What is the Minor Arcana and what does it include?
The Minor Arcana is the remainder of a Tarot deck after setting aside the 22 Major Arcana cards. Its 56 cards are divided into four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. Each suit has 14 cards: ten numbered cards from Ace (1) to 10, and four court cards, Page, Knight, Queen, and King. In many modern decks, the four court cards keep this structure.
Where does the Minor Arcana come from?
The four suits of the Minor Arcana correspond to the four suits of today's playing cards: Wands are close to Clubs, Cups to Hearts, Swords to Spades, and Pentacles to Diamonds. The four-suit structure and numbered cards are a shared heritage of medieval European card decks, later retained by Tarot and given symbolic layers of meaning. The Vietnamese term "Ẩn Phụ" is a translation of Minor Arcana, used to distinguish it from the "Ẩn Chính" (Major Arcana).
How is the Minor Arcana used in readings?
In readings, the Minor Arcana is often seen as the layer of information about concrete life: work, money, relationships, emotions, and everyday conflicts. For example, 8 of Pentacles speaks of training and professional mastery; 5 of Swords speaks of conflict and the cost of victory; 4 of Cups speaks of apathy and missed opportunities. Court cards such as Queen of Pentacles or King of Swords are often read as qualities, attitudes, or portraits of people. Depending on the school, a reader may treat the Minor Arcana as the "background layer" and the Major Arcana as "big lessons", or the reverse, depending on the focus of the question.
How is the Minor Arcana different from the Major Arcana?
The Major Arcana has 22 cards, often tied to archetypes, spiritual journeys, and major turning points. The Minor Arcana has 56 cards, leaning toward details and specific situations. This distinction is conventional; many readers still combine both layers in interpretation.
Should the Minor Arcana be confused with playing cards?
It should not be equated with them. A playing card deck has only 52 cards and does not have four court cards in the way Tarot uses them, nor does it carry the same symbolic layers as Tarot. The Minor Arcana is part of the Tarot system, not a standalone deck.
The above content is traditional knowledge for reference, not scientifically verified. Tarot belongs to the field of occultism and does not replace medical, legal, or financial advice.