King of Cups Tarot Card Meaning
The King of Cups belongs to the Minor Arcana, the suit of emotion, love, intuition, and relationship. Here are its upright and reversed meanings, keywords, and how it tends to read in love and work — then pull a free daily card of your own.
What the King of Cups means (upright)
A king sits on a throne in a stormy sea, cup steady — emotional mastery, the capacity to feel deeply without being overturned, leadership through empathy.
- emotional mastery
- compassion
- diplomacy
- steadiness
King of Cups reversed
Reversed: emotional repression, controlling feeling rather than holding it, manipulation under a calm surface.
- repression
- manipulation
- cold detachment
- moodiness
The King of Cups in love and work
In love, the King of Cups speaks in the language of the heart. Upright, it leans toward emotional mastery and compassion — an invitation to notice where your connections sit. Reversed, repression is the edge worth sitting with rather than forcing.
At work and with money, read the King of Cups through cups — the suit of emotion, love, intuition, and relationship. Its upright themes (emotional mastery, compassion, diplomacy) point to what's flowing; the reversed themes name where attention is owed.
For reflection — not a prediction.
More cards in the suit of Cups
Questions about the King of Cups
What does the King of Cups card mean?
A king sits on a throne in a stormy sea, cup steady — emotional mastery, the capacity to feel deeply without being overturned, leadership through empathy.
What does the King of Cups reversed mean?
Reversed: emotional repression, controlling feeling rather than holding it, manipulation under a calm surface.
What does the King of Cups mean in love?
In love, the King of Cups speaks in the language of the heart. Upright, it leans toward emotional mastery and compassion — an invitation to notice where your connections sit. Reversed, repression is the edge worth sitting with rather than forcing.
What does it mean to draw the King of Cups as your card of the day?
Drawing the King of Cups as your card of the day invites you to carry its themes — emotional mastery, compassion, diplomacy — through the next 24 hours, watching for where the language of the heart shows up. Reversed, sit with repression instead. Pull your own free card of the day on the daily tarot draw.
Is the King of Cups a Major or Minor Arcana card?
The King of Cups is a Minor Arcana card in the suit of Cups — the suit of emotion, love, intuition, and relationship. The 56 Minor Arcana describe the texture of daily life, while the 22 Major Arcana mark its larger turning points.
For entertainment & reflection — not a prediction. Full disclaimer.