How do you memorise the 78 tarot cards? Do not try to learn 78 sentences. Learn the structure first (22 major arcana, four suits, ten numbers), then a few keywords per card, and review them at spaced intervals. French learners often search for "mémoriser les cartes du tarot"; here are nine techniques that work with any deck.
You do not need to memorise everything
Experienced readers still open the guidebook now and then. The goal is to recognise a card and grasp its core idea. And 78 is smaller than it looks: 22 majors, plus 10 numbers, 4 suits and 4 court roles (Page, Knight, Queen, King) for the 56 minors. That is about 40 ideas (22 + 10 + 4 + 4 court roles), not 78.
Nine techniques
- Start with the 22 major arcana, then add one suit at a time (Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles). See our major arcana guide.
- Draw one card a day and write one sentence about it. Our one-card reading guide shows how.
- Keywords, not paragraphs. Make flash cards with three or four keywords per card, and test yourself aloud. The idea is built into our French-language learning deck: every card prints a one-sentence core meaning, four upright and four reversed keywords, and a question to ask yourself, so you can cover the text with your hand, say the meaning aloud, then check. A full French beginner course comes with the deck. Any deck can be learned this way with cards you make yourself; this one just saves the looking-up.
French-language learning tarot deck, 1909 art
Meanings printed on every card in French, a French guidebook in the box and the full course in French after purchase. Ships to the EU, UK, Switzerland and Iceland.
See the French deck- Tell the picture as a story. In the 1909 tradition the Five of Pentacles shows two figures in the snow passing a lit window: hardship, with help in plain sight.
- Learn the ten numbers once. Ace is a beginning, 2 a choice, 3 growth, 4 stability, 5 conflict, 6 harmony, 7 assessment, 8 movement, 9 near completion, 10 the end of a cycle. That gives you a solid base for 40 cards.
- Link each suit to an area of life: Wands to energy and action, Cups to emotions, Swords to thoughts and decisions, Pentacles to the material world.
- Follow the Fool's journey from 0 to XXI in three stages: acting, looking inward, then crisis and completion. In the 1909 numbering Strength is VIII and Justice XI; the Marseille tradition swaps them.
- Build personal associations, and place the majors in the rooms of your home (a memory palace).
- Review at spaced intervals (next day, three days, a week, three weeks) and explain each card aloud.
A self-test you can do in five minutes
Shuffle and draw three cards without opening the guidebook. For each one, say what you see in the picture, what its number and suit suggest, and one keyword you remember. Only then check. Count how many you got roughly right: that is your progress for the week. Reading the picture first is the habit we like to build, because it turns memorising into understanding.
Common traps when memorising
- Learning all 78 in one weekend. The cards blur together. Small daily blocks work better than one marathon.
- Copying definitions word for word. Keywords in your own language stay longer than a paragraph from a book.
- Mixing traditions without noticing. A Marseille guide and a 1909 deck disagree on a few things, such as the numbers of Strength and Justice and the scenes on the numbered 2 to 10 cards. Pick one source for the first month.
- Ignoring the practice. Reading about the cards is not the same as drawing them. Pull a card every day, even for two minutes.
A four-week plan
Week 1: majors 0 to VII. Week 2: majors VIII to XXI. Week 3: the ten numbers, Wands and Cups. Week 4: Swords, Pentacles, court cards and review. Treat it as a suggestion, not a promise. For a wider programme, see our guide to all 78 cards.
Questions
How long does it take to learn the 78 tarot cards?
There is no standard length; it depends on your pace. The four-week plan above is a suggestion for building the foundations, and familiarity with all 78 cards grows with practice.
Do I need to know every meaning before reading?
No. Start with a handful of cards and your guidebook beside you; memory comes with use.
Should I learn reversed cards at the start?
No. Learn each card upright first; reversals come next, as a nuance.
Includes a free full tarot course in English
Includes a free full tarot course in English
