Tarot Card Symbols and their meaning. Step by step guide.
You pull a card. A skeleton on a white horse stares back at you. The word at the bottom? Death. Your stomach drops.
But here’s the twist most people never find out: that card almost never means what you think it means. And once you understand why, the whole deck stops looking scary and starts feeling like a friend who tells you the truth.
If you’re brand new to this, take a breath. This beginner’s guide to tarot card symbols and their meanings is built for total first-timers. No confusing jargon. No “you have to be born with the gift.” Just the simple stuff that helps you read your first cards with real confidence and maybe send a shiver down your spine while you do it.
Loved the moon symbolism above? Your moon sign hides even more. Get your free personalized Moon Reading here and see what the sky knew about you from day one.
What’s Actually Inside a Tarot Deck?
A full tarot deck has 78 cards. That number feels huge at first, but it splits into two neat groups and once you know the split, everything gets easier.
The first group is the Major Arcana (22 cards). Think of these as the big, loud life moments. Falling in love. A huge change. A lesson you’ll never forget. When a Major Arcana card shows up in a reading, the cards are basically tapping you on the shoulder and saying, “Pay attention. This one matters.”
The second group is the Minor Arcana (56 cards). These are the everyday cards — your job, your money, a text from your ex, that argument with a friend. The smaller stuff that fills our days.
So which group should a beginner learn first? Most readers will tell you to start with the Major Arcana, because those cards carry the deepest meanings… but there’s a sneaky shortcut hiding in the Minor Arcana that makes learning ten times faster.
Here’s what it is.
The Four Suits: Your Secret Cheat Code
The Minor Arcana is split into four suits kind of like a regular pack of playing cards. And here’s the cheat code: once you learn what each suit stands for, you can guess the meaning of a card you’ve never seen before.
Each suit is tied to one of the four elements, and each element is tied to one part of your life:
- Cups = Water = Feelings. Love, friendship, heartbreak, joy. If you pull a Cups card, the cards are talking about your emotions and your relationships.
- Wands = Fire = Energy. Passion, drive, big ideas, going after what you want. Wands cards light a fire under you.
- Swords = Air = Thoughts. Your mind, hard decisions, conflict, truth that stings a little. Swords cut straight to the point.
- Pentacles = Earth = The Real World. Money, work, your home, your health. Solid, grounded, everyday-life stuff.
See how that works? You don’t have to memorize all 56 cards. You just have to feel the suit. A heart-shaped problem? Look to Cups. A money worry? Pentacles. A stressful choice keeping you up at night? Swords.
And inside every suit, there are four special “people” cards the Page, Knight, Queen, and King known as the court cards. They often stand for a real person in your life, or a side of you. But spotting which one is which? That’s a story for another day.
For now, let’s talk about the part everyone secretly loves: the pictures.
Tarot Card Symbols and What They’re Quietly Telling You
Here’s the magic of tarot. Almost every card is packed with little symbols, and once you start noticing them, the cards practically read themselves. This is the real heart of tarot symbolism — and it’s easier than you’d guess.
Colors set the mood:
- Red = passion, action, strong feelings
- Blue = calm, peace, deep wisdom
- Yellow = joy, energy, a bright mind
- White = fresh starts, honesty, a clean slate
- Black = mystery, endings, the unknown
Numbers tell a story too. In the Minor Arcana, the suits run from Ace to Ten and the journey is the same every time:
- Aces are beginnings. A brand-new spark.
- Middle numbers are the messy middle — the work, the ups, the downs.
- Tens are the end of a chapter. Something is complete.
Little pictures carry their own quiet meanings:
- Water = your emotions
- Mountains = a challenge ahead
- The sun = good news and warmth
- The moon = secrets, dreams, things half-hidden
- A road or path = a journey or a choice
So when you turn over a card, you don’t have to panic and reach for the guidebook. You can just look. What colors do you see? Is the sky bright or dark? Is the person moving forward or looking back? Your eyes already know more than you think.
🌙 Your Moon Has Something to Tell You
Speaking of the moon — it’s not just a symbol on a card. Your moon sign runs the show behind closed doors, where your secrets and dreams actually live. Get your free personalized Moon Reading and discover what the night sky knew about you the day you were born.
👉 Reveal My Free Moon Reading
Which brings us back to that scary skeleton from the very beginning…
So What Does the Death Card Really Mean?
Remember the card that made your stomach drop?
The Death card almost never means a real, literal death. In tarot, it means an ending that makes room for something new a chapter closing so a better one can open. A job you finally quit. A habit you let go of. A version of you that you’ve outgrown.
It’s not the end. It’s a doorway.
And that’s the biggest secret of tarot: the cards aren’t here to scare you or hand you some fixed, doomed future. They’re a mirror. They show you what you already feel deep down, so you can make your next move with your eyes wide open.
But there’s one more thing that flips a card’s meaning completely and beginners trip over it all the time.
Upright vs. Reversed: The Plot Twist
Sometimes a card lands upside down. That’s called a reversed card, and it can change the meaning.
Here’s the simple version: a reversed card usually softens, blocks, or flips the upright meaning. A card that means “love flowing freely” upright might mean “love that’s stuck or held back” when it’s reversed. Same card. Different angle.
When you’re just starting out, here’s permission you didn’t know you needed: you can ignore reversals at first. Plenty of readers do. Read every card upright until you feel comfortable, then add reversals when you’re ready. There’s no rule police. The cards won’t be offended.
How to Start Reading Tarot Cards Today
Ready to actually do this? Here’s the gentlest way to begin:
- Pull one card a day. Just one. Ask, “What do I need to know today?” and flip a card.
- Look before you Google. Notice the colors, the symbols, the feeling. Say out loud what you see.
- Write it down. Keep a little notebook. By the end of a month, you’ll be shocked how much you’ve learned and how often the cards were right.
That’s it. That’s the whole beginning. No candles required (though they’re fun).
The truth is, the best tarot reader you’ll ever meet isn’t some far-off mystic. It’s the quiet voice inside you that the cards help you finally hear. Every symbol, every color, every card is just a key and you’re the one turning the lock.
So shuffle the deck. Take a breath. And ask it something you’ve been afraid to ask.
You might be surprised by how loudly it answers back.
Curious what the cards have to say about your love life or your career but not ready to read for yourself just yet? I offer personal Love and Career tarot readings right here on the site. One reading might tell you the exact thing you’ve been waiting to hear.
👉Personal Tarot Card Reading With the Rider Waide Deck
Frequently Asked Questions About Tarot Cards Symbols:
1. Do all Tarot Cards decks use the exact same symbols? Answer: While many Tarot Cards decks follow the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition and share core symbolism, different decks can introduce unique imagery and interpretations. Understanding the foundational symbols will help you navigate various decks.
2. Do I need to memorize every single symbol in my Tarot Cards deck? Answer: Not necessarily. Focus on understanding the main categories of symbols (suits, numbers, colors, archetypes) and developing an intuitive connection with the imagery that resonates with you.
3. How can I strengthen my intuition when interpreting Tarot Cards symbols? Answer: Practice mindful observation of the cards, meditate on individual symbols, and trust your initial feelings and associations. The more you engage with the imagery, the stronger your intuitive understanding will become.
5. If I don’t understand a symbol in a Tarot Cards reading, what should I do? Answer: Don’t panic! Look at the surrounding cards for context, consult your deck’s guidebook for potential interpretations, and most importantly, trust your initial gut feelings about the symbol. Sometimes, a symbol’s meaning will become clear with further reflection.
Let’s open the deck
This blog contains Affiliate Links , I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
.🌙 Your Moon Has Something to Tell You
Speaking of the moon — it’s not just a symbol on a card. Your moon sign runs the show behind closed doors, where your secrets and dreams actually live. Get your free personalized Moon Reading and discover what the night sky knew about you the day you were born.
