Deck Structure

Inside the 78 Cards: Major and Minor Arcana

Every tarot card belongs to one of two groups: 22 Major Arcana numbered 0 to XXI, or 56 Minor Arcana split into 4 suits of 14. Each suit maps to one element and runs Ace through King.

Back to overview Use a card in a spread

Minor Arcana by suit

The 56 Minor Arcana cards split into 4 equal suits, each tied to one element and running Ace to 10 plus four court cards.

Minor Arcana structure: suits, elements, counts
SuitElementCardsRange
WandsFire14 cardsAce–10, Page, Knight, Queen, King
CupsWater14 cardsAce–10, Page, Knight, Queen, King
SwordsAir14 cardsAce–10, Page, Knight, Queen, King
PentaclesEarth14 cardsAce–10, Page, Knight, Queen, King
Court cards, all suits—16 cards4 per suit: Page, Knight, Queen, King
Number cards, all suits—40 cardsAce through 10 across the 4 suits

Major Arcana

The 22 Major Arcana run as a single numbered sequence from 0 to XXI, from The Fool to The World, and make up 28% of the full 78-card deck. The Rider-Waite-Smith deck, the version most reference tables use, was first published in 1909.

Figures

Suits mapped to elements Four suits, each with 14 cards, mapped to one element: Wands to Fire, Cups to Water, Swords to Air, Pentacles to Earth. Wands Fire 14 cards Cups Water 14 cards Swords Air 14 cards Pentacles Earth 14 cards
Fig. 1 — The 4 Minor Arcana suits, one element each, 14 cards per suit, 56 cards in total.
Card size comparison A Rider-Waite-Smith card at 70 by 120 millimetres drawn to scale next to a standard playing card at 63 by 88 millimetres. RWS: 70×120 mm Playing card: 63×88 mm first published 1909
Fig. 2 — A Rider-Waite-Smith card, 70 × 120 mm, drawn to scale beside a standard 63 × 88 mm playing card. The RWS deck was first published in 1909.

Questions about the 78 cards

Why does each suit have its own element?

The element is a shorthand for the suit's general territory: Wands/Fire for action and drive, Cups/Water for emotion, Swords/Air for thought and conflict, Pentacles/Earth for money and the body. Each element covers exactly 14 of the 56 Minor cards, one full suit.

What is the difference between a Page and a Knight?

Both are court cards within the same suit; each suit has exactly 4 court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King), 16 court cards total across the deck, alongside the 40 number cards Ace through 10.

Is Rider-Waite-Smith the only deck structure?

It is the most widely used reference structure and the one this site's tables follow. It was first published in 1909, with cards measuring about 70 by 120 mm, noticeably larger than a standard 63 by 88 mm playing card.

Are the Major Arcana rare in a normal draw?

Yes. They are 22 of 78 cards, 28% of the deck, so in any random draw roughly 1 card in 3 to 4 will be a Major rather than a Minor.