🃏 How Many Cards Are in a Tarot Deck?
If you're new to Tarot, one of the first things you may wonder is:
How many cards are actually in a Tarot deck?
A traditional Tarot deck contains 78 cards.
These 78 cards are divided into two main groups:
- 22 Major Arcana cards
- 56 Minor Arcana cards
Together, these cards form the traditional Tarot deck.
Let's understand how these 78 cards are organized.
🔮 The 78 Cards of Tarot
The Tarot deck can be thought of as two connected parts.
The Major Arcana focuses on broader themes and significant experiences, while the Minor Arcana explores many everyday situations, emotions, thoughts and practical experiences.
Understanding this basic structure is one of the first steps in learning Tarot.
🃏 The 22 Major Arcana Cards
The Major Arcana contains 22 cards, numbered from 0 to 21.
The journey begins with:
0 — The Fool
and ends with:
XXI — The World
The cards in between represent different symbolic themes and experiences.
Here is the complete Major Arcana:
- The Fool — 0
- The Magician — I
- The High Priestess — II
- The Empress — III
- The Emperor — IV
- The Hierophant — V
- The Lovers — VI
- The Chariot — VII
- Strength — VIII
- The Hermit — IX
- Wheel of Fortune — X
- Justice — XI
- The Hanged Man — XII
- Death — XIII
- Temperance — XIV
- The Devil — XV
- The Tower — XVI
- The Star — XVII
- The Moon — XVIII
- The Sun — XIX
- Judgement — XX
- The World — XXI
🌙 Why Are They Called Major Arcana?
The word Arcana is commonly associated with hidden or mysterious knowledge.
The Major Arcana cards are often interpreted as representing significant themes, lessons, transitions and experiences rather than only small everyday events.
🌿 The 56 Minor Arcana Cards
The remaining 56 cards make up the Minor Arcana.
These cards are divided into four suits:
🪄 Wands
Wands are traditionally associated with themes such as:
Energy • Passion • Creativity • Action • Ambition
💧 Cups
Cups are traditionally associated with:
Emotions • Relationships • Feelings • Intuition • Connections
⚔️ Swords
Swords are associated with:
Thoughts • Communication • Decisions • Challenges • Mental processes
🪙 Pentacles
Pentacles are associated with:
Work • Finances • Stability • Material matters • Practical life
🔢 How Many Cards Are in Each Suit?
Each Minor Arcana suit contains 14 cards.
These are divided into:
Number Cards
Ace through Ten
That's 10 cards.
Court Cards
Page • Knight • Queen • King
That's another 4 cards.
So:
10 Number Cards + 4 Court Cards = 14 cards
And because there are four suits:
14 × 4 = 56 Minor Arcana cards
🧮 The Complete Tarot Calculation
Now let's put everything together:
Major Arcana
22 cards
Minor Arcana
56 cards
Therefore:
22 + 56 = 78 cards
✨ A traditional Tarot deck contains 78 cards.
🌙 Major Arcana vs Minor Arcana
Understanding the difference between these two groups can make Tarot easier to study.
| Major Arcana | Minor Arcana |
|---|---|
| 22 cards | 56 cards |
| 0–21 | Four suits |
| Broader themes | Everyday themes |
| Major life experiences | Situations and experiences |
| The Fool → The World | Ace → King |
This doesn't mean that Minor Arcana cards are less important.
A reading can contain both Major and Minor Arcana cards, and each can contribute something different to the interpretation.
👑 What Are Court Cards?
Each Minor Arcana suit contains four Court Cards:
Page
Often explored through themes of learning, curiosity and new experiences.
Knight
Can represent movement, action, pursuit or a developing expression of the suit.
Queen
Often associated with mature expression, understanding and inward mastery of the suit.
King
Can represent authority, experience, control and outward mastery of the suit.
Their interpretation depends on the suit and the context of the reading.
🔮 Do All Tarot Decks Have 78 Cards?
Not necessarily.
The 78-card structure refers to the traditional Tarot deck.
Modern Tarot and Tarot-inspired decks can sometimes change the structure, artwork, number of cards or interpretation system.
Therefore, if you are learning traditional Tarot, starting with the 78-card structure gives you a useful foundation.
📚 Why Is It Important to Know the Tarot Structure?
Before learning individual card meanings, understanding the structure of the deck can make the learning process much easier.
Instead of seeing 78 separate cards, you can break them into smaller groups:
22 Major Arcana
↓
4 Minor Arcana Suits
↓
10 Number Cards + 4 Court Cards
This makes the deck feel much less overwhelming when you're beginning.
🌱 A Simple Way to Remember
You can remember the Tarot structure like this:
🔮 78 TOTAL
22 Major Arcana
56 Minor Arcana
↓
Wands — 14
Cups — 14
Swords — 14
Pentacles — 14
And each suit contains:
Ace–10 + Page + Knight + Queen + King
💜 Final Thoughts
A Tarot deck may contain 78 cards, but you don't need to memorize all of them at once.
Start by understanding the structure.
Learn the Major Arcana.
Then explore the four Minor Arcana suits.
After that, gradually study the individual cards.
Once you understand how the deck is organized, learning Tarot can become much easier and more enjoyable.
One card at a time, one lesson at a time. 🔮
✨ Continue Learning Tarot
Want to explore the deck further?
🔮 Explore Major Arcana →
🌿 Explore Minor Arcana →
🃏 Learn About The Fool →
📚 Continue Tarot Education →
🌙 A Gentle Reminder
Tarot is a symbolic system that can be explored for learning, reflection and personal interpretation. Tarot readings do not guarantee specific outcomes and should not replace professional medical, legal, financial or other expert advice.
Your choices and decisions remain your own.
Annu The Oracle
Tarot • Intuition • Spirituality • Self-Discovery 💜
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