The complete deck
Tarot Card Meanings
All 78 cards of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, upright and reversed, with what each one says about love, work, money and the choices in front of you.
A Tarot deck tells its stories in two layers. The 22 cards of the Major Arcana describe the big themes of a life – beginnings, choices, endings, hope – while the 56 cards of the Minor Arcana, split into four suits, describe the moods, people and events of ordinary days.
Each page below explains one card the way a reader learns it: what the image shows, what the card means upright and reversed, how it reads in a love, career or money question, and what it suggests you do next. The meanings follow the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition of 1909, which most modern decks still build on.
Major Arcana
The 22 named cards from The Fool (0) to The World (XXI), describing the great lessons, turning points and forces in a life.
View all 22: Major Arcana
Suit of Wands
The suit of fire: drive, inspiration, ambition and the courage to act. Wands describe what you want to create and how you go after it.
View all 14: Suit of Wands
Suit of Cups
The suit of water: emotions, relationships, intuition and imagination. Cups describe what you feel and how you connect with others.
View all 14: Suit of Cups
Suit of Swords
The suit of air: the mind, words, truth and conflict. Swords describe how you think, decide and communicate – and what worries you.
View all 14: Suit of Swords
Suit of Pentacles
The suit of earth: money, work, home, health and the things you build over time. Pentacles describe what is real, solid and lasting.
View all 14: Suit of Pentacles
How to use these meanings
Treat a meaning as a starting point, not a verdict. The same card can feel encouraging in one question and cautionary in another, so read it alongside the position it fell in and the cards around it.
A reversed card is not simply the "bad" version. It usually shows the card’s energy blocked, delayed, turned inward or overdone. Notice what you feel when you read a card: that reaction is often the most useful part of the reading.