are open. Ra had short names for 9-0, 8-1, 7-2, 6-3 and 5-4; we paraphrase them in our own words.
The “friendship,” “parent and child” and “work and business” modes build the same composite chart — the system has no separate formulas for them — but each reads it in its own way: for friendship, common ground and freedom; for a parent and child, how to raise the child and what the child absorbs; for business, roles, money and decisions. Business has its own page, business compatibility; a child’s chart has Child’s Design; and couple transits show what the planets are currently completing between you. If three to five people are involved in a business or a family, see the Penta; for six or more, the team calculation.
An Honest Look at the Method
Human Design is a modern system that Ra Uru Hu described in 1987. Its rules are precisely defined and therefore calculable, but none of them has been tested as a way to describe a person or predict how relationships will turn out. We calculate by the system’s rules and write the interpretations as a description of what the system holds, not as knowledge about you. More on the system’s origins is on the Human Design page.
Other ways to compare a couple
Couple Compatibility — eight methods on one page, including BaZi, Kundali Milan and synastry.
Frequently asked questions
Why is there no compatibility percentage?
In Ra Uru Hu’s teaching, couples are not given a score: the system describes which connections arise and how the interaction works. The percentages shown by some sites and apps were invented by their authors, and everyone’s formulas are different.
Which is better — lots of electromagnetics or companionship?
Neither. According to the system, electromagnetics bring attraction and friction at the same time, companionship brings calm understanding, and dominance brings clear roles. What matters more is whether the two people know about these areas and come to agreements about them.
A 5-4 formula — does that mean we’re incompatible?
No. The formula only says how much shared definition the couple has. According to the system, with little shared definition the bond rests not on mechanics but on choice — a reason not to expect everything to fall into place by itself.
Can I calculate without a birth time?
Yes: clear the time field, and the chart will be calculated for noon. Types and most channels usually stay the same, while the Moon’s gates and some connections may differ — this is noted in the result.