Every tarot reader remembers the moment a card stopped them cold and they thought: what does this actually mean? Tarot card meanings are the language the deck speaks, and learning them is less about memorizing a dictionary and more about building a relationship with 78 distinct symbols.
What are tarot card meanings? Each tarot card carries a set of upright and reversed interpretations drawn from centuries of symbolism, elemental theory, and the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition. The 78 cards divide into 22 Major Arcana (life's big lessons) and 56 Minor Arcana (everyday situations across four suits). Together they map the full range of human experience.
This guide covers every one of those 78 cards, with upright keywords, reversed keywords, and a Yes/No answer for each. Interpretations follow the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, the imagery created by Arthur Edward Waite and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith in 1909 and still the most widely used tarot system in the world. Backed by more than 60,000 verified buyer reviews and a 4.9-star rating on Etsy, Dark Forest Tarot Cards has become a trusted source for readers who take both craft and aesthetics seriously.
If you want to read along with a physical deck, our Smith-Waite Borderless Vintage is the best companion for this guide. Its clean, borderless design makes the card symbols easy to study.
How to use this guide: Find the card you pulled in the table for its suit (or scroll the Major Arcana section). Read the upright meaning if the card appeared right-side up, the reversed meaning if it was upside-down. Each card name links to a full in-depth article where one exists.
Major Arcana Meanings -- All 22 Cards
The Major Arcana are the 22 cards that carry the heaviest symbolic weight in a tarot deck. They follow what readers call the Fool's Journey: the Fool (card 0) sets out into the world knowing nothing, encounters teachers and trials represented by cards I through XXI, and arrives at the World (card XXI) having completed a full cycle of experience. When a Major Arcana card appears in a reading, it signals a significant theme or turning point rather than a routine daily matter. The more Major Arcana cards you pull in a spread, the more a situation touches on deeper life patterns rather than surface circumstances.
What are the 22 Major Arcana cards? They are: 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.
Minor Arcana Meanings -- All 56 Cards
The 56 Minor Arcana cards reflect the texture of everyday life: the decisions, emotions, conflicts, and small wins that fill each day. They are split into four suits of 14 cards each. Every suit has an Ace through Ten, plus four court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King). The suit tells you which area of life the card touches. The number or rank tells you what stage that situation is at.
Suit of Wands -- Fire, Action, Ambition
Wands correspond to the element of Fire and the fire signs Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. This suit governs creative energy, ambition, career drive, and the spark that pushes you to start something new. When Wands dominate a reading, there is momentum present, but also a risk of burning out or acting without enough planning. Wands are the suit of what you want to build and why it excites you.
Suit of Cups -- Water, Emotion, Relationships
Cups correspond to the element of Water and the water signs Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. This suit rules the emotional world: love, intuition, relationships, grief, creativity, and spiritual connection. Many readers find Cups the most personal suit because these cards speak directly to how things feel rather than how they look on paper. A reading heavy with Cups suggests the emotional dimension of a situation needs attention before action makes sense.
Suit of Swords -- Air, Intellect, Conflict
Swords correspond to the element of Air and the air signs Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. This suit covers the mind: thoughts, communication, conflict, truth, and decision-making. Swords can be uncomfortable cards to pull because they show situations as they actually are, without softening the picture. That directness is their gift. Three of our published in-depth guides live in this suit.
Suit of Pentacles -- Earth, Work, Abundance
Pentacles correspond to the element of Earth and the earth signs Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. This suit governs practical matters: money, work, health, home, and the slow-building kind of progress that comes from showing up consistently. Pentacles are grounding cards. They ask you to look at what is real and tangible in a situation rather than what is hoped for or feared. When Pentacles dominate a reading, resources, security, and practical planning deserve attention.
How to Read Tarot Cards with This Guide
The first thing to know is that tarot meanings are not fixed rules. They are starting points. The Rider-Waite-Smith tradition gives each card a set of core themes, and those themes interact with the question you asked, the position the card landed in, and the other cards around it.
Upright vs reversed: An upright card expresses its energy in a direct, forward-moving way. A reversed card (drawn or placed upside-down) often signals that same energy turned inward, delayed, or meeting resistance. Some readers use reversals, some do not. Neither approach is wrong. If you are new to reading, starting with upright meanings only is a practical choice until the cards feel familiar.
Which card did you pull? Scroll to its suit table above and read across the row. If it is a Major Arcana card, check the first table. The Yes/No column gives a quick intuitive answer: Yes means the energy generally favors a positive outcome, No means it signals a challenge or block, and Maybe means the outcome is genuinely uncertain or conditional.
A full guide to reading tarot spreads, choosing a layout, and interpreting card combinations is coming soon as part of this series. The cards in the tables above link to longer individual guides as they are published. Check back as we work through all 78.
Your Deck Matters
Meanings come alive when you read with cards that hold your attention. A deck you find beautiful is one you will actually pick up. The images matter because your eye is always catching something new, and that is where intuition enters the reading.
Our Smith-Waite Borderless Vintage follows the original Rider-Waite-Smith symbolism, the same system this guide is based on. The borderless design keeps your focus on the imagery, and the eco linen cardstock makes the cards smooth and pleasant to shuffle. It is the deck we recommend for readers studying card meanings because every symbol Pamela Colman Smith drew is visible and clear.
If you want something with more visual drama, the Moonlight Tarot and our other foil and holographic decks carry the same 78 cards in finishes that catch the light. More than 60,000 customers have chosen our decks. The most common thing they say is that the pictures do not do the cards justice. You have to hold them.
Browse our full range of craft tarot decks and best sellers to find the one that speaks to you.
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Subscribe and Claim Your GiftFrequently Asked Questions
What do tarot cards represent?
Tarot cards represent the full range of human experience through symbolic imagery. The 78 cards in a standard deck cover life themes from new beginnings and love to loss, ambition, fear, and spiritual growth. Each card's symbols draw from astrology, numerology, Kabbalah, and Renaissance art. When used for readings, the cards act as mirrors: they reflect patterns in a situation back to the reader so the person can see it from a new angle. Tarot does not predict the future in a fixed sense; it offers perspective on what forces are currently active in a situation and what possible paths exist.
What are the 22 Major Arcana cards?
The 22 Major Arcana cards are: The Fool (0), The Magician (I), The High Priestess (II), The Empress (III), The Emperor (IV), The Hierophant (V), The Lovers (VI), The Chariot (VII), Strength (VIII), The Hermit (IX), Wheel of Fortune (X), Justice (XI), The Hanged Man (XII), Death (XIII), Temperance (XIV), The Devil (XV), The Tower (XVI), The Star (XVII), The Moon (XVIII), The Sun (XIX), Judgement (XX), and The World (XXI). Together they trace what readers call the Fool's Journey -- a symbolic path through the major milestones of a human life.
What are all 78 tarot cards?
A standard tarot deck contains 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana. The Minor Arcana divides into four suits of 14 cards each. The Suit of Wands (Fire) covers action and ambition. The Suit of Cups (Water) covers emotion and relationships. The Suit of Swords (Air) covers intellect and conflict. The Suit of Pentacles (Earth) covers work and material life. Each suit runs from an Ace through Ten, plus four court cards: Page, Knight, Queen, and King. All 78 meanings with upright and reversed keywords are listed in the tables on this page.
Which is the strongest card in tarot?
There is no single strongest card in tarot because each card carries its own type of power. That said, certain cards consistently signal major life shifts. The World (XXI) represents completion and mastery -- the highest point of the Major Arcana cycle. The Wheel of Fortune signals fate-level turning points outside personal control. Death (XIII) signals profound transformation, not literal death. The Tower (XVI) signals sudden, unavoidable change. In practical readings, the card that carries the most weight is usually the one that resonates most strongly with the question asked, regardless of its number or suit.
What is the difference between upright and reversed tarot meanings?
An upright card expresses its core energy outwardly and actively. A reversed card (drawn upside-down) typically indicates that the same energy is blocked, delayed, internalized, or expressing itself in a more challenging way. For example, the upright Ace of Cups signals new emotional beginnings; reversed, it can point to blocked creativity or emotional withdrawal. Not all readers use reversals. Some readers interpret all cards upright and rely on surrounding cards for nuance. If you are learning tarot, starting with upright meanings only is a reasonable approach until the deck feels familiar.
Can you read tarot cards for yourself?
Yes. Reading tarot for yourself is one of the most common ways people use the cards. Many readers do daily one-card pulls as a journaling or reflection practice. The main challenge with self-reading is objectivity: it is easy to over-interpret cards that confirm what you want to hear or dismiss cards that make you uncomfortable. A few practical habits help: write your reading down before analyzing it, sit with the cards for a few minutes before reaching for meaning, and resist reshuffling if you draw a card you do not like. With practice, self-reading becomes a useful tool for thinking through decisions and understanding your own patterns.
Do you need a special deck to read tarot?
No specific deck is required, but choosing one based on the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition makes it much easier to learn because the vast majority of books, courses, and guides (including this one) reference that imagery. Any deck you find genuinely beautiful and can read intuitively is a good deck. The physical quality of the cards matters more than many beginners expect: thick cardstock shuffles more smoothly, the images stay clear longer, and cards you enjoy handling are cards you will actually use. Our Smith-Waite Borderless Vintage is a strong starting point for anyone learning from this guide.
