The 78 Tarot Cards in Order: Major & Minor Arcana List

Introduction

The tarot deck tells a story, and learning its chapters is the first step to becoming a fluent reader. While each of the 78 cards holds its own meaning, their sequence reveals a deeper narrative—from the life-spanning journey of the Major Arcana to the everyday experiences captured in the Minor Arcana. This inherent structure is the grammar of the tarot's symbolic language.

Understanding the complete list of tarot cards in order gives you a foundational map for your readings, helping you see the connections between cards and interpret their messages with greater confidence. Whether you're a beginner memorizing the deck or an experienced reader seeking a clear reference, this guide organizes the entire system for you, transforming a collection of images into a coherent and powerful tool for insight.

Let's explore the full sequence, from The Fool to the King of Pentacles, and discover the structure that holds the tarot's wisdom together.

The Two Main Sections of a Tarot Deck: Major & Minor Arcana

A standard 78-card tarot deck is not just a random collection of images; it's a highly structured system divided into two primary parts: the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. Understanding this fundamental division is the first step to learning the tarot cards in order, as it separates the profound life themes from the practical, everyday details.

The Major Arcana: This consists of 22 trump cards that represent significant life events, universal archetypes, and major spiritual lessons. These cards depict the overarching journey of life, often called "The Fool's Journey." When a Major Arcana card appears in a reading, it typically signals a moment of profound importance or a major developmental stage that demands your attention.
The Minor Arcana: This section contains the remaining 56 cards, which are divided into four suits. These cards reflect the day-to-day challenges, joys, people, and situations we encounter. While the Major Arcana points to the "why" of a situation—the larger spiritual context—the Minor Arcana often details the "how" and "what," providing actionable details about your circumstances.

Grasping this two-part structure helps you appreciate the narrative flow of the deck. The profound archetypes of the Major Arcana set the stage, providing the main plot points of our life's story.

The Major Arcana Cards in Order (The Fool's Journey)

The order of tarot cards is most significant within the Major Arcana. These 22 cards tell a sequential story known as The Fool's Journey, which is a powerful metaphor for the soul's progression from innocence and potential (The Fool) to completion and integration (The World). Each card represents a distinct stage, archetypal encounter, or life lesson on this path. Learning this sequence provides a framework for understanding personal growth, psychological development, and the universal human experience.

Complete List of the 22 Major Arcana Cards

Here is the definitive list of all tarot cards in order for the Major Arcana, which directly answers the question, "What is the order of the major arcana cards?"

0 - The Fool
I - The Magician
II - The High Priestess
III - The Empress
IV - The Emperor
V - The Hierophant
VI - The Lovers
VII - The Chariot
VIII - Strength (Note: In some older decks, this is XI)
IX - The Hermit
X - Wheel of Fortune
XI - Justice (Note: In some older decks, this is VIII)
XII - The Hanged Man
XIII - Death
XIV - Temperance
XV - The Devil
XVI - The Tower
XVII - The Star
XVIII - The Moon
XIX - The Sun
XX - Judgement
XXI - The World

While the Major Arcana provides the macro-view of our journey, its lessons are lived out through the mundane and meaningful experiences of our daily lives. This is where the Minor Arcana comes in, filling in the details with its four distinct suits.

The Minor Arcana Cards in Order (The Four Suits)

The 56 cards of the Minor Arcana are organized into four suits, each corresponding to a different element and aspect of human life. Within each suit, the cards are further divided into Pip Cards (Ace through 10) and Court Cards. The Pip Cards show the progression of a story or energy, from the initial spark of the Ace to the culmination or completion of the 10, illustrating how ideas and events unfold over time.

Suit of Wands

Associated with the element of Fire, the Suit of Wands represents passion, creativity, ambition, and willpower. This suit explores the energy of action, inspiration, and personal growth. It is the spark of a new idea, the drive to pursue a goal, and the spiritual fire that fuels our life's purpose.

Pip Cards: Ace of Wands, Two of Wands, Three of Wands, Four of Wands, Five of Wands, Six of Wands, Seven of Wands, Eight of Wands, Nine of Wands, Ten of Wands
Court Cards: Page of Wands, Knight of Wands, Queen of Wands, King of Wands

Suit of Cups

Linked to the element of Water, the Suit of Cups governs emotions, relationships, intuition, and matters of the heart. This suit delves into our feelings, connections with others, and the flow of our emotional lives. It speaks to love, loss, joy, and the deep currents of the subconscious mind.

Pip Cards: Ace of Cups, Two of Cups, Three of Cups, Four of Cups, Five of Cups, Six of Cups, Seven of Cups, Eight of Cups, Nine of Cups, Ten of Cups
Court Cards: Page of Cups, Knight of Cups, Queen of Cups, King of Cups

Suit of Pentacles

The Suit of Pentacles (also known as Coins or Discs) is tied to the element of Earth. It deals with the material world, including finances, career, health, and our physical environment. This suit highlights our connection to security, work, manifestation, and the tangible results of our efforts.

Pip Cards: Ace of Pentacles, Two of Pentacles, Three of Pentacles, Four of Pentacles, Five of Pentacles, Six of Pentacles, Seven of Pentacles, Eight of Pentacles, Nine of Pentacles, Ten of Pentacles
Court Cards: Page of Pentacles, Knight of Pentacles, Queen of Pentacles, King of Pentacles

Suit of Swords

Representing the element of Air, the Suit of Swords relates to our thoughts, beliefs, challenges, and communication. It often points to conflict, truth, and intellectual clarity. This suit explores the power and consequence of the human mind, from brilliant breakthroughs to anxiety-inducing struggles.

Pip Cards: Ace of Swords, Two of Swords, Three of Swords, Four of Swords, Five of Swords, Six of Swords, Seven of Swords, Eight of Swords, Nine of Swords, Ten of Swords
Court Cards: Page of Swords, Knight of Swords, Queen of Swords, King of Swords

Within each suit, the Pip Cards track the events, while the Court Cards represent the different personalities or levels of mastery involved. Understanding their hierarchy is the next step in decoding the deck's structure.

Understanding the Order of Court Cards

The Court Cards—Page, Knight, Queen, and King—typically represent people, personality types, or different levels of understanding related to their suit's element. They are the "who" in the story of the Minor Arcana. While most modern decks follow a standard hierarchy, it's crucial for students of tarot to be aware of historical variations that can influence a deck's structure and interpretation.

Modern vs. Golden Dawn Systems

The most common tarot card list for beginners uses a straightforward, hierarchical order that is easy to remember. However, influential esoteric traditions like the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn arranged them differently to align with their elemental and astrological systems.

Modern Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) System: This is the order most people are familiar with. It represents a progression of mastery, from the youthful student to the mature ruler.
1. Page: The curious student, a messenger, the initial spark of an idea.
2. Knight: The active pursuer, a character of action and movement, often single-minded.
3. Queen: The internal master of the suit's energy, embodying its nurturing and receptive qualities.
4. King: The external master of the suit's energy, demonstrating control and authority in the world.
Traditional Golden Dawn System: This system renames and reorders the court cards to fit a more complex elemental framework. You will find this structure in decks like the Thoth Tarot.
1. Princess (Page): Represents the Earthly aspect of the suit's element (e.g., the Earth of Fire).
2. Prince (Knight): Represents the Airy aspect of the suit's element (e.g., the Air of Fire).
3. Queen: Represents the Watery aspect of the suit's element (e.g., the Water of Fire).
4. King (Knight in Thoth): Represents the Fiery aspect of the suit's element (e.g., the Fire of Fire).

Understanding this difference in the order of court cards between Golden Dawn and modern systems enriches your knowledge and prepares you to read with different types of decks. This structured approach isn't just trivia; it has a direct impact on how you learn and interpret the cards.

Why Does the Order of Tarot Cards Matter?

Knowing the tarot cards in order is more than an academic exercise; it's a practical tool that deepens your connection to the deck and enhances your interpretive skills. Just as a musician learns scales to understand musical relationships, a tarot reader learns the card order to understand narrative relationships. The deck's inherent structure provides a powerful framework for learning and reading.

A Tool for Learning and Study

For anyone creating a list of tarot cards for beginners, emphasizing the order is key. By physically arranging your deck, you can unlock new layers of understanding and accelerate your learning.

Master The Fool's Journey: Lay out the 22 Major Arcana cards in sequence. Walk through the story card by card to see how the archetypes build upon one another. This transforms abstract concepts like "spiritual growth" into a tangible, visual narrative.
Learn the Suits' Stories: Arrange the Pip Cards of a single suit from Ace to 10. This visually demonstrates the progression of that suit's energy—from the raw potential of the Ace, through the challenges and developments of the middle numbers, to the completion or excess of the 10.
Identify Patterns: Knowing the numerical and hierarchical order helps you spot patterns in a reading. Seeing a sequence like the Three, Four, and Five of Cups tells a much clearer story of celebration followed by contemplation and loss than seeing those same cards in isolation.

Enhancing Your Reading Skills

A firm grasp of the tarot's structure elevates your readings from simple card definitions to nuanced storytelling. When you understand how to arrange tarot cards and their inherent sequence, you can interpret their messages with greater depth. For example, if The Emperor (IV) appears before The Chariot (VII) in a reading, it might suggest that establishing structure and control (Emperor) is a necessary prerequisite for achieving a hard-won victory (Chariot). This contextual understanding, rooted in the cards' numerical order, brings a sophisticated and insightful dimension to your practice, allowing you to craft narratives that are both intuitive and logically sound.

Conclusion

Understanding the deliberate order of the tarot deck—from the archetypal Fool's Journey in the Major Arcana to the elemental progressions within each suit—is fundamental to mastering the cards. This structure is far more than a simple list to be memorized; it is the narrative framework that gives the tarot its profound depth and coherence. By recognizing the sequential stories told by the cards, a reader can move beyond isolated definitions to weave together nuanced and insightful interpretations that resonate on a deeper level.

Looking ahead, the true evolution of a tarot reader lies in internalizing this structure so completely that it becomes second nature. When the order is no longer a conscious checklist but an intuitive map, the deck transforms from a collection of 78 disparate images into a cohesive system for mapping the human experience. The challenge, then, isn't just to learn the order of the cards, but to use that knowledge to become a more effective storyteller—one who can navigate the complexities of life's journey with wisdom, clarity, and foresight. The ultimate goal is not just to read the future, but to understand the present and shape a more conscious path forward.

All 78 Tarot Cards in Order: A Complete List & Guide