Cancer Symbol ♋: The Crab Sign of Kark Rashi

Cancer Symbol Meaning: The Crab's Claws

The sign ♋ looks a bit like the number 69 turned on its side. Each half is a small circle with a curved tail. In the traditional reading, the two halves are the claws of a crab, closing in from both sides. That is why the animal of this sign is the crab (in Hindi, kekda), and why 🦀 sits next to it in the copy grid.

Some modern astrology books also read the two curls as two circles holding each other, a picture of care and protection. That is an interpretation, not the original meaning.

Note: the cancer awareness symbol and the breast cancer symbol are ribbons, a completely separate symbol with no link to the zodiac sign ♋.

The Tropic of Cancer and the Crab

Here is a fact that connects your geography book to the zodiac. The Tropic of Cancer, the line of latitude that passes through India (across states such as Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal), is named after this sign. About two thousand years ago, when the name was given, the Sun was in front of the constellation Cancer at the June solstice, the time it shines straight down on that line.

Because the Earth's axis slowly wobbles, the Sun is no longer in Cancer at the June solstice. The name stayed anyway. The same story explains the Tropic of Capricorn in the south; see the Capricorn symbol page.

Kark Rashi Symbol: Names in Indian Languages

So the Karkataka rasi symbol, Karkataka rashi symbol and Karka rashi symbol are all the same ♋. In Kerala, Karkidakam is also the name of a month in the Malayalam calendar, the rainy month when the Sun is in this sign.

Cancer Rashi Symbol Dates: Western vs Vedic

Western astrology gives Cancer about 21 June to 22 July. In the Vedic (sidereal) system, the Sun enters Kark about 23 to 24 days later, around 17 July, and stays until about 16 August. That entry day is Karka Sankranti, which many traditional calendars treat as the start of Dakshinayana, the Sun's southward half of the year.

Also remember that in India the rashi on your kundli is usually your Moon sign. So the Cancer rashi symbol may belong to someone born in any month. Our zodiac symbols table shows every sign side by side.

How to Type the Cancer Sign Symbol on Your Phone

On a phone, the emoji keyboard is the fastest way:

1. Open the keyboard and tap the smiley (emoji) key.
2. Tap the search bar and type "cancer" or "crab".
3. Pick the purple ♋ tile, or 🦀 for the animal.

On most Android keyboards and on iPhone this gives the emoji style. For the thin text version, copy ♋ from this page. On computers there is no Alt code: in Word type 264B then Alt+X, on Windows press Win+., on Mac press Control+Command+Space, and on a web page use ♋.

The Crab in Myth and in the Sky

In Greek myth, a giant crab was sent by the goddess Hera to bother the hero Heracles while he fought the many-headed Hydra. The crab was crushed, and Hera placed it among the stars.

The constellation Cancer is faint, the dimmest of the twelve. Its best feature is a fuzzy patch called the Beehive Cluster, a group of stars you can see with binoculars. The Indian nakshatra Pushya lies in this part of the sky.

Cancer in Astrology Tradition and Bio Ideas

Cancer is a water sign and a cardinal (chara) sign, and it is ruled by the Moon (Chandra). For crescent shapes like ☾ see our moon symbols page. In astrology belief, Cancer is said to be caring, home-loving and emotional. These are traditional ideas, not facts.

Bio ideas: Meera ♋ | July baby, 🌙 ♋ 🌊, Kark rashi ♋ home is people. Neighbouring signs are Gemini and Leo.