Based upon parallax measurements, this star is located at a distance of roughly 211 light-years (65 parsecs) from the Sun.

[16] Consequently, the Chinese name for Gamma Gruis itself is 敗臼一 (Bài Jiù yī, English: the First Star of Decayed Mortar.

)[17] Analysis of the spectrum by N. Houk in 1979 shows it to match a stellar classification of B8 III,[3] with the luminosity class of III indicating this is a giant star that has exhausted the supply of hydrogen at its core and evolved away from the main sequence.

Gray and R. F. Garrison in 1989 found a less evolved class of B8IV-Vs.[4] The luminosity of Gamma Gruis is around 390 times that of the Sun, with a significant portion of the energy emission being in the ultraviolet.

Based upon analysis of data collected during the Hipparcos mission, this star may have a proper motion companion that is causing gravitational perturbation of Gamma Gruis.