Tarot card meanings

By Maren Tremblay, Fatesight editor · Last updated November 1, 2026

Tarot card meanings are what each of the 78 cards of the tarot is read as, upright and reversed. The deck has 22 Major Arcana cards for life's big themes and 56 Minor Arcana cards in four suits, Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles, for everyday matters.

All 78 cards of the tarot, each with its meaning upright and reversed, what it says about love and work, and how it reads as a yes or no answer.

The parts of the tarot deck, their elements and what each is read as
Part of the deck	Cards	Element	Read as
Major Arcana	22, from the Fool to the World	Each its own planet or sign	Big themes and turning points
Wands	14	Fire	Drive, ambition and new projects
Cups	14	Water	Love, feelings and relationships
Swords	14	Air	Thoughts, conflict and decisions
Pentacles	14	Earth	Work, money and the material world

How to use this page

Look up any card below for its upright and reversed meaning, what it says about love and work, and how it reads as a yes or no. To have a card drawn for you, try the free three-card reading, the yes or no tarot or the card of the day, and the tarot spreads show which layout fits which question.

The deck these meanings follow

The meanings here follow the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, drawn by Pamela Colman Smith to A. E. Waite's design and first published in 1909. It is the deck most modern tarot books describe, and Waite's own Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910) is the source this page cites. Older decks, such as the Tarot de Marseille, number and picture some cards differently.

Court cards

Each suit has four court cards: the Page, Knight, Queen and King. They are read either as people in your life or as ways of acting, the Page as a beginner's curiosity, the Knight as action, the Queen as mastery turned inward and the King as mastery in charge.

The Major Arcana

Twenty-two cards for the big themes: beginnings and endings, choices, turning points and what you are learning along the way.

Wands

The suit of fire: energy, drive, ambition and creative spark.

Cups

The suit of water: feelings, relationships, intuition and imagination.

Swords

The suit of air: thoughts, truth, decisions and difficult conversations.

Pentacles

The suit of earth: work, money, home and the practical side of life.

How to read a card

Every card has an upright and a reversed meaning. Upright, its theme is open and flowing; reversed, the same theme is blocked, held back or turned inward. Read the card as a prompt to think, not as a verdict.

The four suits

The 56 cards of the Minor Arcana are four suits of fourteen: Ace to Ten, then the Page, Knight, Queen and King. Each suit has an element and an area of life, and the court cards often stand for people or for ways of acting.

Tarot cards: questions people ask

How many cards are in a tarot deck?

78: the 22 Major Arcana and the 56 Minor Arcana, which are four suits of 14 cards each, Ace to Ten plus the Page, Knight, Queen and King.

What does a reversed tarot card mean?

A card drawn upside down. It is read as the card's theme blocked, delayed or turned inward rather than as its opposite. Some readers don't use reversals at all.

Which tarot card means love?

The Lovers is the best-known love card, and the Two of Cups is read as a new bond between two people. The whole suit of Cups is read as feelings and relationships.

Can you read tarot for yourself?

Yes. Many people start with one card a day and a simple question. The card of the day and the yes or no tarot are an easy way in.