How-to Guides · 8 min · 2026-07-15
Tarot Learning Guide: The Meaning of 40 Numbered Cards in the Minor Arcana
How to read 40 numbered cards (pips) in the Minor Arcana — the meanings of numbers 1–10 across four suits.
Tarot Learning Guide: The Meaning of 40 Numbered Cards in the Minor Arcana
When you first start learning Tarot, the numbered cards (also called "small cards" or pips) can feel overwhelming — they seem similar to one another, but in reality each card carries its own distinct meaning and interconnects with the others.
The key to understanding these 40 cards is mastering the number patterns from 1 to 10 and how they express themselves differently across the four suits (Wands — Action, Cups — Emotion, Swords — Intellect, Pentacles — Material).
Number 1 — New Beginnings & Unlimited Potential
All four Aces represent new opportunities and untapped potential — like a seed full of promise. However, whether this is a positive beginning depends on context and how you use it.
Ace of Wands: The beginning of action and creativity
Ace of Cups: The beginning of relationships and intuition
Ace of Swords: The beginning of clear thinking and intellectual challenges
Ace of Pentacles: The beginning of manifesting ideas and financial opportunity
Number 2 — Partnership & Opposition
The 2 card shows that two forces exist in tension. This can be opportunity or challenge — depending on how you balance them. Used well, you achieve 1+1>2; used poorly, it leads to opposition and stalemate.
Two of Wands: Weighing two choices of action
Two of Cups: Partnership and harmony in relationships
Two of Swords: Opposition between two sides, a deadlocked state
Two of Pentacles: Balancing two financial forces, adapting to change
Number 3 — Cooperation & Early Results
Number 3 marks initial cooperation and small fruits of labor. From the partnership of 1 and 2, elements begin to mature within each suit.
Three of Wands: Cooperation in action, early results
Three of Cups: Cooperation in relationships, celebrating together
Three of Swords: Difficulty and sorrow beginning to take form
Three of Pentacles: Cooperation at work, a project showing initial results
Number 4 — Stability & Solidity
Four points form a basic shape (a tetrahedron), so 4 represents stability, fixedness, and solidness.
Four of Wands: Stability after action, celebrating success
Four of Cups: Withdrawal, meditation, emotional quietude
Four of Swords: Peace amid chaos, rest
Four of Pentacles: Financial security, material stability
Number 5 — Conflict & Loss
Number 5 often brings loss or difficulty — the result of self-reflection following the stability of 4.
Five of Wands: Conflict in action, competition
Five of Cups: Emotional loss, sorrow
Five of Swords: Conflict that wounds, a pyrrhic victory
Five of Pentacles: Financial hardship, a sense of scarcity
Number 6 — Sharing & Compromise
After stability (4) and self-reflection (5), you enter a phase of sharing, giving, and compromise.
Six of Wands: Sharing honor with others
Six of Cups: Offering emotion, nostalgia and compassion
Six of Swords: Healing from wounds, gradual recovery
Six of Pentacles: Sharing abundance, generosity and fairness
Number 7 — Inner Reflection & Effort
Number 7 is a time of introspection, deep contemplation, and continuing effort.
Seven of Wands: Standing against difficulty, struggling to win
Seven of Cups: Falling into dreams, self-reflection within imagination
Seven of Swords: Effort amid difficulty, strategy
Seven of Pentacles: Reflecting on the fruits of labor, waiting for harvest
Number 8 — Reassessment & Powerful Action
Number 8 represents reassessment, powerful energy, and decisive action.
Eight of Wands: Swift action, high capability
Eight of Cups: Reassessing emotion, departing to seek something deeper
Eight of Swords: Restriction, a feeling of being bound
Eight of Pentacles: Diligent work, study and mastery
Number 9 — Fruition & Independence
Number 9 brings completion and independent experience — you stand alone, enjoying or bearing the consequences yourself.
Nine of Wands: Overcoming difficulty alone, resilience
Nine of Cups: Independence in joy, personal fulfillment
Nine of Swords: Bearing suffering alone, nighttime anxiety
Nine of Pentacles: Financial freedom, enjoying the fruits of your labor
Number 10 — Completion & Transformation
Number 10 is the endpoint of a cycle and transformation. It closes one phase and opens the next.
Ten of Wands: The burden of action becoming too heavy, time to let go
Ten of Cups: Complete happiness in family and relationships
Ten of Swords: Suffering ending and transforming into hope
Ten of Pentacles: Financial success, legacy — yet also a warning that excessive material ambition must be transformed
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Study Tips
Instead of memorizing each card individually, track the number patterns across the four suits. You will notice that:
- Each number carries a central theme (beginning, conflict, sharing...)
- Each suit repeats that theme in its own domain (Wands = action, Cups = emotion, Swords = intellect, Pentacles = material)
With this approach, 40 cards no longer feel overwhelming — they become a logical, consistent, and easy-to-remember system.
Reference source: Tarot learning guide and the meanings of numbered cards