Tarot encyclopedia

Tarot Card Meanings: All 78 Cards Explained

By The Mystica Editorial Team · Checked against our editorial standards · Updated 20 September 2026 · 8 min read

Every one of the 78 tarot cards has its own page on The Mystica, with upright and reversed meanings, love and career interpretations, a yes or no value, the card's symbolism and its astrological correspondences.

A tarot deck is made of two parts. The Major Arcana are 22 archetypal cards, from The Fool to The World. The Minor Arcana are 56 cards in four suits linked to the four classical elements: Wands (fire), Cups (water), Swords (air) and Pentacles (earth). If you are just starting, read how to read tarot first, then use the tarot glossary whenever a term is unfamiliar.

The Major Arcana (22 cards)

The trump cards, numbered 0 to 21, describe life's big lessons, archetypes and turning points. Read the Major Arcana guide.

The suit of Wands (Fire)

Wands deal with energy, passion, creativity, ambition and action. Read the Wands guide.

Ace of Wandsspark, inspiration Two of Wandsplanning, choices Three of Wandsexpansion, progress Four of Wandscelebration, stability Five of Wandscompetition, conflict Six of Wandsrecognition, success Seven of Wandsstanding your ground, perseverance Eight of Wandsspeed, movement Nine of Wandsresilience, persistence Ten of Wandsburden, overload Page of Wandscuriosity, exploration Knight of Wandspassion, adventure Queen of Wandsconfidence, warmth King of Wandsvision, leadership

The suit of Cups (Water)

Cups deal with emotions, love, relationships, intuition and creativity. Read the Cups guide.

Ace of Cupsnew love, emotional renewal Two of Cupspartnership, mutual attraction Three of Cupsfriendship, celebration Four of Cupsapathy, contemplation Five of Cupsloss, regret Six of Cupsnostalgia, memories Seven of Cupsmany options, daydreams Eight of Cupswalking away, searching Nine of Cupscontentment, satisfaction Ten of Cupsharmony, happy home Page of Cupssweet message, creativity Knight of Cupsromance, charm Queen of Cupsempathy, emotional wisdom King of Cupsemotional balance, calm

The suit of Swords (Air)

Swords deal with thought, truth, communication, conflict and decisions. Read the Swords guide.

Ace of Swordsclarity, breakthrough Two of Swordsstalemate, difficult choice Three of Swordsheartbreak, hurt Four of Swordsrest, recovery Five of Swordsconflict, winning at a cost Six of Swordstransition, moving on Seven of Swordsdeception, strategy Eight of Swordsfeeling trapped, limiting beliefs Nine of Swordsworry, anxiety Ten of Swordspainful ending, rock bottom Page of Swordscuriosity, new ideas Knight of Swordsambition, fast action Queen of Swordshonesty, clear boundaries King of Swordslogic, truth

The suit of Pentacles (Earth)

Pentacles deal with money, work, the body, home and material security. Read the Pentacles guide.

Ace of Pentaclesnew opportunity, prosperity Two of Pentaclesjuggling, adaptability Three of Pentaclesteamwork, collaboration Four of Pentaclessecurity, saving Five of Pentacleshardship, feeling left out Six of Pentaclesgenerosity, giving and receiving Seven of Pentaclespatience, long-term results Eight of Pentacleshard work, mastery Nine of Pentaclesindependence, self-reliance Ten of Pentacleslasting security, family Page of Pentaclesnew skill, study Knight of Pentaclesreliability, routine Queen of Pentaclespractical care, comfort King of Pentaclessuccess, abundance

Quick reference: all 78 cards

Card	Upright	Reversed	Yes/No
The Fool	fresh start, trust, curiosity	carelessness, hesitation	Yes
The Magician	skill, focus, initiative	scattered energy, self-doubt	Yes
The High Priestess	intuition, quiet knowing, patience	ignored instincts, secrets	Maybe
The Empress	nurturing, abundance, comfort	neglecting yourself, smothering	Yes
The Emperor	structure, stability, leadership	rigidity, control	Yes
The Hierophant	tradition, guidance, learning	breaking convention, questioning rules	Maybe
The Lovers	connection, alignment, choice	mixed values, imbalance	Yes
The Chariot	determination, momentum, control	loss of direction, pulling in two ways	Yes
Strength	courage, patience, gentle power	self-doubt, impatience	Yes
The Hermit	reflection, solitude, inner guidance	isolation, loneliness	Maybe
Wheel of Fortune	turning point, luck, cycles	setbacks, resisting change	Yes
Justice	fairness, truth, accountability	unfairness, avoiding responsibility	Maybe
The Hanged Man	pause, surrender, new perspective	stalling, resisting	Maybe
Death	ending, transformation, clearing space	clinging on, fear of change	No
Temperance	balance, moderation, patience	excess, imbalance	Yes
The Devil	attachment, temptation, unhealthy patterns	breaking free, awareness	No
The Tower	sudden change, revelation, shake-up	avoiding upheaval, delayed change	No
The Star	hope, healing, renewal	discouragement, lost faith	Yes
The Moon	uncertainty, illusion, dreams	clarity returning, facing fears	No
The Sun	joy, success, warmth	temporary clouds, low mood	Yes
Judgement	awakening, reflection, second chance	self-criticism, ignoring a calling	Yes
The World	completion, fulfillment, wholeness	unfinished business, shortcuts	Yes
Ace of Wands	spark, inspiration, new venture	delays, lack of motivation	Yes
Two of Wands	planning, choices, looking ahead	fear of leaving your comfort zone, poor planning	Maybe
Three of Wands	expansion, progress, opportunities ahead	obstacles, delays	Yes
Four of Wands	celebration, stability, home	tension at home, lack of support	Yes
Five of Wands	competition, conflict, clashing opinions	avoiding conflict, resolution	No
Six of Wands	recognition, success, confidence	self-doubt, lack of recognition	Yes
Seven of Wands	standing your ground, perseverance, defending your position	feeling overwhelmed, giving up	Maybe
Eight of Wands	speed, movement, news	delays, frustration	Yes
Nine of Wands	resilience, persistence, last push	burnout, defensiveness	Maybe
Ten of Wands	burden, overload, responsibility	letting go of burdens, delegating	No
Page of Wands	curiosity, exploration, enthusiasm	restlessness, lack of direction	Yes
Knight of Wands	passion, adventure, bold action	impulsiveness, haste	Yes
Queen of Wands	confidence, warmth, independence	insecurity, jealousy	Yes
King of Wands	vision, leadership, boldness	impatience, arrogance	Yes
Ace of Cups	new love, emotional renewal, compassion	blocked emotions, emptiness	Yes
Two of Cups	partnership, mutual attraction, connection	imbalance in a relationship, tension	Yes
Three of Cups	friendship, celebration, community	overindulgence, gossip	Yes
Four of Cups	apathy, contemplation, missed chances	renewed interest, saying yes	No
Five of Cups	loss, regret, grief	acceptance, moving on	No
Six of Cups	nostalgia, memories, innocence	stuck in the past, unrealistic memories	Yes
Seven of Cups	many options, daydreams, temptation	clarity, focus	Maybe
Eight of Cups	walking away, searching, leaving behind	fear of leaving, staying too long	No
Nine of Cups	contentment, satisfaction, wish fulfilled	dissatisfaction, unmet expectations	Yes
Ten of Cups	harmony, happy home, emotional fulfillment	disconnection at home, unrealistic ideals	Yes
Page of Cups	sweet message, creativity, emotional curiosity	emotional immaturity, creative block	Yes
Knight of Cups	romance, charm, following the heart	moodiness, unrealistic romance	Yes
Queen of Cups	empathy, emotional wisdom, care	emotional overwhelm, codependency	Yes
King of Cups	emotional balance, calm, diplomacy	suppressed emotions, moodiness	Yes
Ace of Swords	clarity, breakthrough, truth	confusion, miscommunication	Yes
Two of Swords	stalemate, difficult choice, avoidance	information overload, confusion	Maybe
Three of Swords	heartbreak, hurt, painful truth	healing, releasing pain	No
Four of Swords	rest, recovery, retreat	restlessness, burnout	Maybe
Five of Swords	conflict, winning at a cost, tension	making amends, moving past conflict	No
Six of Swords	transition, moving on, calmer waters	resistance to moving on, unfinished business	Maybe
Seven of Swords	deception, strategy, secrecy	coming clean, conscience	No
Eight of Swords	feeling trapped, limiting beliefs, helplessness	freedom, new perspective	No
Nine of Swords	worry, anxiety, sleepless nights	hope, reaching out	No
Ten of Swords	painful ending, rock bottom, closure	recovery, rising again	No
Page of Swords	curiosity, new ideas, vigilance	gossip, rash words	Maybe
Knight of Swords	ambition, fast action, directness	recklessness, impatience	Yes
Queen of Swords	honesty, clear boundaries, independence	coldness, bitterness	Maybe
King of Swords	logic, truth, authority	manipulation, rigid thinking	Maybe
Ace of Pentacles	new opportunity, prosperity, stability	missed opportunity, poor planning	Yes
Two of Pentacles	juggling, adaptability, balance	overwhelm, disorganization	Maybe
Three of Pentacles	teamwork, collaboration, skill	poor teamwork, misalignment	Yes
Four of Pentacles	security, saving, control	overspending, letting go	Maybe
Five of Pentacles	hardship, feeling left out, worry	recovery, accepting help	No
Six of Pentacles	generosity, giving and receiving, fairness	strings attached, imbalance	Yes
Seven of Pentacles	patience, long-term results, assessment	impatience, wasted effort	Maybe
Eight of Pentacles	hard work, mastery, dedication	perfectionism, lack of focus	Yes
Nine of Pentacles	independence, self-reliance, reward	overwork, dependence	Yes
Ten of Pentacles	lasting security, family, legacy	family tension, financial instability	Yes
Page of Pentacles	new skill, study, opportunity	procrastination, lack of progress	Yes
Knight of Pentacles	reliability, routine, persistence	stagnation, boredom	Maybe
Queen of Pentacles	practical care, comfort, security	work-life imbalance, self-neglect	Yes
King of Pentacles	success, abundance, discipline	materialism, stubbornness	Yes

Put the meanings into practice

Draw a free three-card or Celtic Cross reading; each card in your result links back to its page.

Free tarot reading Learn the spreads

Frequently asked questions

How many cards are in a tarot deck?

A standard tarot deck has 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana divided into four suits of 14 cards (Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles).

What is the difference between the Major and Minor Arcana?

The Major Arcana describe big life themes and turning points, while the Minor Arcana describe everyday situations, feelings and actions.

Do I need to memorise all 78 meanings?

No. Most readers learn the structure first (the meaning of each suit and number) and then build up card meanings through practice. Our guide on how to read tarot explains this method.

Which tarot deck do these meanings refer to?

Our meanings refer to the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, first published in 1909, which is the basis for most modern decks.