Tarot card meanings: the list of all 78 cards

Updated October 10, 2026 · How we write these pages

The short answer

Tarot card meanings are the traditional interpretations of the 78 cards. The 22 major arcana stand for life's big themes, from The Fool's new beginning to The World's completion. The 56 minor arcana describe daily life through four suits: wands for drive, cups for feelings, swords for thought and pentacles for money and work.

78 of 78 cards

The Fool
new beginnings, spontaneity
The Magician
willpower, skill
The High Priestess
intuition, mystery
The Empress
abundance, nurturing
The Emperor
structure, authority
The Hierophant
tradition, belief
The Lovers
love, harmony
The Chariot
determination, willpower
Strength
courage, compassion
The Hermit
introspection, solitude
Wheel of Fortune
change, cycles
Justice
fairness, truth
The Hanged Man
surrender, pause
Death
endings, transformation
Temperance
balance, moderation
The Devil
attachment, temptation
The Tower
sudden change, upheaval
The Star
hope, renewal
The Moon
illusion, intuition
The Sun
joy, success
Judgement
reflection, reckoning
The World
completion, fulfillment
Ace of Wands
inspiration, new passion
Two of Wands
planning, future vision
Three of Wands
expansion, foresight
Four of Wands
celebration, homecoming
Five of Wands
conflict, competition
Six of Wands
victory, recognition
Seven of Wands
perseverance, standing your ground
Eight of Wands
speed, momentum
Nine of Wands
resilience, persistence
Ten of Wands
burden, responsibility
Page of Wands
enthusiasm, curiosity
Knight of Wands
energy, passion
Queen of Wands
confidence, warmth
King of Wands
leadership, vision
Ace of Cups
new love, compassion
Two of Cups
partnership, mutual attraction
Three of Cups
friendship, celebration
Four of Cups
apathy, contemplation
Five of Cups
loss, grief
Six of Cups
nostalgia, childhood memories
Seven of Cups
choices, fantasy
Eight of Cups
walking away, disillusionment
Nine of Cups
contentment, wishes fulfilled
Ten of Cups
harmony, family
Page of Cups
creative opportunity, intuitive messages
Knight of Cups
romance, charm
Queen of Cups
compassion, emotional security
King of Cups
emotional balance, diplomacy
Ace of Swords
clarity, breakthrough
Two of Swords
a difficult choice, stalemate
Three of Swords
heartbreak, sorrow
Four of Swords
rest, recovery
Five of Swords
conflict, defeat
Six of Swords
transition, moving on
Seven of Swords
deception, strategy
Eight of Swords
feeling trapped, self-limiting beliefs
Nine of Swords
anxiety, worry
Ten of Swords
a painful ending, rock bottom
Page of Swords
curiosity, new ideas
Knight of Swords
ambition, drive
Queen of Swords
clear boundaries, honesty
King of Swords
intellect, authority
Ace of Pentacles
new opportunity, prosperity
Two of Pentacles
balance, adaptability
Three of Pentacles
teamwork, collaboration
Four of Pentacles
security, saving
Five of Pentacles
hardship, loss
Six of Pentacles
generosity, giving and receiving
Seven of Pentacles
patience, a long-term view
Eight of Pentacles
diligence, mastery
Nine of Pentacles
self-sufficiency, luxury
Ten of Pentacles
wealth, legacy
Page of Pentacles
ambition, diligence
Knight of Pentacles
routine, reliability
Queen of Pentacles
nurturing, practicality
King of Pentacles
abundance, security

The World, card 21 and the last of the 22 major arcana in the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck

How to read this list of tarot meanings

Every card below has four things: its upright keywords, its reversed keywords, the astrology the Golden Dawn gave it, and the answer it gives in a yes or no reading. The astrology and the yes or no column are what most meaning lists leave out, and they are often what you need mid-reading: a sign tells you the card's temperament, and the yes or no answer is the same one our free yes or no tarot tool gives. Tap any card in the grid above for its full page, with love, feelings, career and combinations.

Look at your card's picture before you check the table, and notice what stands out: a figure's posture, the weather, who is turned away. Then read the keywords and ask which part of the meaning fits the position you laid the card in. Over a few weeks your own one-line meaning for each card will serve you better than any guide, this one included.

Major arcana meanings, upright and reversed

The major arcana run in a numbered sequence that many readers call the Fool's journey: a traveler sets out at card 0, meets teachers, lovers and trials along the way, and arrives whole at card 21. When a major card lands in a reading, give it more weight than the cards around it. Our major arcana guide walks the whole journey card by card.

Card	Upright	Reversed	Astrology; yes or no
0 The Fool	New beginnings, a leap of faith	Recklessness, holding back	Air, Uranus; yes
1 The Magician	Willpower, skill, making it happen	Manipulation, untapped talent	Mercury; yes
2 The High Priestess	Intuition, the inner voice, mystery	Secrets, ignored instincts	The Moon; maybe
3 The Empress	Abundance, nurturing, creativity	Dependence, creative block	Venus; yes
4 The Emperor	Structure, authority, protection	Rigidity, too much control	Aries; yes
5 The Hierophant	Tradition, belief, a mentor	Rebellion, your own path	Taurus; yes
6 The Lovers	Love, harmony, a values choice	Disharmony, misaligned values	Gemini; yes
7 The Chariot	Determination, victory, momentum	Lost direction, obstacles	Cancer; yes
8 Strength	Courage, compassion, patience	Self-doubt, raw emotion	Leo; yes
9 The Hermit	Introspection, solitude, guidance	Isolation, loneliness	Virgo; maybe
10 Wheel of Fortune	Cycles, fate, a turning point	Setbacks, resisting change	Jupiter; yes
11 Justice	Fairness, truth, cause and effect	Unfairness, dodged accountability	Libra; maybe
12 The Hanged Man	Pause, surrender, a new angle	Stalling, needless sacrifice	Water, Neptune; maybe
13 Death	Endings, transformation, release	Holding on, stagnation	Scorpio; no
14 Temperance	Balance, moderation, healing	Excess, impatience	Sagittarius; yes
15 The Devil	Attachment, temptation, the shadow	Breaking free, reclaimed power	Capricorn; no
16 The Tower	Sudden change, upheaval, revelation	Delayed upheaval, fear of change	Mars; no
17 The Star	Hope, renewal, inspiration	Discouragement, lost faith	Aquarius; yes
18 The Moon	Illusion, intuition, uncertainty	Confusion lifting, truths revealed	Pisces; maybe
19 The Sun	Joy, success, vitality	Blocked joy, delays	The Sun; yes
20 Judgement	Reckoning, awakening, a calling	Self-doubt, harsh self-criticism	Fire, Pluto; yes
21 The World	Completion, wholeness, travel	Unfinished business, no closure	Saturn, earth; yes

Know the meanings, now read them together

Single meanings are the start. Pick five cards for your own question and get them read as one story, with your birth chart, written by AI the moment you join.

Read my five cards

Minor arcana meanings by suit

The 56 minor cards work like four short novels, one per element. Read the suit first and you already know the territory. A spread full of Cups is about the heart even if the question was about a job; a spread heavy in Swords says the problem is happening mostly in your head. The astrology column follows the Golden Dawn: each ace is the root of its element, each card from two to ten is a planet in one ten-degree slice of a sign, called a decan, and each court card carries its suit's element. Our minor arcana guide explains the suits, the numbers and the courts in depth.

Wands meanings, upright and reversed

Fire, ambition and the courage to start. The Wands pips run through the three fire signs, Aries, Leo and Sagittarius, which is why so many of them are about starting, competing and traveling. Read each Wands card as a question about drive: where is your energy going, and is it going anywhere on purpose?

Card	Upright	Reversed	Astrology; yes or no
Ace of Wands	A spark of inspiration, a new project or passion	Stalled start, no motivation, an idea that fizzles	Root of fire; yes
Two of Wands	Planning ahead, choosing a direction, a bigger vision	Playing it safe, fear of leaving the familiar, poor planning	Mars in Aries; maybe
Three of Wands	Your plans are moving, with opportunities on the horizon	Delays, narrow thinking, frustration with slow progress	Sun in Aries; yes
Four of Wands	Celebration, a homecoming, a stable and happy base	Tension at home, a shaky foundation, a celebration cut short	Venus in Aries; yes
Five of Wands	Friendly competition, clashing opinions, noisy disagreement	Conflict avoided, a truce, or a fight you carry inside	Saturn in Leo; no
Six of Wands	Victory, public recognition, earned confidence	No credit given, pride before a fall, self-doubt	Jupiter in Leo; yes
Seven of Wands	Holding your ground against pressure	Feeling outnumbered, exhaustion, giving up too soon	Mars in Leo; maybe
Eight of Wands	Fast movement, quick news, things falling into place	Delays, mixed signals, being slowed down	Mercury in Sagittarius; yes
Nine of Wands	Battered but still standing, one last push	Burnout, defensiveness, quitting right before the finish	Moon in Sagittarius; maybe
Ten of Wands	Carrying too much, responsibility that has piled up	Putting the load down, delegating, or collapsing under it	Saturn in Sagittarius; no
Page of Wands	Curious, eager news, a first creative step	Impatience, scattered ideas, news that turns out to be hype	Fire court; yes
Knight of Wands	Passion and adventure, acting fast on a big impulse	Haste, recklessness, energy spent in every direction	Fire court; yes
Queen of Wands	Warm, confident and magnetic, someone who gets things done	Jealousy, insecurity, a demanding streak	Fire court; yes
King of Wands	Bold leadership, a vision other people want to follow	Arrogance, impulsiveness, expectations set too high	Fire court; yes

Cups meanings, upright and reversed

Water, feeling and relationship. The Cups pips sit in Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces, the water signs, so they move from home and family through intensity and loss to the dreamy, boundary-blurring end of the suit. Read each Cups card as a question about the heart: what do you feel, what do you want, and who else is in the picture?

Card	Upright	Reversed	Astrology; yes or no
Ace of Cups	A new feeling, a fresh start in love, an open heart	Held-back emotion, emptiness, a need for self-love first	Root of water; yes
Two of Cups	Mutual attraction, a real partnership, two-way respect	Lopsided feeling, a breakdown in communication, drifting apart	Venus in Cancer; yes
Three of Cups	Friends, celebration, joy shared with others	Too much partying, gossip, feeling left out	Mercury in Cancer; yes
Four of Cups	Boredom, apathy, an offer you have not noticed yet	Waking up, new interest, ready to accept what is on offer	Moon in Cancer; no
Five of Cups	Grief and regret over what spilled, with some cups still standing	Forgiveness, acceptance, turning toward what is left	Mars in Scorpio; no
Six of Cups	Nostalgia, childhood memories, a kind reunion	Stuck in the past, rose-tinted memory, time to move on	Sun in Scorpio; yes
Seven of Cups	Many tempting options, daydreams, wishful thinking	Seeing clearly, choosing one thing, a reality check	Venus in Scorpio; no
Eight of Cups	Walking away from something that no longer satisfies	Staying out of fear, drifting, one more try	Saturn in Pisces; maybe
Nine of Cups	A wish granted, contentment, quiet satisfaction	Smugness, shallow pleasure, a wish that still feels empty	Jupiter in Pisces; yes
Ten of Cups	Happy family, emotional harmony, lasting joy at home	Strained relationships, a home that is out of step, values that do not match	Mars in Pisces; yes
Page of Cups	A tender message, a creative idea, an open and curious heart	Emotional immaturity, escapism, a creative block	Water court; yes
Knight of Cups	Romance, charm, an invitation, following the heart	Moodiness, unrealistic expectations, a charmer who does not follow through	Water court; yes
Queen of Cups	Compassion, calm intuition, emotional security	Overwhelm, codependence, taking on everyone's feelings	Water court; yes
King of Cups	Emotional balance, kind and steady guidance	Moody, cold or manipulative, feeling kept under a lid	Water court; yes

Swords meanings, upright and reversed

Air, thought and truth. The Swords pips belong to Libra, Aquarius and Gemini, the air signs, and they carry most of the deck's hard cards because thought is where most suffering is rehearsed. Read each Swords card as a question about the mind: what are you telling yourself, and what is true once you say it out loud?

Card	Upright	Reversed	Astrology; yes or no
Ace of Swords	A breakthrough, a clear truth, a sharp new idea	Confusion, muddled words, a truth you are avoiding	Root of air; yes
Two of Swords	A hard choice, a stalemate, eyes shut to the facts	Information overload, a choice made at last, the truth coming out	Moon in Libra; maybe
Three of Swords	Heartbreak, sorrow, a painful truth	Healing begins, forgiveness, letting a hurt go	Saturn in Libra; no
Four of Swords	Rest, retreat, recovery after strain	Restlessness, burnout, no real rest taken	Jupiter in Libra; maybe
Five of Swords	A hollow win, conflict, a fight not worth the cost	Making amends, old resentment, ending a quarrel	Venus in Aquarius; no
Six of Swords	Moving on, a calmer stretch after a hard one	Resisting the move, unfinished business, baggage coming along	Mercury in Aquarius; maybe
Seven of Swords	Sneaky tactics, a plan kept quiet, getting away with it	Coming clean, a guilty conscience, a plan found out	Moon in Aquarius; no
Eight of Swords	Feeling trapped, though the bindings are loose	Freedom, a new view, stepping out of a limiting belief	Jupiter in Gemini; no
Nine of Swords	Worry, nightmares, anxiety in the small hours	Fear easing, asking for help, a worry that was bigger than the facts	Mars in Gemini; no
Ten of Swords	A painful ending, rock bottom, betrayal	Slow recovery, refusing to let go, the worst already behind you	Sun in Gemini; no
Page of Swords	Curious, sharp and chatty, a new idea to test	Gossip, hasty words, all talk and no follow through	Air court; maybe
Knight of Swords	Fast, driven and direct, charging at a goal	Impulsive words, burnout, rushing in without a plan	Air court; yes
Queen of Swords	Clear boundaries, honest speech, independent judgment	Bitterness, coldness, a sharp tongue	Air court; maybe
King of Swords	Clear thinking, fair authority, truth over comfort	Cold logic, misuse of power, a harsh or controlling manner	Air court; yes

Pentacles meanings, upright and reversed

Earth, money, work and the body. The Pentacles pips run through Capricorn, Taurus and Virgo, the earth signs, which is why the suit is so patient: it is about what grows with tending and what is lost through neglect. Read each Pentacles card as a question about what you are building: is it steady, and is it being looked after?

Card	Upright	Reversed	Astrology; yes or no
Ace of Pentacles	A new opportunity, a seed of prosperity	A missed chance, shaky planning, a plan that never starts	Root of earth; yes
Two of Pentacles	Juggling priorities, staying flexible	Overcommitted, money stress, dropping the ball	Jupiter in Capricorn; maybe
Three of Pentacles	Good teamwork, skill being noticed, learning a craft	Poor teamwork, low effort, working alone and resenting it	Mars in Capricorn; yes
Four of Pentacles	Saving, security, holding on tight	Greed, overspending, loosening a grip that has gone too far	Sun in Capricorn; maybe
Five of Pentacles	Hardship, money worry, feeling left out in the cold	Recovery, help arriving, hope coming back	Mercury in Taurus; no
Six of Pentacles	Generosity, fair give and take, help offered	Debt, strings attached, giving that only goes one way	Moon in Taurus; yes
Seven of Pentacles	Patience, a long wait, checking on your growth	Impatience, poor return on effort, a reassessment	Saturn in Taurus; maybe
Eight of Pentacles	Dedicated practice, building skill, steady diligence	Perfectionism, shortcuts, work that has lost its spark	Sun in Virgo; yes
Nine of Pentacles	Self-sufficiency, comfort earned by your own effort	Overwork, dependence on someone else, comfort that feels hollow	Venus in Virgo; yes
Ten of Pentacles	Lasting wealth, family, a legacy in the making	Family disputes, money instability, a legacy at risk	Mercury in Virgo; yes
Page of Pentacles	A new skill, a study plan, a practical opportunity	Procrastination, lost chances, a goal with no follow through	Earth court; yes
Knight of Pentacles	Reliable, slow and steady, committed to the work	Stagnation, boredom, stubborn routine	Earth court; yes
Queen of Pentacles	Warm, practical care, a comfortable home	Neglecting yourself, smothering, work and home out of balance	Earth court; yes
King of Pentacles	Disciplined, generous and secure, a good provider	Greed, stubbornness, valuing money above everything	Earth court; yes

What each number means in the minor arcana

Every suit counts through the same ten stages, so once you know the numbers you can make a fair guess at any pip card. The Five of Cups and the Five of Wands look nothing alike, but both are fives: something has gone wrong and has to be worked through. The same logic runs through the majors, where card 5 is The Hierophant and card 15 The Devil, both about the rules we live under.

Number	Theme	Example
Ace	A seed, pure potential	Ace of Cups: new love or feeling
Two	Choice, partnership, balance	Two of Swords: a stalemate
Three	First growth, collaboration	Three of Pentacles: teamwork
Four	Stability, sometimes stagnation	Four of Cups: apathy
Five	Conflict, loss, disruption	Five of Pentacles: hardship
Six	Harmony returning, give and take	Six of Wands: recognition
Seven	Tests, strategy, doubt	Seven of Swords: deception
Eight	Movement, effort, mastery	Eight of Wands: speed
Nine	Near the end, fulfillment or fear	Nine of Cups: a wish granted
Ten	A cycle complete, sometimes overloaded	Ten of Wands: burden

Court card meanings: Page, Knight, Queen and King

The sixteen court cards are the hardest part of the deck for most beginners, because each one can mean three things: a real person, a side of your own character, or the way a situation needs to be handled. Start with the rank, then add the suit. A Knight of Cups is a romantic in motion; a Knight of Swords charges in with an argument. Age and gender on the card are traditions, not rules, so a Queen can describe a man and a Page a grown adult who is new at something.

Page: the student or messenger. News, curiosity and first attempts.
Knight: the seeker. Action, movement and the suit's energy pushed to an extreme.
Queen: the inner master. The suit's qualities held with maturity and care.
King: the outer master. The suit's qualities used to lead, decide and provide.

The most positive and the hardest tarot cards

Readers argue about which card is best, but a short list comes up every time. The Sun, The Star, The World, the Ace of Cups, the Nine of Cups and the Ten of Cups are the cards most people are glad to see. The Tower, the Three of Swords, the Ten of Swords, the Nine of Swords and the Five of Pentacles are the ones that make a room go quiet. Death and The Devil look the most frightening and are often the most misread: Death is an ending that clears space, and The Devil is a habit or attachment you can still walk away from.

No card is a curse. Even the Ten of Swords shows a sunrise behind the fallen figure, and the hardest cards tend to name something you already feel, which is the first step to changing it.

Why tarot card meanings vary between guides

If you compare three meaning lists you will find small differences, and now and then a plain copying mistake. The meanings on this site follow the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition and Waite's own notes from 1910, in plain modern wording, and the astrology follows the Golden Dawn system his deck was built on. Marseille readers lean more on numbers and Thoth readers use Crowley's titles.

The core of each card is stable across traditions. The Tower is upheaval everywhere, and the Ten of Cups is family happiness everywhere. Differences sit at the edges, mostly in how reversals are read and which court card matches which element.

Know the meanings, now read them together

Single meanings are the start. Pick five cards for your own question and get them read as one story, with your birth chart, written by AI the moment you join.

Read my five cards

Questions people ask

What are the names of the 22 major arcana cards?

In order they are The Fool, The Magician, The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength, The Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, The Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, The Sun, Judgement and The World.

What is the 13th major tarot card?

Card 13 is Death. Some readers count The Fool as the first card, which makes Death the fourteenth in the pack, but by its printed number it is 13. It means an ending and a transformation, and almost never a literal death.

What is the most powerful tarot card?

Readers most often name The World, as the card of completion, or The Sun, as the most purely positive card. In practice the strongest card in a reading is any major arcana card, because the majors mark the themes that shape everything else in the spread.

Do I need to memorize every tarot card meaning?

No. Learn the four suits and the ten numbers first, and you can reason out most of the minor arcana. Add the major arcana a few at a time, and keep a list like this one nearby while you read.

Why are Strength and Justice numbered differently in some decks?

Older Marseille decks put Justice at 8 and Strength at 11. The Golden Dawn swapped them so the sequence matched its astrology, with Strength for Leo and Justice for Libra, and the 1909 Rider-Waite-Smith deck followed that order. Both orders are in use today.