Minor Arcana

The 56 Minor Arcana: the four tarot suits

The Minor Arcana are the fifty-six everyday cards: they speak of gestures, concrete situations, and relationships.

The four suits

By Thomas Guilhot · updated October 11, 2026

Four suits

Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles

Each suit has its element: fire for wands, water for cups, air for swords, and earth for pentacles.

Wands

Element: fire, according to tradition; drive, action, and projects.

The 14 Wands

Cups

Element: water, according to tradition; emotions, bonds, and openness.

The 14 Cups

Swords

Element: air, according to tradition; thought, choices, and words.

The 14 Swords

Pentacles

Element: earth, according to tradition; the concrete, the body, and resources.

The 14 Pentacles

Draw the cards Combine two cards

Number × suit

The 40 numbered cards

The table brings together the forty numbered cards and the sixteen court cards, suit by suit: choose a family, then a card to read its meaning.

The numbered cards, by number and by suit
Number	Wands	Cups	Swords	Pentacles
1	Ace of Wands	Ace of Cups	Ace of Swords	Ace of Pentacles
2	Two of Wands	Two of Cups	Two of Swords	Two of Pentacles
3	Three of Wands	Three of Cups	Three of Swords	Three of Pentacles
4	Four of Wands	Four of Cups	Four of Swords	Four of Pentacles
5	Five of Wands	Five of Cups	Five of Swords	Five of Pentacles
6	Six of Wands	Six of Cups	Six of Swords	Six of Pentacles
7	Seven of Wands	Seven of Cups	Seven of Swords	Seven of Pentacles
8	Eight of Wands	Eight of Cups	Eight of Swords	Eight of Pentacles
9	Nine of Wands	Nine of Cups	Nine of Swords	Nine of Pentacles
10	Ten of Wands	Ten of Cups	Ten of Swords	Ten of Pentacles

Rider-Waite: drawings by Pamela Colman Smith, 1909, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Images resized and compressed by Versana; Marseille Minor Arcana diagrams and card back drawn by Versana.

Frequently asked questions about the Minor Arcana

What are the Minor Arcana?

The Minor Arcana make up most of the deck: fifty-six cards divided into four suits. Where the Major Arcana set a grand theme, the minor cards go down into the detail of a situation, an attitude, a precise moment. They nuance the reading and make it more concrete.

What is the difference between a numbered card and a court card?

The numbered cards, from ace to ten, follow a progression within the suit: a beginning, a development, a culmination. The court cards, page, knight, queen, and king, are read rather as ways of acting, attitudes you take on, and not as portraits of people.

Does the Tarot de Marseille illustrate the Minor Arcana?

In the Tarot de Marseille, the minor cards carry repeated patterns, without a scene: five wands, seven cups. The image then serves as a basis for the imagination, and the reading relies on the number and the suit. The Rider-Waite added a scene to each card, which changes the approach completely.

Should you draw with all 78 cards?

You can draw from all seventy-eight cards, or only from the twenty-two Major Arcana if you prefer broader readings. The minor cards add precision, but nothing requires you to use them from the start. Try both and keep the way that suits you.