Tarot Suits for Beginners: Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles
By Selena (Atelier Tarot) ยท
A beginner guide to the four Minor Arcana suits, their elements and meanings, and a simple formula for reading any number or court card.
Of the 78 tarot cards, 56 belong to the Minor Arcana. That sounds like a lot to memorize, but the Minor Arcana are built on a very simple rule: four suits combined with numbers and court ranks. Once you understand the rule, the basic meaning of all 56 cards comes to you naturally.
The four suits and their elements
Just as playing cards have spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs, tarot has four suits. Each is linked to one of the four classical elements: fire, water, air, and earth.
| Suit | Element | Areas of life | Keywords |
|---|---|---|---|
| ๐ช Wands | Fire | passion, action, business, work, creativity | attempts, challenge, overload, will |
| ๐ Cups | Water | emotion, love, relationships, intuition, art | empathy, romance, hurt, healing |
| โ๏ธ Swords | Air | reason, thought, conflict, decisions | worry, wounds, logic, opposition |
| ๐ช Pentacles | Earth | money, the material world, reality, health | money, assets, effort, achievement |
๐ช Wands โ will that burns like fire
Wands are drawn as wooden staffs sprouting fresh leaves. Like a living tree, they stand for the urge to grow and the passion that gets things started. They show up often in questions about work, business, projects, and challenges. Lots of Wands means โact more, think less.โ
๐ Cups โ a vessel for the heart
Cups are chalices that hold water. Just as water takes the shape of its container, Cups symbolize emotion and relationshipsโlove, friendship, family, plus intuition and imagination. When Cups appear in a love reading, read them through the flow of feelings.
โ๏ธ Swords โ thoughts like a double-edged blade
Swords are double-edged. Thought can cut through a problem cleanly, but too much of it can wound you and others. That is why Swords include cards of judgment, decisions, and communication alongside worry, conflict, and hurt. When Swords appear, sorting out your thoughts is the key.
๐ช Pentacles โ the world you can touch
Pentacles are gold coins engraved with a star. They cover the material worldโmoney, jobs, property, the body and healthโand results built slowly over time. In money or career readings, Pentacles point to practical plans and consistency.
The flow of numbers: a story from 1 to 10
Each suit tells a story from Ace (1) to 10: a seed sprouts, grows, meets trials, bears fruit, and completes a cycle.
| Number | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ace (1) | seed, new beginning, potential | Ace of Cups = the start of love |
| 2 | balance, choice, partnership | Two of Pentacles = juggling finances |
| 3 | expansion, cooperation, first results | Three of Wands = business growth |
| 4 | rest, comfort, stagnation | Four of Swords = resting the mind |
| 5 | change, conflict, loss | Five of Cups = emotional disappointment |
| 6 | recovery, sharing, movement | Six of Swords = moving away from trouble |
| 7 | assessment, strategy, challenge | Seven of Pentacles = reviewing results |
| 8 | swift progress, overload, focus | Eight of Wands = things moving fast |
| 9 | near fruition, vigilance, perfectionism | Nine of Wands = guarding the last stretch |
| 10 | end of a cycle, completion, excess | Ten of Pentacles = lasting family wealth |
Court cards: four people
After the number cards come four court cards. They describe personalities or stages of maturity, and sometimes real people in your life.
- Page: the curious beginner, a learning stage, a messenger bringing news
- Knight: a person of action, energy and drive, sometimes haste
- Queen: receptivity and compassion, maturity, inner strength and care
- King: mature authority, leadership, control, mastery
The reading formula: [element] + [number or rank]
Now combine the two:
- Cups (emotion) + 1 (beginning) = Ace of Cups โ new love or a heart opening
- Swords (thought) + 4 (rest) = Four of Swords โ giving a tired mind a break
- Pentacles (money) + Knight (steady action) = Knight of Pentacles โ slow but sure money management
- Wands (passion) + 10 (excess) = Ten of Wands โ carrying too much at once
Real cards add the symbolism of their artwork, which makes the meaning richer. But this formula alone lets you read the basic flow at first. Each cardโs full meaning is in our tarot card dictionary, organized by suit.
Selenaโs tip: When two or more cards of the same suit appear, that element is the โstageโ your question is playing out on. Many Wands mean work, many Cups the heart, many Swords the mind, and many Pentacles the material world.