Tarot History · 9 min · 2026-02-05
The Four Suits (Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles)
Each suit is a language — understanding the suits helps you read a spread more quickly.
Four Languages in the Minor Arcana
| Suit | English | Domain | Element | |------|---------|--------|----------| | Wands | Wands | Action, passion, creativity | Fire | | Cups | Cups | Emotion, relationships, intuition | Water | | Swords | Swords | Thought, conflict, truth | Air | | Pentacles | Pentacles | Material, work, body | Earth |
Wands
Wands ask: "What are you passionate about? Are you taking action?" - Ace of Wands: a spark of beginning - Ten of Wands: overwhelm, need to let go
Cups
Cups ask: "What is your heart feeling?" - Two of Cups: connection, symmetry - Five of Cups: loss, need to see what remains
Swords
Swords ask: "What thoughts are governing you?" - Eight of Swords: self-imposed limitation - Ace of Swords: clarity, new truth
Pentacles
Pentacles ask: "How are your material reality and body?" - Seven of Pentacles: assessing progress - Ten of Pentacles: long-term stability, family
Counting Suits in a Spread
If a 5-card spread has 3 Cups and 0 Pentacles — the question may be revolving around emotion more than financial reality. This is a quick reading technique to use before looking up each card on Melaap.