All 78 Tarot Cards and Their Meanings

Questions about tarot card meanings

How many cards are in a tarot deck?

A standard tarot deck has 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana, numbered from The Fool (0) to The World (21), and 56 Minor Arcana in four suits of 14 cards each — Ace to Ten, then the Page, Knight, Queen and King.

What are the tarot cards in order?

The Major Arcana run from 0 to 21: 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. After them, each suit of the Minor Arcana runs from Ace to Ten, followed by the Page, Knight, Queen and King.

What is the difference between upright and reversed meanings?

Drawn upright, a card shows its energy flowing freely. Reversed — upside down — it usually points to the same theme blocked, delayed, overdone or turned inward. The switch above the list shows the reversed meaning of every card.

Can a tarot card answer yes or no?

Yes. Every card leans towards yes, no or maybe: bright, forward-moving cards such as The Sun or the Ace of Cups say yes, cards of loss or blockage such as the Three of Swords say no, and cards of pause or choice say maybe. The answer is marked on each card, and the yes-or-no spread reads it for your own question.

Which tarot deck are these meanings based on?

They follow the Rider–Waite–Smith tradition, the most widely used deck today. The Tarot de Marseille has the same 78-card structure, but it swaps the numbers of Strength and Justice and its numbered cards show no scenes.

What do the four tarot suits mean?

Wands are fire: energy, ambition and creativity. Cups are water: love, feelings and intuition. Swords are air: thought, conflict and truth. Pentacles are earth: work, money, health and the material world.