Tarot Card Meanings: All 78 Cards, Upright & Reversed

A tarot deck is 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana split evenly across four suits of 14 cards each. That structure isn't just trivia — it's the fastest way to get your bearings when a card you don't recognize turns up in a reading. Below is every card's meaning at a glance, upright and reversed, grouped the same way the deck itself is grouped. Click a card's name to jump straight to its full interpretation, or head to the Card Meanings page to search or browse the whole deck yourself.

The Major Arcana (22 Cards)

The Major Arcana are the deck’s 22 named, unnumbered-suit cards — The Fool through The World. When one shows up in a reading, it usually points to something bigger than an everyday circumstance: a real turning point, a lesson that keeps resurfacing, or a theme large enough to shape a whole chapter rather than a single afternoon. For the full structural difference between these and the other 56 cards, see the Major vs. Minor Arcana guide.

• The Fool — Upright: A leap of faith, taken with more trust than certainty. Reversed: The same leap, but hesitated over.
• The Magician — Upright: Willpower turned into method. Reversed: Potential that hasn't found its outlet yet, or worse, has found the wrong one.
• The High Priestess — Upright: The wisdom that arrives before words do. Reversed: A disconnection from that inner voice, whether from busyness, distraction, or a habit of dismissing your own instincts as unreliable.
• The Empress — Upright: Abundance that grows because it's been given room. Reversed: Creative energy that has stalled, blocked by self-doubt, exhaustion, or simply too little space to breathe.
• The Emperor — Upright: Structure built by discipline, not luck. Reversed: Control that has hardened into rigidity, or authority that has stopped listening to anyone but itself.
• The Hierophant — Upright: Tradition as a place to stand, not a cage. Reversed: Questioning inherited beliefs that no longer serve you, or chafing against a convention that was never really yours to begin with.
• The Lovers — Upright: A union built on shared values rather than convenience. Reversed: Misalignment: a relationship or decision where the values have quietly drifted apart, or a choice that keeps getting postponed because neither option feels fully right.
• The Chariot — Upright: Victory through focus, not force. Reversed: A will divided against itself, pulled in two directions at once until neither gets anywhere.
• Strength — Upright: A courage that doesn't need to shout. Reversed: Self-doubt that has turned the same gentleness inward as harshness, a habit of speaking to yourself the way you'd never speak to someone you loved.
• The Hermit — Upright: Solitude chosen on purpose, as a way of finding something that crowds and noise would have drowned out. Reversed: Isolation that has curdled from a choice into an avoidance, withdrawal used to dodge a conversation or a truth rather than to find one.
• Wheel of Fortune — Upright: Change arriving on its own schedule, whether you feel ready or not. Reversed: Resistance to a turn that's coming whether it's welcomed or not, or a run of bad luck that feels personal but isn't.
• Justice — Upright: Truth weighed without a thumb on the scale. Reversed: An imbalance somewhere, a truth being avoided, a fairness being withheld, or consequences that have only been delayed rather than resolved.
• The Hanged Man — Upright: A willing surrender that changes the view. Reversed: Stalling mistaken for depth, or a suspension that's gone on so long it's become its own kind of avoidance.
• Death — Upright: An ending that clears the ground rather than salting it. Reversed: Resistance to an ending that's already arrived, clinging to a version of things that has stopped being true.
• Temperance — Upright: Balance found through patient blending. Reversed: Excess: forces combined too quickly, too carelessly, or in the wrong proportion, leaving something curdled instead of blended.
• The Devil — Upright: A chain that could be unfastened, if only it were noticed. Reversed: The first real pull toward freedom, seeing the chain clearly enough to finally consider stepping out of it.
• The Tower — Upright: A structure that was never as sound as it looked, coming down all at once. Reversed: A collapse narrowly avoided, or one that's been postponed at growing cost.
• The Star — Upright: Hope that returns after hardship has had its say. Reversed: Despair that's convinced you the light isn't coming back, or a wish that feels too far away to bother hoping for.
• The Moon — Upright: Uncertainty that speaks in symbols instead of sentences. Reversed: Confusion finally starting to lift, fear named clearly enough to be seen as smaller than it felt in the dark.
• The Sun — Upright: Clarity and warmth without a hidden cost. Reversed: A joy that's real but clouded, a success that hasn't been fully claimed or believed in yet.
• Judgement — Upright: A call to rise and account for who you've actually become. Reversed: Self-judgment turned so harsh it drowns out the actual call being made.
• The World — Upright: Completion, a cycle closed the way it deserved to be. Reversed: An ending that's almost there but not quite, loose threads keeping the sense of completion just out of reach.

Wands

Fire — action, ambition, creative drive, and momentum.

• Ace of Wands — Upright: A spark of inspiration, raw and immediate, arriving before there's a plan to go with it. Reversed: Inspiration that's flickered but not caught, an idea that keeps stalling before it becomes real action.
• Two of Wands — Upright: A plan taking shape, one hand on what's familiar and one already reaching toward the horizon. Reversed: Hesitation at the threshold, comfort chosen over the risk of the unknown even when the unknown is calling.
• Three of Wands — Upright: Expansion, the early stage where effort put in a while ago finally starts to show returns. Reversed: Delays abroad, or plans that haven't found solid footing yet despite real effort.
• Four of Wands — Upright: Celebration, a milestone worth pausing to mark before moving on to the next thing. Reversed: A celebration postponed, or a sense of belonging that hasn't quite settled in yet.
• Five of Wands — Upright: Friction, competing energies testing each other out loud rather than settling quietly. Reversed: Conflict avoided at the cost of ever really resolving it, tension that goes underground instead of getting settled.
• Six of Wands — Upright: Recognition, effort that gets seen and rewarded in front of others. Reversed: Recognition withheld, or a victory that feels strangely hollow once it arrives.
• Seven of Wands — Upright: Holding your ground, defending something you've built against challengers testing whether you'll flinch. Reversed: Exhaustion from defending too much for too long, a sense of being worn down by constant challenge.
• Eight of Wands — Upright: Swift movement, momentum finally released after a period of waiting. Reversed: Delays, momentum lost to scattered timing or crossed wires.
• Nine of Wands — Upright: Resilience, one more stand taken by someone who's already been tested and is still standing. Reversed: Burnout, a guard kept up so long after it stopped being necessary that it's become its own burden.
• Ten of Wands — Upright: A heavy load, carried close to the finish by someone who chose to take it all on. Reversed: Overload, a weight that should have been set down or shared long before now.
• Page of Wands — Upright: Eager curiosity, enthusiasm that hasn't yet been tested by real experience but burns bright anyway. Reversed: Scattered enthusiasm that keeps starting without following through.
• Knight of Wands — Upright: Bold pursuit, energy that moves before it's finished planning because waiting feels worse than risking. Reversed: Impulsiveness, a fire that burns fast, bright, and leaves too soon to finish what it started.
• Queen of Wands — Upright: Warmth with backbone, a confidence that draws people in without needing to perform for them. Reversed: Confidence turned brittle, warmth withheld out of hurt or self-protection.
• King of Wands — Upright: Visionary leadership, ambition matched with the skill to actually see it through. Reversed: Overreach, an ambition that stopped listening to advice or to the people it's meant to lead.

Cups

Water — emotion, relationships, intuition, and connection.

• Ace of Cups — Upright: An open heart, a new emotional beginning offered freely and without conditions. Reversed: An offer of feeling that's gone unopened, whether from fear, timing, or a simple missed connection.
• Two of Cups — Upright: Mutual connection, a bond entered by two equals meeting each other halfway. Reversed: An imbalance in a bond, one side giving more than the other and starting to notice it.
• Three of Cups — Upright: Shared joy, friendship and celebration enjoyed openly with people who make it better. Reversed: Overindulgence, or a circle strained by gossip, jealousy, or a third party complicating things.
• Four of Cups — Upright: Contemplation, a good offer sitting unnoticed because attention is turned elsewhere. Reversed: Stirring back to attention, noticing at last what had been offered and overlooked.
• Five of Cups — Upright: Grief over what's spilled, attention fixed so tightly on the loss that it's hard to see anything else. Reversed: Turning at last toward what still remains, acceptance beginning to replace the fixation on what's gone.
• Six of Cups — Upright: Nostalgia, comfort found in memory, childhood, or an old, familiar bond. Reversed: Living too much in the past, or the discomfort of finally outgrowing a nostalgia that's stopped serving you.
• Seven of Cups — Upright: A field of options, imagination offering more possibilities than can realistically be chosen. Reversed: Illusion clearing, choices narrowing down to what's actually real and available.
• Eight of Cups — Upright: Walking away from something once wanted, in search of a depth it stopped providing. Reversed: Staying out of fear of what leaving might mean, even after the reasons to go have piled up.
• Nine of Cups — Upright: Contentment, a wish fulfilled and enjoyed without needing to apologize for it. Reversed: Satisfaction that's surface-only, a comfort that looks complete from outside but doesn't feel that way from within.
• Ten of Cups — Upright: Emotional fulfillment, harmony shared with the people closest to you. Reversed: A happy picture with a crack still running through it, harmony that looks complete but has an unresolved tension underneath.
• Page of Cups — Upright: An emotional message, curiosity about feeling arriving in a fresh, still-innocent form. Reversed: Emotional immaturity, sensitivity that hasn't yet developed the self-awareness to manage itself well.
• Knight of Cups — Upright: A romantic offer, feeling pursued with grace, imagination, and genuine charm. Reversed: Idealism outrunning follow-through, charm without the substance to back it up.
• Queen of Cups — Upright: Emotional depth held with steadiness, compassion that doesn't lose itself in other people's feelings. Reversed: Moodiness, or compassion given until nothing is left in reserve.
• King of Cups — Upright: Emotional mastery, calm guidance offered through feeling rather than in spite of it. Reversed: Emotional suppression, calm that's really just distance in disguise.

Swords

Air — thought, conflict, truth, and communication.

• Ace of Swords — Upright: A clear idea breaking through, a truth stated plainly and without decoration. Reversed: Confusion, a truth stated but not yet fully understood or absorbed.
• Two of Swords — Upright: A stalemate, a decision deliberately deferred because both options feel equally impossible to choose. Reversed: The blindfold slipping, a decision no longer avoidable once new information forces the issue.
• Three of Swords — Upright: Heartbreak, a painful truth that cuts cleanly rather than slowly. Reversed: Healing beginning, or pain kept alive well past the point it needed to be felt.
• Four of Swords — Upright: Rest, a deliberate retreat taken before continuing rather than collapsing mid-task. Reversed: Forced rest, or a restlessness that won't allow the recovery it actually needs.
• Five of Swords — Upright: A hollow win, a conflict resolved but at a cost that makes the victory feel uncomfortable. Reversed: Reconciliation sought after a battle no one really won.
• Six of Swords — Upright: Moving on, a difficult passage undertaken toward calmer water even if the crossing itself isn't easy. Reversed: Resisting the crossing, staying tied to a difficult situation the current has already started carrying you away from.
• Seven of Swords — Upright: A strategic move made alone, not entirely in the open. Reversed: A strategy exposed, or a return to honesty after a period of working around the rules.
• Eight of Swords — Upright: Feeling trapped by a story more than by the actual facts of the situation. Reversed: The bindings loosening, a way out becoming visible once the limiting belief starts to lift.
• Nine of Swords — Upright: Anxiety, thoughts circling louder at night than the day ever allowed them to be. Reversed: Relief after anguish, catastrophizing finally named for what it is rather than treated as fact.
• Ten of Swords — Upright: A rock-bottom ending, painful but complete, with nothing left to lose from here. Reversed: Recovery beginning right where the fall stopped, the slow first movement after hitting bottom.
• Page of Swords — Upright: Sharp curiosity, a mind eager to question everything it encounters. Reversed: Gossip, a quick mind used carelessly or turned toward spreading half-truths.
• Knight of Swords — Upright: Decisive action, an idea driven forward at full speed with little patience for delay. Reversed: Recklessness, speed that has outrun judgment and left consequences unconsidered.
• Queen of Swords — Upright: Clear-eyed honesty, boundaries held without needing cruelty to hold them. Reversed: Coldness, honesty wielded more as a weapon than as a gift.
• King of Swords — Upright: Intellectual authority, judgment exercised fairly and without unnecessary sentiment clouding it. Reversed: Severity, authority that's hardened into detachment or coldness.

Pentacles

Earth — the practical and material: work, money, health, and stability.

• Ace of Pentacles — Upright: A tangible new opportunity, a seed worth planting even though the harvest is still far off. Reversed: An opportunity missed, or a foundation that isn't secure enough yet to build on safely.
• Two of Pentacles — Upright: Balancing priorities, adaptability tested by demands that keep shifting underfoot. Reversed: Overextension, too many balls in the air and not quite enough hands to keep them there.
• Three of Pentacles — Upright: Skilled collaboration, work recognized by the people who actually understand its worth. Reversed: Friction in teamwork, or effort that's going undervalued by the people receiving it.
• Four of Pentacles — Upright: Security built through control, holding tightly to what's been earned. Reversed: Holding too tightly, security curdled into a fear of loss so strong it stops any enjoyment of what's actually there.
• Five of Pentacles — Upright: Hardship, a cold walk past a door that's actually open but hard to see through the difficulty. Reversed: Recovery, help finally found after a real stretch of scarcity.
• Six of Pentacles — Upright: Generosity exchanged fairly, giving and receiving held in genuine balance. Reversed: An uneven exchange, generosity offered with strings attached or received with unease.
• Seven of Pentacles — Upright: Patient assessment, tending to something that's still growing and not ready to be judged yet. Reversed: Impatience with slow returns, a temptation to give up right before the growth would have shown.
• Eight of Pentacles — Upright: Dedicated craft, skill sharpened through repetition until it becomes something close to instinct. Reversed: Work done carelessly, or effort with no real craft or attention behind it.
• Nine of Pentacles — Upright: Self-sufficient comfort, ease earned through your own hand rather than given by anyone else. Reversed: Overwork in relentless pursuit of a comfort that keeps getting postponed.
• Ten of Pentacles — Upright: Lasting legacy, wealth or stability that outlives the person who built it. Reversed: Instability in what should be secure, cracks in a foundation assumed to be permanent.
• Page of Pentacles — Upright: Practical curiosity, a new skill approached with patience rather than a need for instant mastery. Reversed: Unrealistic plans, ambition that's outpaced the groundwork needed to support it.
• Knight of Pentacles — Upright: Steady effort, reliability that moves slowly but essentially never stops. Reversed: Stagnation, caution that has calcified into an unwillingness to move at all.
• Queen of Pentacles — Upright: Nurturing practicality, resources managed with real warmth rather than cold efficiency. Reversed: Overextension into caretaking, not enough left over for yourself once everyone else has been looked after.
• King of Pentacles — Upright: Material mastery, abundance built patiently and used wisely once it arrives. Reversed: Material excess, security mistaken for the entire point rather than a means to something more.

Want the longer version of any of these? Every meaning above is a short version of the full reading in the Card Meanings library — or skip the lookup entirely and draw a card to see what comes up for you tonight.