The Minor Arcana are the 56 cards of the tarot deck that aren’t Major Arcana. They come in four suits (Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles), each with ten numbered cards from Ace to Ten and four court cards: Page, Knight, Queen and King.
Where the 22 Major Arcana describe the big turning points of a life, the Minor Arcana describe the day-to-day: the argument, the pay rise, the text you’re waiting for. They make up almost three-quarters of the deck, so they make up most of any reading.
The good news is that you don’t have to learn 56 separate meanings. Each card combines a suit and a number (or a rank), and once you know those, most of the Minor Arcana read themselves.
The Four Suits
Each suit is linked to one of the four classical elements and to an area of life. Most English-language decks, including the Rider-Waite-Smith, use the pairings below.
| Suit | Element | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Wands | Fire | Energy, ambition, creativity, passion and action |
| Cups | Water | Feelings, love, friendship, intuition and the inner life |
| Swords | Air | Thoughts, words, decisions, conflict and truth |
| Pentacles | Earth | Money, work, the body, the home and slow, steady growth |
The suits come from ordinary playing cards. Tarot began in 15th-century Italy as a card game, and its suits match the Italian ones: batons, cups, swords and coins. In a modern playing deck, Wands correspond to clubs, Cups to hearts, Swords to spades and Pentacles to diamonds.
Each suit also belongs to three zodiac signs of its element: Wands to Aries, Leo and Sagittarius, Cups to Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces, Swords to Gemini, Libra and Aquarius, and Pentacles to Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. Zodiac tarot cards gives the card for every sign.
What the Numbers Mean, Ace to Ten
Each number carries the same theme in every suit; the suit decides where it plays out. A Five is conflict: in Wands it’s competition, in Cups it’s loss, in Swords it’s a fight someone wins badly, and in Pentacles it’s hardship. The table shows each card with its first keyword.
| Number | Theme | The four cards |
|---|---|---|
| Ace (1) | Beginning | Ace of Wands: inspiration Ace of Cups: new love Ace of Swords: clarity Ace of Pentacles: new opportunity |
| Two | Choice and balance | Two of Wands: planning Two of Cups: union Two of Swords: indecision Two of Pentacles: balance |
| Three | Growth | Three of Wands: progress Three of Cups: celebration Three of Swords: heartbreak Three of Pentacles: teamwork |
| Four | Stability | Four of Wands: celebration Four of Cups: contemplation Four of Swords: rest Four of Pentacles: security |
| Five | Conflict | Five of Wands: competition Five of Cups: loss Five of Swords: ego Five of Pentacles: hardship |
| Six | Harmony | Six of Wands: victory Six of Cups: nostalgia Six of Swords: transition Six of Pentacles: generosity |
| Seven | Reflection | Seven of Wands: standing your ground Seven of Cups: choices Seven of Swords: deception Seven of Pentacles: patience |
| Eight | Movement | Eight of Wands: momentum Eight of Cups: walking away Eight of Swords: feeling trapped Eight of Pentacles: hard work |
| Nine | Near-completion | Nine of Wands: resilience Nine of Cups: wish fulfilment Nine of Swords: anxiety Nine of Pentacles: independence |
| Ten | Completion | Ten of Wands: burden Ten of Cups: happiness Ten of Swords: painful ending Ten of Pentacles: legacy |
Read down the table and a story appears in each suit: a spark (Ace), a first choice (Two), early growth (Three), a pause (Four), a setback (Five), recovery (Six), a test (Seven), momentum (Eight), almost there (Nine) and the end of the cycle (Ten), after which the next Ace begins.
The Court Cards
The 16 court cards can stand for a person in your life, for a side of yourself, or for a way of handling the situation. Their rank tells you how mature or active that energy is, and the suit tells you its style.
| Rank | What it shows | The four cards |
|---|---|---|
| Page | A student or messenger: curiosity, news, a first try | Page of Wands: inspiration Page of Cups: a heartfelt message Page of Swords: curiosity Page of Pentacles: ambition |
| Knight | Action and movement: pursuing something, sometimes too fast | Knight of Wands: action Knight of Cups: romance Knight of Swords: ambition Knight of Pentacles: hard work |
| Queen | Inner mastery: understanding, care and emotional maturity | Queen of Wands: confidence Queen of Cups: compassion Queen of Swords: clarity Queen of Pentacles: nurturing |
| King | Outer mastery: authority, leadership and taking responsibility | King of Wands: leadership King of Cups: emotional balance King of Swords: authority King of Pentacles: wealth |
Court cards are the ones beginners find hardest. Tarot court cards explained goes through all sixteen and how to tell whether a court card is a person or an attitude.
How to Read Any Minor Arcana Card
When a Minor Arcana card comes up and you can’t remember what it means, work it out in three steps:
- Start with the suit. It tells you which area of life the card is about.
- Add the number or rank. It tells you what’s happening there.
- Look at the picture. In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, every numbered card has a scene, and the scene usually confirms the meaning.
Three examples:
- Five of Cups: Cups (feelings) plus Five (conflict) gives an emotional loss. The picture shows a figure in a black cloak mourning three spilled cups, with two still standing behind them. The card’s keywords are loss, grief and regret.
- Eight of Pentacles: Pentacles (work) plus Eight (movement) gives steady progress. The picture shows a craftsman carving pentacles one after another. The keywords are hard work, skill-building and dedication.
- Two of Swords: Swords (the mind) plus Two (choice) gives a decision on hold. The picture shows a blindfolded figure holding two crossed swords. The keywords are indecision, stalemate and difficult choices.
Then check the full card page for the details the method can’t give you, such as the meaning in love, as feelings or reversed. If you’re new to reading, how to read tarot cards covers the whole process.
What the Minor Arcana Say About a Reading
Because the Minor Arcana are 56 of the 78 cards, most readings are mostly Minor. In a three-card reading you can expect about two of them, and all three cards come up Major only about once in 50 draws. So when the Majors do crowd in, it’s worth noticing.
- Mostly Minor cards: the situation is everyday and within your control. Your choices matter more than fate here.
- One suit dominating: that’s where the question really lives. A “money” question full of Cups is really about how you feel.
- Several cards of the same number: the number’s theme is the thread. Three Fives point to conflict on several fronts; three Aces to a lot of new beginnings at once.
- Many court cards: other people are heavily involved, or you’re being asked how you want to show up.
All 56 Minor Arcana Cards
Every card has its own page, with the upright and reversed meaning, love, career, feelings, advice and a yes or no answer. For keywords of all 78 cards on one page, see the full list of tarot card meanings.
Wands: Ace of Wands, Two of Wands, Three of Wands, Four of Wands, Five of Wands, Six of Wands, Seven of Wands, Eight of Wands, Nine of Wands, Ten of Wands, Page of Wands, Knight of Wands, Queen of Wands, King of Wands
Cups: Ace of Cups, Two of Cups, Three of Cups, Four of Cups, Five of Cups, Six of Cups, Seven of Cups, Eight of Cups, Nine of Cups, Ten of Cups, Page of Cups, Knight of Cups, Queen of Cups, King of Cups
Swords: Ace of Swords, Two of Swords, Three of Swords, Four of Swords, Five of Swords, Six of Swords, Seven of Swords, Eight of Swords, Nine of Swords, Ten of Swords, Page of Swords, Knight of Swords, Queen of Swords, King of Swords
Pentacles: Ace of Pentacles, Two of Pentacles, Three of Pentacles, Four of Pentacles, Five of Pentacles, Six of Pentacles, Seven of Pentacles, Eight of Pentacles, Nine of Pentacles, Ten of Pentacles, Page of Pentacles, Knight of Pentacles, Queen of Pentacles, King of Pentacles
Minor Arcana: Frequently Asked Questions
How many Minor Arcana cards are there?
There are 56: four suits of 14 cards. Each suit has ten numbered cards (Ace to Ten) and four court cards (Page, Knight, Queen and King).
What is the difference between the Major and Minor Arcana?
The Major Arcana are 22 cards about life’s big lessons and turning points. The Minor Arcana are 56 cards about everyday events, feelings, decisions and people. A reading full of Majors suggests a significant moment; a mostly Minor reading suggests the situation is more in your hands.
What does “arcana” mean?
It’s Latin for “secrets” (the plural of arcanum). The Major Arcana are the “greater secrets” and the Minor Arcana the “lesser secrets”.
Can you read tarot with only the Minor Arcana?
Yes. Some readers use only the Minor Arcana for everyday questions, and it’s a good way to learn the suits and numbers. Most people use the full 78-card deck, though, so the big themes of the Majors can show up when they matter.
Are the Minor Arcana less important than the Major Arcana?
Not less important, just different in scale. A Minor card can be the most useful card in a reading, because it often shows the practical step you can actually take.
Want to see the suits in action? Draw a free three-card reading and notice which suits come up, or explore each suit in depth: Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles.