Tarot card meanings: all 78 cards at a glance
Click any card for its full page.
How we read the 78 cards
The 22 Major Arcana mark big chapters. The 56 minor cards follow a simple grid: the suit is the area of life (Wands = action, Cups = feelings, Swords = thinking and conflict, Pentacles = money and the body) and the number is the stage, from Ace (a seed) to Ten (a full cycle), with four court cards as four ways of handling that suit. Every meaning on this site is written in our own words; the card art is the 1909 public-domain deck.
Major Arcana (22)
| Card | Upright | Reversed | Yes/no |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Fool | fresh start, travelling light, trusting instinct | recklessness, dodging responsibility, blind spots | yes-leaning |
| The Magician | resources at hand, initiative, a good opening | talk without action, trickery, scattered effort | yes-leaning |
| The High Priestess | intuition, stillness, watching first | suppressed feelings, self-doubt, hidden information | depends |
| The Empress | abundance, nurture, growth | over-giving, dependence, stagnation | yes-leaning |
| The Emperor | structure, responsibility, taking charge | control, rigidity, heavy-handedness | depends |
| The Hierophant | tradition, convention, trusted guidance | dogma, empty ritual, blind following | depends |
| The Lovers | choice, alignment, shared values | indecision, value clash, imbalance | yes-leaning |
| The Chariot | momentum, willpower, winning through | losing direction, impatience, inner conflict | yes-leaning |
| Strength | gentle persistence, self-control, courage | losing your temper, low confidence, forcing it | yes-leaning |
| The Hermit | solitude, reflection, seeking answers | isolation, shutting out, avoiding people | depends |
| Wheel of Fortune | turning point, cycles, going with it | bad timing, repeats, resisting change | yes-leaning |
| Justice | fairness, cause and effect, decisions | bias, dodging consequences, unfairness | depends |
| The Hanged Man | pause, new perspective, letting go | pointless sacrifice, stalling, tunnel vision | no-leaning |
| Death | endings, transformation, clearing out | clinging, delayed endings, stagnation | no-leaning |
| Temperance | balance, moderation, blending | imbalance, excess, rushing | yes-leaning |
| The Devil | desire, obsession, being bound | breaking free, seeing the dependence, detox | no-leaning |
| The Tower | sudden change, truth revealed, rebuilding | near miss, delaying repairs, aftershocks | no-leaning |
| The Star | hope, healing, long-term goals | disappointment, low confidence, vague goals | yes-leaning |
| The Moon | uncertainty, emotions, unclear view | fog lifting, easing anxiety, truth emerging | no-leaning |
| The Sun | clarity, success, vitality | delayed good news, over-optimism, fatigue | yes-leaning |
| Judgement | awakening, review, a fresh start | self-blame, missing the call, avoidance | depends |
| The World | completion, wholeness, next chapter | last step missing, loose ends, incompletion | yes-leaning |
Wands (fire, action, drive and ambition)
| Card | Upright | Reversed | Yes/no |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ace of Wands | spark, beginnings, drive | fizzling out, never starting | yes-leaning |
| Two of Wands | planning, looking ahead, choosing | all plan no move, fear of leaving comfort | depends |
| Three of Wands | expansion, waiting for returns, foresight | delays, plans falling through, narrow view | yes-leaning |
| Four of Wands | celebration, settling in, milestone | instability, family friction, celebrating early | yes-leaning |
| Five of Wands | competition, arguments, crosstalk | avoiding conflict, escalating infighting | no-leaning |
| Six of Wands | victory, recognition, confidence | letdown, empty fame, pride | yes-leaning |
| Seven of Wands | holding ground, outnumbered, perseverance | overwhelmed, giving in, worn down | depends |
| Eight of Wands | speed, news, travel | delays, haste, mixed messages | yes-leaning |
| Nine of Wands | guardedness, resilience, the last stretch | exhaustion, paranoia, can't hold on | depends |
| Ten of Wands | overload, responsibility, carrying it all | putting it down, delegating, breaking point | no-leaning |
| Page of Wands | curiosity, news, eager beginner | bad news, restlessness, all talk | depends |
| Knight of Wands | action, adventure, moving | impulsiveness, quitting halfway, hot temper | depends |
| Queen of Wands | confidence, warmth, magnetism | jealousy, moodiness, overbearing | depends |
| King of Wands | vision, leadership, decisive | autocratic, rash, grandiose | depends |
Cups (water, feelings, relationships and the inner life)
| Card | Upright | Reversed | Yes/no |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ace of Cups | new feelings, overflowing heart, openness | blocked emotions, unreturned care | yes-leaning |
| Two of Cups | mutual attraction, partnership, equality | imbalance, misunderstanding, split | yes-leaning |
| Three of Cups | friendship, gatherings, shared joy | gossip, overindulgence, cliques | yes-leaning |
| Four of Cups | apathy, discontent, missed chances | renewed interest, coming out of a slump | no-leaning |
| Five of Cups | loss, regret, focusing on what spilled | acceptance, seeing what's left, recovery | no-leaning |
| Six of Cups | nostalgia, innocence, the past | living in the past, refusing to grow | depends |
| Seven of Cups | fantasy, too many options, daydreams | reality check, making a choice | depends |
| Eight of Cups | walking away, seeking more meaning | reluctance, escapism, going back and forth | no-leaning |
| Nine of Cups | contentment, wishes granted, enjoyment | smugness, material emptiness, greed | yes-leaning |
| Ten of Cups | family harmony, lasting happiness | family conflict, idealising | yes-leaning |
| Page of Cups | sweet news, sensitivity, creativity | moodiness, immaturity, daydreaming | depends |
| Knight of Cups | romance, invitations, following the heart | empty promises, moodiness, fickleness | depends |
| Queen of Cups | empathy, gentleness, caring | emotional drain, oversensitivity, people-pleasing | depends |
| King of Cups | emotional maturity, tolerance, calm | suppressed feelings, coldness, manipulation | depends |
Swords (air, thought, words, conflict and decisions)
| Card | Upright | Reversed | Yes/no |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ace of Swords | clarity, truth, decisiveness | muddled thinking, harsh words | yes-leaning |
| Two of Swords | stalemate, avoidance, not choosing yet | information surfaces, forced choice | no-leaning |
| Three of Swords | heartache, disappointment, painful truth | healing, letting go of hurt | no-leaning |
| Four of Swords | rest, pause, recovery | forced halt, restlessness, not enough rest | depends |
| Five of Swords | hollow victory, point-scoring | reconciliation, conceding, dropping pride | no-leaning |
| Six of Swords | transition, leaving trouble, gradual improvement | unable to leave, baggage follows | yes-leaning |
| Seven of Swords | strategy, stealth, cutting corners | getting caught, guilty conscience, confession | no-leaning |
| Eight of Swords | trapped, self-limiting, helplessness | untying, finding a way out | no-leaning |
| Nine of Swords | anxiety, sleeplessness, overthinking | easing anxiety, asking for help | no-leaning |
| Ten of Swords | rock bottom, final ending, worst is over | slow recovery, lingering pain | no-leaning |
| Page of Swords | curiosity, watchfulness, learning | gossip, nosiness, talk without action | depends |
| Knight of Swords | directness, speed, charging in | recklessness, bluntness, hurtful | depends |
| Queen of Swords | clear-sighted, independent, measured words | sharp-tongued, cold, overcritical | depends |
| King of Swords | reason, authority, principles | ruthlessness, abuse of power, sophistry | depends |
Pentacles (earth, money, work, the body and practical matters)
| Card | Upright | Reversed | Yes/no |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ace of Pentacles | new income, practical start, tangible opportunity | missed chance, unrealistic plans | yes-leaning |
| Two of Pentacles | balance, juggling, managing both | dropping balls, financial imbalance | depends |
| Three of Pentacles | teamwork, craftsmanship, recognition | poor collaboration, low quality | yes-leaning |
| Four of Pentacles | saving, stability, holding tight | stinginess, fear of loss, releasing | no-leaning |
| Five of Pentacles | hardship, scarcity, exclusion | recovery, getting help | no-leaning |
| Six of Pentacles | giving, receiving, sharing resources | unequal charity, strings attached | yes-leaning |
| Seven of Pentacles | patience, assessment, awaiting harvest | impatience, no return on effort | depends |
| Eight of Pentacles | focus, practice, mastery | going through the motions, perfectionism | depends |
| Nine of Pentacles | self-reliance, abundance, enjoying results | over-dependence, surface glamour | yes-leaning |
| Ten of Pentacles | family, legacy, long-term wealth | family disputes, financial risk | yes-leaning |
| Page of Pentacles | diligent study, new plans, practicality | procrastination, big talk, no follow-through | depends |
| Knight of Pentacles | steady, responsible, methodical | stagnation, boredom, too cautious | depends |
| Queen of Pentacles | practical care, homemaking, reliability | over-worry, money anxiety | depends |
| King of Pentacles | financial security, achievement, keeping it | greed, rigidity, money above all | depends |
FAQ
Do I need to memorise all 78 meanings?
No. Learn the 22 majors, then the suit-plus-number grid; most minor meanings follow from it.
Are reversed cards always bad?
No. We read a reversal as the same energy blocked, overdone or turned inward—a caution, not a verdict.
Which deck do the images come from?
The 1909 public-domain deck. We don't alter the card art.