Tarot Card Meanings List: All 78 Cards, Upright & Reversed

Verdicts by group, upright
Group	Yes	No	Unclear	Share of yes
Major Arcana	13	6	3	59%
WandsFire	10	2	2	71%
CupsWater	10	4	0	71%
SwordsAir	5	7	2	36%
PentaclesEarth	10	1	3	71%
All 78	48	20	10	62%

How to use the keywords

Treat the upright keywords as entry points into a reading, not a complete definition of the card. Start with the question and the spread position: a word describing an obstacle asks something different from the same word describing an available resource. Choose the keyword that fits the situation, then explain that connection in an ordinary sentence. If you cannot connect it to anything concrete, leave the interpretation open rather than stretching the situation to fit the label.

Reversed keywords give you another angle on the same subject, rather than automatically describing its opposite. Depending on the spread, you might read a theme as blocked, turned inward, overemphasized, or beginning to loosen; use the surrounding cards to decide which interpretation fits. Keep that interpretive work separate from this site's verdict convention: a reversed yes is read as no, while a reversed no softens to unclear rather than becoming yes. Check both layers before summarizing the reading, because a verdict compresses distinctions that the keywords help you examine.

Questions about the 78 cards

How many cards are in a tarot deck?

A tarot deck contains 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana. The Minor Arcana are divided into four suits of 14 cards each. Each suit runs from Ace through Ten, followed by Page, Knight, Queen, and King. That gives you 40 numbered cards, counting the Aces, and 16 court cards within the Minor Arcana.

What are the four tarot suits?

The four tarot suits are Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. Their elemental associations are Fire, Water, Air, and Earth, respectively. You can remember their domains as action and drive; emotion and relationship; thought and conflict; and money, work, and material concerns. Their playing-card equivalents follow the same order: Clubs, Hearts, Spades, and Diamonds.

Which tarot cards mean yes?

On this site, 48 of the 78 cards are read as yes when upright. All four Aces, all four Sixes, and all four Knights, Queens, and Kings belong to that group. An upright yes-card supports the action you are asking about; it does not guarantee a result. Under this site's convention, a reversed yes is read as no.

Do you need to learn all 78 meanings to read tarot?

You do not need to memorize all 78 interpretations before you begin reading. Learn the deck's structure, become familiar with the suits, and keep a reference nearby while you practice. Record your question, the spread position, and why you chose a particular interpretation. Reviewing those notes helps you distinguish a grounded reading from a loose association, without turning memorization into a prerequisite.

Tarot card meanings: all 78 cards

Major Arcana

Wands

Cups

Swords

Pentacles

Where the yes cards are