Why are there 78 cards in a tarot deck? A standard tarot card deck has 78 cards because it joins two older systems: 22 Major Arcana trump cards and 56 Minor Arcana suit cards. That structure took shape in 15th-century Italian card games and was locked in by French Tarot de Marseille printers in the 1700s.
We have shipped 78-card decks to more than 68,000 buyers on Etsy, with a 4.9-star rating across 20,000+ reviews, so this question lands in our inbox almost weekly. Below is the full answer: where the number 78 comes from, how the cards are grouped, and what to look for when you choose your own deck.
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How a 78-Card Tarot Deck Breaks Down
Every standard tarot deck of 78 cards splits into the same two families. The Major Arcana carries the big life themes. The Minor Arcana covers everyday situations, the texture of daily life between those big turning points.
| Group | Cards | What they cover |
|---|---|---|
| Major Arcana | 22 (numbered 0 to 21) | Major life lessons, karmic themes, turning points |
| Minor Arcana | 56 (4 suits of 14) | Daily events, emotions, work, money, relationships |
| Total | 78 | A complete map of human experience |
Each Minor Arcana suit runs from Ace through 10, then adds four court cards: Page, Knight, Queen, and King. Four suits of 14 cards gives you 56, and 56 plus 22 equals 78. Simple math, but the history behind it is anything but accidental.
Why 78? The History Behind the Number
Tarot began in northern Italy in the early-to-mid 1400s as a card game called carte da trionfi, or "triumph cards," later known as tarocchi. Wealthy families commissioned hand-painted decks, and the Visconti-Sforza cards from 1440s Milan are among the earliest that survive today. Players took an ordinary four-suit pack and added a fifth set of allegorical trump cards on top.
The trump count was not fixed at first. Different regions played with different numbers, and the Florentine Minchiate deck ballooned to 97 cards. Over time, the version with 22 trumps and 56 suit cards won out across Italy and France.
The number stuck thanks to print, not mysticism. French workshops produced the Tarot de Marseille pattern in huge quantities through the 1600s and 1700s, and their 78-card template became the standard everyone copied. When occultists later turned tarot into a tool of divination, they inherited that structure and filled it with meaning: 22 paths, 4 elements, 78 doors into a single candlelit room.
You can still read with that original French structure today. Our Tarot de Marseille Vintage Edition keeps the historic woodcut look on modern 300GSM cardstock, all 78 cards included.
The 22 Major Arcana: Big Lessons, Numbered 0 to 21
The Major Arcana holds 22 cards, starting with The Fool at 0 and ending with The World at 21. These are the cards people recognize even if they have never held a deck: Death, The Lovers, The Moon, The Tower. In a reading, a Major card signals that something larger than the everyday is moving through your life.
A question we hear often: what is the 22nd tarot card? Counting from The Fool as the first card, The World is the 22nd and final card of the Major Arcana. Some readers flip it and call The Fool the "22nd card" instead, because it carries the number 0 and stands outside the numbered sequence. Either way, the Major Arcana contains exactly 22 cards, no more.
If you want the meaning of every single one, our Tarot Card Meanings hub links to a full guide for each of the 78 cards, upright and reversed.
The 56 Minor Arcana: Four Suits of 14 Cards
The Minor Arcana works like a deepened version of a regular playing card pack. Four suits, each tied to an element and an area of life:
| Suit | Element | Life area |
|---|---|---|
| Wands | Fire | Energy, passion, creative drive |
| Cups | Water | Emotions, love, intuition |
| Swords | Air | Thought, conflict, truth |
| Pentacles | Earth | Money, work, home, the body |
Each suit contains Ace through 10 plus four court cards. The Page brings news, the Knight brings movement, the Queen embodies the suit, and the King directs it. In older decks, Pentacles often appears as Coins, and some modern systems call the suit Disks. Same 14 cards, different name on the label.
Tarot Grouping: Other Ways Readers Divide the 78 Cards
The Major and Minor split is only the first layer of tarot grouping. Readers slice the deck several other ways, and each grouping changes what you notice in a spread:
- Trumps, pips, and courts. 22 trumps, 40 numbered pip cards, 16 court cards. Many courts in one spread usually means many people are involved in the situation.
- By element. Group the 56 Minor cards into Fire, Water, Air, and Earth, and the dominant element shows the mood of the moment.
- By number. All four Aces speak of beginnings, all four Fives of friction. Reading across numbers reveals patterns a single card hides.
- Three lines of seven. Setting The Fool aside, the 21 numbered Majors form three rows of seven: the worldly path, the inner path, and the cosmic path.
None of these groupings replaces the 78-card structure. They are lenses laid over it, the kind of pattern-spotting that turns a stack of printed cards into a mystical practice you can sit with at a quiet altar or a kitchen table.
Do All Tarot Decks Have 78 Cards?
Yes, almost every modern tarot deck has exactly 78 cards. The two dominant traditions both follow the count: the Tarot de Marseille and the Rider-Waite-Smith. The Rider-Waite deck appeared in 1909, published by William Rider and Son, designed by A. E. Waite and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith, whose scenes on every Minor card made the system far easier to learn. Waite explained all 78 cards in his companion volume, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, which is the book most people mean when they search for the original Rider Waite tarot deck book.
A few exceptions exist. Historic decks like the Minchiate carried extra trumps. Some contemporary artists add one or two bonus cards as a signature. And oracle decks are a different category entirely: an oracle deck has no fixed card count, with most running between 36 and 64 cards, while traditional Lenormand decks hold 36.
| Deck type | Card count | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Tarot (Marseille, Rider-Waite-Smith) | 78 | 22 Major + 56 Minor, fixed |
| Minchiate (historic) | 97 | Expanded trumps, mostly collected today |
| Lenormand | 36 | Fixed set of symbol cards |
| Oracle | Varies (often 36-64) | Free-form, set by each creator |
So when a listing says "tarot deck, 78 cards," that line is a quality marker. It tells you the deck is complete and follows the full system, which means every guidebook, course, and card-meaning resource will match what is in the box.
How to Check That a Deck Really Has All 78 Cards
Shopping for a 78-card tarot deck, especially secondhand or from an unfamiliar shop, takes one extra minute of care. A deck missing even one card frustrates readings later, because spreads assume the full set is in play. Here is the quick count we use in our own studio before any deck ships:
- Count the Majors first. Lay out the trumps and check the numbers run 0 through 21 with nothing skipped. That confirms 22.
- Sort the Minors by suit. Each suit should hold 14 cards: Ace through 10, then Page, Knight, Queen, King. Four complete suits confirm 56.
- Watch for extras. Many decks include 1-2 info cards or a title card. Set those aside before counting, so the working deck totals exactly 78.
- Check the listing for the word "78". Reputable sellers state the count plainly. Every Dark Forest deck page lists all 78 cards plus the included guidebook, box, cloth, or velvet bag depending on the set you pick.
New decks can also feel slightly sticky on the first shuffle. That is normal lamination settling, not a defect, and it fades after a few sessions with the cards.
Which 78-Card Deck Should You Start With?
Start with a deck built on the Rider-Waite-Smith system, because nearly every learning resource assumes it. The scenes on the Minor cards act as built-in memory hooks, so you spend your evenings reading by candlelight instead of memorizing lists.
Our Smith-Waite Tarot Borderless Vintage ($34.99) is the deck we recommend to first-time readers. All 78 cards on eco linen cardstock with a smooth shuffle, borderless vintage artwork, and a printed guidebook in the box. Buyers call the cardstock "thick" and the artwork "gorgeous" in review after review.
If you want something with more shimmer for moonlight rituals, the Moonlight Tarot Cards Gold Rainbow Foil ($34.99) carries the same 78-card system under a lunar gold-foil finish that shifts color as the cards move. It is our flagship deck and a frequent "perfect gift" pick in reviews.
Not sure which style fits you? Our guide on how to choose tarot cards walks through cardstock, finish, and artwork step by step. And every Dark Forest deck ships with all 78 cards plus a guidebook, with a free extended version in our online tarot guidebook covering all 78 cards.
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Subscribe and Claim Your GiftFAQ: 78 Cards in a Tarot Deck
How many cards are in a tarot deck?
A standard tarot deck contains 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana cards numbered 0 to 21, and 56 Minor Arcana cards split into four suits of 14 cards each (Ace through 10 plus Page, Knight, Queen, and King).
Why does a tarot deck have 78 cards?
The 78-card structure comes from 15th-century Italian card games that added 22 trump cards to a 56-card suited pack. French Tarot de Marseille printers mass-produced this 78-card format in the 1600s and 1700s, and it became the lasting standard.
What is the 22nd tarot card?
Counting The Fool (0) as the first card, The World (21) is the 22nd and final card of the Major Arcana. Some readers instead call The Fool the 22nd card because it sits outside the numbered sequence. The Major Arcana always totals exactly 22 cards.
How many cards are in an oracle deck?
Oracle decks have no fixed card count. Most contain between 36 and 64 cards, set freely by each creator. Traditional Lenormand decks contain 36 cards. Only tarot follows the fixed 78-card structure of 22 Major and 56 Minor Arcana.
Do you need all 78 cards to read tarot?
For full readings, yes, you want the complete 78-card deck, since the Minor Arcana carries the everyday detail of a spread. Some beginners practice with only the 22 Major Arcana at first, then add the Minor cards as their confidence grows.
What book explains all 78 tarot cards?
The classic is The Pictorial Key to the Tarot by A. E. Waite, the companion book to the original 1909 Rider-Waite deck. Every Dark Forest deck also includes a printed guidebook covering all 78 cards, plus a free extended guidebook online.
All 78 cards, one quiet evening, and a question you have been carrying: that is all a first reading takes. Our decks ship from USA and Europe warehouses with 1-2 day processing, and returns are accepted within 14 days. Join 68,000+ readers who started their divination practice with a Dark Forest deck, and use code STAR20 for 20% off.
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