Minor Arcana
The 56 suit cards of the tarot deck — four suits of Ace to Ten plus four court cards — describing the textures of daily life.
The Minor Arcana are the 56 suit cards of the tarot deck: four suits — Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles — each running from Ace to Ten, plus four court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King). They are the ancestors of the modern playing-card deck, and they describe daily life: work, feeling, conflict, money, friendship, rest.
The Minors are far easier to learn than their number suggests, because each card is a crossing of two small systems: a suit (the domain of life — see the four suits) and a number (the stage of a cycle, Ace's beginning to Ten's completion). Learn four suits and ten number-stages and most of the 56 meanings can be derived rather than memorized.
In a reading, Minor cards are usually read as the practical, near-term layer — what is actually happening this week — against the larger chapter-themes of the Major Arcana.
Frequently asked questions
- How many Minor Arcana cards are there?
- 56 — four suits of fourteen cards each: Ace to Ten plus Page, Knight, Queen, and King.
- Do I have to memorize all 56 Minor Arcana meanings?
- No. Each card is a suit crossed with a number — two small systems that combine like grammar. Learning those systems lets you derive most meanings from first principles.
Written and reviewed by the ArcanaPath editorial team — see our sources and methods
Last updated July 16, 2026
ArcanaPath is an educational resource. Card meanings are offered for learning and self-reflection — not fortune-telling, and not medical, legal, or financial advice.