Cups tarot card meanings

Cups hold the element of water: emotion, love, friendship, intuition and the inner life. Many Cups in a reading point the conversation toward the heart.

Cups at a glance

Card	Upright	Reversed	Yes/No
Ace of Cups	new feelings, compassion, openness	blocked emotions, emptiness, repression	yes
Two of Cups	partnership, mutual attraction, connection	imbalance, broken communication, tension	yes
Three of Cups	friendship, celebration, community	overindulgence, gossip, isolation	yes
Four of Cups	apathy, contemplation, missed offers	renewed interest, acceptance, re-engaging	no
Five of Cups	grief, regret, disappointment	acceptance, moving on, forgiveness	no
Six of Cups	nostalgia, memories, innocence	living in the past, moving forward, independence	yes
Seven of Cups	choices, fantasy, illusion	clarity, decisiveness, reality check	maybe
Eight of Cups	walking away, seeking more, disillusion	fear of leaving, aimless drifting, staying	no
Nine of Cups	contentment, satisfaction, wishes	dissatisfaction, smugness, materialism	yes
Ten of Cups	harmony, family, fulfilment	broken harmony, misalignment, disconnection	yes
Page of Cups	creative ideas, sensitivity, messages of feeling	emotional immaturity, blocked creativity, insecurity	yes
Knight of Cups	romance, charm, following the heart	moodiness, unrealistic ideals, jealousy	yes
Queen of Cups	compassion, emotional depth, intuition	codependence, emotional overwhelm, insecurity	yes
King of Cups	emotional balance, diplomacy, calm	manipulation, moodiness, emotional coldness	yes

Other suits: Wands Swords Pentacles · Major Arcana

Questions people ask

What do Cups mean in tarot?

Cups are the suit of water and cover feelings, relationships, intuition and imagination.

How many Cups cards are there?

Fourteen: Ace through Ten, plus the four court cards (Page, Knight, Queen and King).

What does a reading full of Cups mean?

When Cups dominate a spread, the question is mostly about feelings and intuition and imagination.