Suit of Cups: tarot card meanings
Cups are the suit of water. They show the heart: love, friendship, feelings, dreams and intuition. When Cups appear, the question is usually about how you feel and who you share it with.
Pull a Cups card
What does the suit of Cups want you to know today?
Think of a question about feelings or intuition creativity, then draw one card from the 14 Cups.
All 14 Cups cards
How to read the Cups by number
Each number has a meaning that stays the same across the four suits. Read the number first, then add the Cups theme of feelings, love, relationships, intuition and creativity.
| Card | Number meaning and keywords |
|---|---|
| Ace of Cups | Aces are new beginnings. New feelings, love, compassion, an open heart. |
| Two of Cups | Twos are about choice and balance. Partnership, mutual attraction, connection, harmony. |
| Three of Cups | Threes are about growth. Friendship, celebration, community, joy. |
| Four of Cups | Fours are about stability. Apathy, contemplation, boredom, missed offers. |
| Five of Cups | Fives are about challenge. Loss, grief, regret, disappointment. |
| Six of Cups | Sixes are about harmony. Nostalgia, childhood, kindness, innocence. |
| Seven of Cups | Sevens are about testing. Choices, fantasy, illusion, wishful thinking. |
| Eight of Cups | Eights are about movement. Walking away, moving on, searching, letting go. |
| Nine of Cups | Nines are about the peak. Contentment, wishes fulfilled, satisfaction, gratitude. |
| Ten of Cups | Tens are about completion. Family happiness, harmony, lasting love, home. |
The Cups court cards as people
Court cards can show a real person in your life, a role you are playing, or a way of handling feelings.
A gentle, dreamy young person, or your own inner child.
Pages are learners and messengers.
A romantic, charming and artistic person who follows their heart.
Knights are about action.
A kind, intuitive listener, often in a caring role, or your own caring side.
Queens are about inner mastery.
A calm, caring advisor or leader, such as a counsellor or doctor.
Kings are about outer mastery.
The suit of Cups in love, work and reversed
In love, Cups are the most direct suit of all. They show romance, emotional connection, healing and, when reversed, disappointment or feelings held back.
At work, Cups point to how you feel about what you do: team spirit, creative satisfaction, burnout or the wish for something more meaningful.
Too much water can flood. Cups reversed often show moodiness, escapism, emotional blocks or living in the past.
Explore the other suits
Looking for the big life themes? See the 22 Major Arcana card meanings, or try our free yes/no tarot reading.
Questions about the Cups
Tarot is a tool for reflection and entertainment. It cannot predict the future and is not a substitute for professional advice. Card images described are from the Rider-Waite-Smith deck (1909).