Guide

Tarot Card Meanings: All 78 Cards Explained (Complete Guide)

Q: What Are the 22 Cards in a Tarot Deck Called?

The 22 cards are called the Major Arcana (meaning "greater secrets"). They are numbered 0 through 21, beginning with The Fool and ending with The World. These cards represent major life themes, spiritual lessons, and significant turning points. The remaining 56 cards are called the Minor Arcana ("lesser secrets"), divided into four suits: Cups, Pentacles, Swords, and Wands. Together, the Major and Minor Arcana form the complete 78-card tarot deck.

Q: Are There 21 or 22 Major Arcana Cards?

There are 22 Major Arcana cards. The confusion arises because The Fool is numbered 0, not 1. So the cards run from 0 (The Fool) to 21 (The World), giving a total of 22 cards. Every standard tarot deck contains exactly 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana cards.

Q: What Is the 22nd Card in Tarot?

The 22nd Major Arcana card (numbered 21) is The World. It represents completion, accomplishment, integration, and wholeness. When The World appears in a reading, it signals the successful end of a cycle and the fulfillment of a goal. It is considered one of the most positive cards in the entire tarot deck. Read the full World tarot card meaning.

Q: Which Is the Most Powerful Tarot Card?

While every card holds power in the right context, The World (XXI) is widely considered the most powerful card in tarot because it represents total completion and mastery. Other candidates include The Tower (XVI) for its ability to shatter false structures, Death (XIII) for its transformative power, and The High Priestess (II) for her deep intuitive wisdom. The most powerful card in any reading is the one that speaks most directly to your situation.

Q: What Is the Most Spiritual Card in Tarot?

The High Priestess (II) is often regarded as the most spiritual card in the tarot. She represents intuition, sacred knowledge, the divine feminine, and the subconscious mind. Other deeply spiritual cards include The Hermit (IX) (inner wisdom and soul-searching), The Star (XVII) (hope, faith, and spiritual renewal), and Temperance (XIV) (divine balance and higher purpose). Read more about The High Priestess tarot meaning.

by Selin Aura 11 min read

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Key Takeaways

Complete Tarot Card Meanings: All 78 Cards Explained Last Updated: March 21, 2026 | Reviewed by: Deckaura Editorial Team | Reading Time: 5 min Welcome to the most comprehensive tarot card meaning guide online. This page contains all the tarot cards and their meanings, along with links to deta...

✓ Last updated: April 02, 2026 · Reviewed by Selin Aura

Complete Tarot Card Meanings: All 78 Cards Explained

Last Updated: March 21, 2026 | Reviewed by: Deckaura Editorial Team | Reading Time: 5 min

Welcome to the most comprehensive tarot card meaning guide online. This page contains all the tarot cards and their meanings, along with links to detailed guides for each card in a standard 78-card deck. Each guide includes meanings for upright, reversed, love, career, and yes/no answers.

A traditional tarot deck consists of 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana, representing major life themes, and 56 Minor Arcana in four suits, representing everyday experiences. Use this list of tarot card meanings as a reference point for every reading.

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Major Arcana Meanings (22 Cards)

The Major Arcana meanings symbolize important life events, spiritual lessons, and archetypal energies. These are the most powerful cards in the deck.

The Fool Tarot Card Meaning: New beginnings, innocence, spontaneity
The Magician Tarot Card Meaning: Manifestation, resourcefulness, power
II - The High Priestess: Intuition, mystery, hidden knowledge
The Empress Tarot Card Meaning: Abundance, fertility, nurturing
The Emperor Tarot Card Meaning: Authority, structure, stability
The Hierophant Tarot Card Meaning: Tradition, conformity, spiritual wisdom
The Lovers Tarot Card Meaning: Love, harmony, relationships, choices
The Chariot Tarot Card Meaning: Determination, willpower, victory
Strength Tarot Card Meaning: Inner strength, courage, patience
The Hermit Tarot Card Meaning: Solitude, introspection, inner guidance
X - Wheel of Fortune: Destiny, luck, cycles, turning points
Justice Tarot Card Meaning: Fairness, truth, karma, balance
XII - The Hanged Man: Surrender, new perspective, letting go
Death Tarot Card Meaning: Transformation, endings, new beginnings
Temperance Tarot Card Meaning: Balance, patience, moderation
The Devil Tarot Card Meaning: Bondage, temptation, shadow self
The Tower Tarot Card Meaning: Sudden change, upheaval, revelation
The Star Tarot Card Meaning: Hope, inspiration, renewal, healing
The Moon Tarot Card Meaning: Illusion, intuition, the subconscious
The Sun Tarot Card Meaning: Joy, success, vitality, positivity
Judgement Tarot Card Meaning: Rebirth, inner calling, absolution
The World Tarot Card Meaning: Completion, accomplishment, fulfillment

Minor Arcana Meanings (56 Cards)

The meanings of the Minor Arcana reflect everyday situations, emotions, challenges and opportunities across the four suits.

Suit of Wands (Fire Element)

Passion, creativity, ambition, action. Read the full Wands guide.

Suit of Cups (Water Element)

Emotions, relationships, intuition, love. Read the full Cups guide.

Suit of Swords (Air Element)

Intellect, conflict, truth, decisions. Read the full guide to Swords.

Suit of Pentacles (Earth Element)

Money, career, health, the material world. Read the full guide to the Pentacles.

How to Use This Tarot Card Meanings Guide

Click on any card above to read its full meaning, including upright, reversed, love, career, and yes/no interpretations. Each guide is designed for both beginners and experienced readers.

Quick Reference

Upright: Card energy expressed directly and positively
Reversed: Blocked, delayed, or internalized energy
Major Arcana: Significant life events and spiritual lessons
Minor Arcana: Everyday situations and temporary influences

Ready to start reading? Browse our collection of tarot decks for premium illustrated cards, explore oracle cards for intuitive guidance, or try our "Yes" or "No" oracle for quick answers. Learn how to perform "Yes" or "No" tarot readings with our free guide.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tarot Cards

What Are the 22 Cards in a Tarot Deck Called?

The 22 cards are called the Major Arcana (meaning "greater secrets"). They are numbered 0 through 21, beginning with The Fool and ending with The World. These cards represent major life themes, spiritual lessons, and significant turning points. The remaining 56 cards are called the Minor Arcana ("lesser secrets"), divided into four suits: Cups, Pentacles, Swords, and Wands. Together, the Major and Minor Arcana form the complete 78-card tarot deck.

Are There 21 or 22 Major Arcana Cards?

There are 22 Major Arcana cards. The confusion arises because The Fool is numbered 0, not 1. So the cards run from 0 (The Fool) to 21 (The World), giving a total of 22 cards. Every standard tarot deck contains exactly 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana cards.

What Is the 22nd Card in Tarot?

The 22nd Major Arcana card (numbered 21) is The World. It represents completion, accomplishment, integration, and wholeness. When The World appears in a reading, it signals the successful end of a cycle and the fulfillment of a goal. It is considered one of the most positive cards in the entire tarot deck. Read the full World tarot card meaning.

Which Is the Most Powerful Tarot Card?

While every card holds power in the right context, The World (XXI) is widely considered the most powerful card in tarot because it represents total completion and mastery. Other candidates include The Tower (XVI) for its ability to shatter false structures, Death (XIII) for its transformative power, and The High Priestess (II) for her deep intuitive wisdom. The most powerful card in any reading is the one that speaks most directly to your situation.

What Is the Most Spiritual Card in Tarot?

The High Priestess (II) is often regarded as the most spiritual card in the tarot. She represents intuition, sacred knowledge, the divine feminine, and the subconscious mind. Other deeply spiritual cards include The Hermit (IX) (inner wisdom and soul-searching), The Star (XVII) (hope, faith, and spiritual renewal), and Temperance (XIV) (divine balance and higher purpose). Read more about The High Priestess tarot meaning.

What Is the Unspoken Rule of Tarot Cards?

The most widely recognized unspoken rule of tarot is: never read your own cards when you are emotionally distressed about the question. Strong emotions cloud interpretation and lead to biased readings. Other respected traditions include: always ask permission before reading for someone else, never use tarot to make medical or legal decisions, avoid asking the same question repeatedly (respect the first answer), and treat your deck with care and intention. Learn the fundamentals in our how to read tarot cards guide.

Tarot Card Meanings. Available Across Platforms

This tarot card meanings guide is available as open data across multiple platforms for researchers, developers, and practitioners:

Data Science: Kaggle Dataset. Full dataset with 12 columns per card
Machine Learning: Hugging Face Dataset. ML-ready format
Python Developers: PyPI Package, pip install tarot-card-meanings
JavaScript Developers: NPM Package, npm install tarot-card-meanings
Interactive Analysis: Google Colab Notebook. Data visualization
Quick Reference: GitHub Gist. Markdown reference table
Developer Tutorial: Building a Tarot API (Dev.to)
Video Guide: YouTube Channel
Community: r/TarotvsOracle on Reddit

Free Tarot PDF Downloads

Download these free resources to deepen your tarot practice.

78 Card Cheat Sheet (PDF) Complete Beginner Guide (PDF) Academic Research Paper (PDF)

All 78 Tarot Card Meanings at a Glance

Card	Suit	Upright Keywords	Reversed Keywords	Yes/No
The Fool	Major Arcana	New beginnings, innocence, spontaneity	Recklessness, naivety, poor judgment	Yes
The Magician	Major Arcana	Willpower, manifestation, skill	Manipulation, trickery, wasted talent	Yes
The High Priestess	Major Arcana	Intuition, mystery, inner knowledge	Secrets, disconnection, withdrawal	Yes
The Empress	Major Arcana	Abundance, fertility, nurturing	Dependence, smothering, creative block	Yes
The Emperor	Major Arcana	Authority, structure, leadership	Tyranny, rigidity, lack of discipline	Yes
The Hierophant	Major Arcana	Tradition, spiritual wisdom, conformity	Rebellion, subversiveness, unorthodoxy	Yes
The Lovers	Major Arcana	Love, harmony, partnerships	Imbalance, misalignment, disharmony	Yes
The Chariot	Major Arcana	Determination, willpower, triumph	Aggression, lack of direction, no control	Yes
Strength	Major Arcana	Courage, inner strength, compassion	Self-doubt, weakness, insecurity	Yes
The Hermit	Major Arcana	Soul-searching, introspection, solitude	Isolation, loneliness, withdrawal	Yes
Wheel of Fortune	Major Arcana	Cycles, fate, turning point	Bad luck, resistance to change, setbacks	Yes
Justice	Major Arcana	Fairness, truth, law	Dishonesty, unfairness, lack of accountability	Yes
The Hanged Man	Major Arcana	Surrender, letting go, new perspective	Stalling, resistance, indecision	Maybe
Death	Major Arcana	Transformation, endings, transition	Resistance to change, fear, stagnation	No
Temperance	Major Arcana	Balance, moderation, patience	Imbalance, excess, lack of purpose	Yes
The Devil	Major Arcana	Shadow self, attachment, addiction	Release, breaking free, reclaiming power	No
The Tower	Major Arcana	Upheaval, sudden change, revelation	Avoidance, fear of change, delayed disaster	No
The Star	Major Arcana	Hope, renewal, serenity	Despair, disconnection, lack of faith	Yes
The Moon	Major Arcana	Illusion, intuition, the subconscious	Confusion, fear, misinterpretation	No
The Sun	Major Arcana	Joy, success, vitality	Temporary sadness, overly optimistic	Yes
Judgement	Major Arcana	Reflection, reckoning, awakening	Self-doubt, refusal of self-examination	Yes
The World	Major Arcana	Completion, achievement, fulfillment	Incompletion, shortcuts, emptiness	Yes
Ace of Wands	Wands	Inspiration, new venture, creative spark	Delays, lack of motivation, hesitation	Yes
Two of Wands	Wands	Planning, future vision, decisions	Fear of change, poor planning, impatience	Yes
Three of Wands	Wands	Expansion, foresight, overseas opportunities	Delays, frustration, obstacles	Yes
Five of Wands	Wands	Competition, conflict, diversity of opinion	Avoidance, inner conflict, compromise	No
Ten of Wands	Wands	Burden, responsibility, hard work	Delegation, breakdown, carrying too much	No
Page of Wands	Wands	Enthusiasm, exploration, free spirit	Hasty decisions, impatience, lack of direction	Yes
Knight of Wands	Wands	Energy, passion, adventure	Anger, impulsiveness, recklessness	Yes
Queen of Wands	Wands	Confidence, independence, determination	Jealousy, selfishness, demanding	Yes
King of Wands	Wands	Leadership, vision, big picture	Impulsiveness, ruthlessness, overbearing	Yes
Ace of Cups	Cups	New love, compassion, emotional awakening	Blocked emotions, emptiness, repression	Yes
Two of Cups	Cups	Partnership, unity, mutual attraction	Imbalance, breakup, disharmony	Yes
Three of Cups	Cups	Celebration, friendship, community	Overindulgence, gossip, isolation	Yes
Six of Cups	Cups	Nostalgia, childhood, innocence	Living in the past, unrealistic, naive	Yes
Ten of Cups	Cups	Harmony, family, happiness	Broken home, misalignment, family conflict	Yes
Page of Cups	Cups	Creative opportunity, curiosity, intuitive messages	Emotional immaturity, insecurity, escapism	Yes
Knight of Cups	Cups	Romance, charm, imagination	Moodiness, unrealistic, jealousy	Yes
Queen of Cups	Cups	Compassion, calm, emotional security	Codependency, insecurity, martyrdom	Yes
King of Cups	Cups	Emotional balance, diplomacy, wisdom	Manipulation, coldness, moodiness	Yes
Ace of Swords	Swords	Clarity, breakthrough, truth	Confusion, chaos, misinformation	Yes
Three of Swords	Swords	Heartbreak, sorrow, grief	Recovery, forgiveness, moving on	No
Five of Swords	Swords	Conflict, defeat, winning at all costs	Reconciliation, compromise, regret	No
Seven of Swords	Swords	Deception, strategy, cunning	Coming clean, confession, conscience	No
Ten of Swords	Swords	Painful endings, defeat, rock bottom	Recovery, regeneration, rising up	No
Page of Swords	Swords	Curiosity, mental agility, new ideas	Gossip, deception, all talk no action	Yes
Knight of Swords	Swords	Ambition, speed, determination	Impatience, impulsiveness, burnout	Yes
Queen of Swords	Swords	Clear boundaries, independence, direct communication	Coldness, bitterness, overly critical	Yes
King of Swords	Swords	Intellectual power, authority, truth	Quiet power misused, manipulation, cruelty	Yes
Ace of Pentacles	Pentacles	New financial opportunity, prosperity, abundance	Lost opportunity, poor planning, scarcity	Yes
Four of Pentacles	Pentacles	Security, conservation, control	Greed, materialism, possessiveness	Yes
Seven of Pentacles	Pentacles	Patience, long-term investment, assessment	Impatience, poor returns, lack of reward	Maybe
Nine of Pentacles	Pentacles	Luxury, self-sufficiency, financial independence	Over-investment in work, superficiality	Yes
Ten of Pentacles	Pentacles	Wealth, legacy, family, long-term success	Financial failure, family disputes, loss	Yes
Page of Pentacles	Pentacles	Ambition, desire to learn, new opportunity	Lack of focus, procrastination, laziness	Yes
Knight of Pentacles	Pentacles	Hard work, routine, reliability	Boredom, stubbornness, perfectionism	Yes
Queen of Pentacles	Pentacles	Nurturing, practical, financial security	Work-home imbalance, smothering, self-neglect	Yes
King of Pentacles	Pentacles	Wealth, business, stability, leadership	Greed, indulgence, materialism	Yes

Selin Aura

Tarot Practitioner & Founder of Deckaura

Tarot practitioner and spiritual deck designer with expertise in oracle card systems and divination. Author of The Beginner's Journey to Tarot. Founder of Deckaura, offering 30+ handcrafted oracle and tarot decks with free worldwide shipping.

Tarot Card Meanings: All 78 Cards Explained (Complete Guide)

Key Takeaways