Tarot Card Meanings Guide

Overview

A tarot card meaning is the symbolic interpretation of one card in a standard 78-card deck: 22 Major Arcana for life themes and 56 Minor Arcana in four suits—Cups, Wands, Swords, and Pentacles. PullTarot lists upright and reversed readings for love, career, and daily reflection, as entertainment rather than a guaranteed outcome.

Key takeaways

  1. A standard tarot deck has 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana.
  2. Cups cover emotion and relationships; Wands cover drive; Swords cover decisions; Pentacles cover work and material life.
  3. Upright usually reads as the card’s energy in the open; reversed often reads as blocked, internalized, or delayed—not automatically “bad.”
  4. Look up a card after a tarot pull, then read it against your question rather than as a fixed prediction.
  5. PullTarot is the publisher of this 78-card library for readers in the United States and Canada.

Look up any card after a tarot pull, or study the full deck. Each page covers symbolism plus upright and reversed interpretations. Start the Major Arcana at The Fool tarot meaning, then return here or open a topic reading (including the love tarot reading) or a spread layout.

Major Arcana

22 cards · life lessons and turning points

The 22 Major Arcana cards mark life's karmic lessons, major events, and turning points.

Together they form The Fool's Journey—a story of growth from innocence toward greater self-awareness.

Start with The Fool tarot meaning (card 0): new beginnings, a leap of faith, and the first step of the Major Arcana. That page is the gateway into all 78 meanings on PullTarot.

  • Appear for milestones and deep transformation
  • Signal high-stakes or long-arc themes in a reading
  • Offer reflection prompts, not fixed predictions

Minor Arcana

The four suits of daily life

The 56 Minor Arcana cards cover everyday concerns and current energies in daily life. All four suits are on this page, so a crawler does not need a separate filtered URL.

  • Cups (Water) — emotions and relationships
  • Wands (Fire) — energy and creativity
  • Swords (Air) — thoughts and decisions
  • Pentacles (Earth) — work, money, and the body

How to use this library: pick cards by question, not alphabetically

This library is easier to use when you start from the question in your body, not from The Fool and a plan to memorize seventy-eight pages. Alphabet order is a filing system. Question-type is a reading practice. Name the climate first—love, a stuck decision, an ending, a beginning, money, or a need to sit still—then open three cards that speak that climate. The finder table below is that map.

Three starting cards for each question type. Open a meaning, then pull a spread if you need the full picture.
Question typeSuggested cards
love & relationships
decisions & stalemates
endings & change
new beginnings
career & money
self-reflection

Love and relationships live in the cups and in The Lovers: how two people meet, what they share, and whether a household still feels like home. Decisions and stalemates belong to swords and to Justice or The Hanged Man, when the work is to look, wait, or weigh. Endings and change are Death, the Ten of Swords, and The Tower—three different kinds of finish. New beginnings start with The Fool and the aces, seeds rather than trophies. Career and money sit in the pentacles, from a first opportunity to a structure that outlives a paycheck. Self-reflection is the inner row: Hermit, High Priestess, Judgement.

Spread size is the next choice. One card is a snapshot: “What is the climate of this question today?” Three cards make a sentence— situation, crossing, advice, or past / present / next honest step. The Celtic Cross is a full-room map when the question is large and you have time to sit with ten positions. Do not jump to ten cards because the situation feels dramatic. Jump because you need every chair in the room labeled. Practice layouts on the tarot spreads guide.

Cards also change when they sit next to each other. Death beside The Star is not the same sentence as Death beside a pile of swords. A combination is one interaction—how two images revise each other—not a third invented card. When a pair in a reading keeps tapping your shoulder, open the card combinations hub and read the live pair pages as a study aid. Then come back to your question. The library is for looking up language. The reading is for applying it to a Tuesday in your actual life, in the country and city you are actually standing in.

If you only have five minutes, pick the finder row, open one card, and write a single sentence about how it names the climate—not how it predicts an outcome. That is enough of a practice to use this hub the way it was built: as a question-first library, not an alphabetical exam.

How to use this tarot card meanings guide

This hub lists all 78 tarot card meanings—Major and Minor Arcana—with upright and reversed notes for love, career, health, and personal growth.

Start with a card from a recent pull, or browse by suit when you are learning the deck.

  • Open any card page for symbols, keywords, and context
  • Compare upright vs reversed energy on the same card
  • Cross-check with your question before drawing conclusions

Major Arcana (22): spiritual lessons and major life events.

Minor Arcana (56): Cups, Wands, Swords, and Pentacles for everyday situations.

Each suit has ten numbered cards (Ace–Ten) plus four court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King).

A Brief History of Tarot

Tarot began in the 15th century as playing cards in Europe (World History Encyclopedia).

Early luxury decks such as the Visconti-Sforza tarot shaped the imagery in Renaissance Italy.

Centuries later the system was adapted for reflection and cartomancy. Readers still use these symbols for personal growth and intuitive practice.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tarot Card Meanings

What are tarot cards?

Tarot cards are a deck of 78 cards, each with unique imagery and symbolism. They are used for divination, self-reflection, and spiritual guidance, helping people gain insight into their lives and situations.

What is the difference between Major and Minor Arcana?

The Major Arcana consists of 22 cards representing major life events and spiritual lessons, while the Minor Arcana includes 56 cards divided into four suits, focusing on everyday experiences and challenges.

How do I interpret tarot card meanings?

Interpret tarot cards by considering their imagery, symbolism, and traditional meanings. Trust your intuition and reflect on how each card's message applies to your question or situation. Upright and reversed positions can offer different insights.

Can tarot predict the future?

Tarot is best used as a tool for guidance and self-discovery rather than fortune-telling. It can highlight potential outcomes and offer advice, but your actions and choices shape your future.

How many cards are in a tarot deck?

A standard tarot deck contains 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana cards representing life's spiritual lessons and turning points, and 56 Minor Arcana cards across four suits (Cups, Wands, Swords, Pentacles) with 14 cards each.

Where can I learn more about tarot?

Explore the PullTarot blog for tarot tips, spreads, and in-depth guides, or get a personalized tarot reading for deeper insight.

tarot card meanings

Tarot card meanings are the upright and reversed interpretations of all 78 cards—22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana—used as a language for reflection, not as a script of what must happen. On PullTarot each meaning page covers keywords, symbolism, and how the card shows up in love, work, and daily questions. Start from the question you are actually asking, then open the card that names that climate. Use the library as a study tool before or after a free reading.

how to read tarot card meanings

How to read tarot card meanings: name the question, note the card’s image and keywords, then apply only the part that fits the position in your spread. Upright and reversed are climates, not moral scores. One card is a snapshot; three cards make a sentence; a Celtic Cross maps a whole situation. PullTarot’s pages are written for that practice—compare the text with your life instead of hunting for a prediction.

what are the 78 tarot card meanings

The 78 tarot card meanings are the full Rider-Waite-Smith deck: 22 Major Arcana life-lessons plus 56 Minor Arcana cards in Cups, Wands, Swords, and Pentacles. Each suit has Ace through Ten and four court cards. Together they cover inner turning points and everyday logistics. This hub lists every card so you can look up one page, then return to a spread or a free PullTarot reading.

Continue with the PullTarot blog, the About PullTarot page, or a personalized tarot reading.

Sit with the card

  • What question is actually on your mind today—not the polished version, the one in your body?
  • Which row in the finder table names that climate most honestly?
  • If you pulled one card for that question, what would you hope it would not say?

Pull a card for the question on your mind today.

Understanding Tarot Card Meanings

How to interpret tarot cards for beginners?

Learn each card upright and reversed, then apply it to your question.

  • Read the imagery and traditional keywords
  • Note which suit/element is speaking
  • Practice with simple three-card spreads

What do reversed tarot cards mean?

A reversal usually means the card's energy is blocked, internalized, or resisted—not simply “the opposite.”

  • Blocked or delayed expression of the upright theme
  • Inner process rather than outer event
  • Shadow side or lesson you may be avoiding

Which tarot cards represent love?

Primary love cards include The Lovers, Two of Cups, and Ten of Cups.

  • The Empress — nurturing love and creative fertility
  • The High Priestess — intuitive, quiet connection
  • Cups suit (Water) — emotions and relationships in general

What tarot cards indicate career success?

Career momentum often shows as The Magician, Three of Pentacles, or Ten of Pentacles.

  • The Chariot — determination and follow-through
  • The World — completion and recognition
  • Pentacles suit (Earth) — work, money, and material results

Quick Tarot Elements Reference

Cups (Water) = Emotions & Love | Wands (Fire) = Energy & Passion | Swords (Air) = Intellect & Truth | Pentacles (Earth) = Material & Prosperity

Understanding the Tarot Deck Structure

A standard tarot deck has 78 cards in two sections:

  • Major Arcana (22) — spiritual lessons, karmic themes, and major turning points.
  • Minor Arcana (56) — Cups, Wands, Swords, and Pentacles for daily life.

Inside each suit you will find:

  • Ten numbered cards (Ace through Ten)
  • Four court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King)

Where Tarot Card Meanings Come From

Most modern English-language meanings follow the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, published in 1909 by Arthur Edward Waite with art by Pamela Colman Smith.

Waite's explanations appear in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, a public-domain primary source.

PullTarot's upright and reversed write-ups build on that lineage for reflection and entertainment—not medical, legal, or financial outcomes.

Earlier 15th-century decks, including the Visconti-Sforza cards, began as game cards.

Cartomancy came later (historical overview). Treat each meaning as documented symbolism—not a random oracle.

Continue Your Tarot Journey

Read, pull, or learn next

After looking up a card, open a topic reading (including love), pick a spread layout, start with The Fool, read the beginner guide, or see About PullTarot.

Get a Personalized Tarot Reading

Want to know what message the cards have specifically for you? Get a personalized tarot reading for deeper insights into your unique situation.

Start Your Reading