Five of Pentacles — hardship, and the help you're overlooking

Supervised by Usatoko WHITE
Professional tarot reader & spiritual advisor

The classic Rider–Waite–Smith Five of Pentacles

Nyanta

Nekosuke, can you teach me about the Five of Pentacles today? I really want to understand it!

Nekosuke

Of course! The Five of Pentacles is a card that symbolizes "hardship and change." It carries the power of the Earth element, showing how we can learn and grow through difficulty and transformation. It's deeply connected to money and the results of our work!

Tarot cards offer us all kinds of advice and insight.

Drawn in by their mysterious charm, more and more people are learning to read tarot for themselves.

You may have already noticed this yourself.

Tarot readings can now bring you a message without ever setting foot in a fortune-teller's parlor.

When you're lost or troubled, being able to quickly read a card for yourself is incredibly handy.

On the other hand, there are 78 cards in a tarot deck, and many people feel it's too hard to memorize every single meaning.

But giving up on reading tarot for that reason alone would be such a shame.

Here's why: tarot doesn't require memorization.

What matters most is the intuitive message you receive the moment you meet each card.

In fact, tarot cards are designed so that even without knowing the "official" meaning, you can read them simply from their imagery.

So start by simply meeting the card and noticing what you feel.

Today we'll walk you through the minor arcana card known as the Five of Pentacles in clear, simple terms.

"Oh, so that's the kind of personality this card has."

We hope you'll read on with just that light, easy mindset.

✦The Core Meaning of the Five of Pentacles

Tarot cards are divided into the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana.

The Major Arcana has 22 cards that reveal the big themes and challenges of our lives.

These cards often depict angels, devils, and other imagery from the "unseen world," evoking a spiritual, otherworldly atmosphere.

That mysterious, beautiful world view captivates many readers.

The Minor Arcana, meanwhile, has 56 cards in total.

Unlike the Major Arcana, the Minor Arcana cards offer hints drawn from our everyday lives.

Because there are so many of them, people often assume they'll be hard to memorize — but what they depict is so ordinary and relatable that they're actually easy to take in.

The more you read with them, the more you'll find the Minor Arcana genuinely approachable and familiar.

A Quick Guide to the Suit of Pentacles

The Minor Arcana is split into four "suits."

Simply put, a "suit" works just like the suits in a familiar deck of playing cards — diamonds, spades, clubs, and hearts.

Tarot's Minor Arcana is likewise divided into four groups.

These four suits are called Swords, Wands, Cups, and Pentacles, and each has its own distinct character.

Their characters map onto the four classical elements we already know well: fire, water, air, and earth.

Fire … Wands
Water … Cups
Air … Swords
Earth … Pentacles

Layering these four elements on top of the suits makes each one's character much easier to picture.

Of these four, Pentacles carries the element of Earth.

Earth represents the solidity and steadiness of a foundation.

Because of this, Pentacles evokes grounded, practical action and the patient, step-by-step work of building something from the ground up.

The Pentacles suit is illustrated with gold coins.

At the center of each coin sits a pentagram (a five-pointed star), representing the five elements of nature (earth, wood, fire, metal, and water).

This reflects the idea that everything on Earth is made up of combinations of these five elements.

Because of this, everything Pentacles symbolizes — including the human body — points to "all things material" that exist in this world.

"Pentacles = all things material."

We'll put it this way for now, but as always, there's no need to memorize it.

The more times you encounter this card, the more naturally it will settle into your understanding.

Two representative examples of what this "material" realm points to are these:

Money … work, assets
The body … what we perceive through the five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch)

Pentacles mainly speaks to us, through the cards, about everything connected to these two areas.

The Message of the Minor Arcana Five of Pentacles

Every tarot card carries a message for the person asking the question.

Let's first look at some hints for decoding that message.

The Minor Arcana shares three things in common with the playing cards we already know well.

And in the Minor Arcana's Five of Pentacles, the number "5" itself carries meanings of "freedom and change."

Pentacles symbolize "the material world"

The number "5" represents "freedom and change"

Putting these two keywords together, we can say:

"Depending on how you think, you can set real, tangible change in motion."

When people are suffering, this is the wish they hold in their hearts:

"I want to be free from this situation, I want things to change."

But in life, shame and pride can get in the way, making it hard to be honest with ourselves.

The Five of Pentacles carries a message that asks you: are you overlooking the help that's already around you?

What do abundance and poverty really point to?

Isn't the thing you truly want already right in front of you?

Are you pushing away the very thing you long for?

These are the questions this card poses to you.

And by combining "Pentacles" with the number "5," the card also offers this advice:

"If you can simply accept it, reality will change."

This card offers hints for how to think about and cope with the "hardships and trials" that everyone experiences at some point in life.

"Relief is close at hand. Your situation will change depending on your actions."

"Reaching out for help, or walking away from a bad situation, is never something to be ashamed of."

The place of relief that this card points to — toward freedom and change — is the light within the darkness.

And that light is right beside you.

Claiming that "change and freedom" requires the courage to look honestly at yourself and take action.

There's a powerful message here: find the light that's right next to you, even in the middle of darkness.

Nyanta

I heard the Five of Pentacles is a "hardship" card... can you tell me the difference between upright and reversed?

Nekosuke

You're right, cards with the number 5 often point to hardship or change. But upright, this card also hints at the strength to get through that difficulty. Reversed, it can hide a clue for how to escape the trial altogether. Let's take a closer look!

☀Five of Pentacles Upright Meaning

The Five of Pentacles carries one big central message: "notice that help is out there."

And it points to how pride and shame — a kind of stubbornness — can get in the way of reaching that help.

The core meaning leans heavily negative, but there's advice hiding inside it too.

That advice is: "there is a path to relief, depending on your actions."

• A weary feeling that things are hopeless
• Feeling unwell or impoverished
• Enduring an environment and feeling deep dissatisfaction
• Putting yourself down
• Struggling with a genuinely hard, real-life situation
• Having no place of emotional support
• Sensing coldness from those around you

☾Five of Pentacles Reversed Meaning

The upright meaning carried one hidden keyword: "not yet noticing that help is there."

The reversed card, on the other hand, means "becoming able to notice the help available, and the situation improving."

Or, in some readings, it can emphasize that same message — "still not noticing that help is there" — even more strongly.

These two meanings are opposites, but which one applies comes down to the querent's own state of mind.

Because of that, the right interpretation can shift depending on the situation.

In this case too, trust your intuition as you read the card.

In this way, the reversed meaning shows "a single ray of light appearing out of adversity."

♡Reading Their Feelings with the Five of Pentacles

At Work

When you want to know how a boss or coworker really feels, what message does the Five of Pentacles bring?

This card shows a situation where hope is hidden within present difficulty — there's light inside the hardship.

Even if you're currently out of step with each other, it shows that you're fundamentally capable of helping one another.

It tells you not to give up hope, and that you need to shift your mindset to build a better relationship.

With a Partner

When you want to know how a partner or crush really feels in love, what message does the Five of Pentacles bring?

In love too, this card shows a situation where hope is hidden within present difficulty.

Even if you're out of sync right now, it points to the possibility of understanding each other in the future.

You'll need to shift your mindset to build a better relationship.

One-Sided Love

✦Money Advice from the Five of Pentacles

Upright — Money

A financially difficult period. But help is definitely there — set your pride aside and reach out to those around you.

Reversed — Money

Signs of recovery from financial hardship. New work opportunities or supporters may appear.

✧Drawing the Five of Pentacles as a Single Card

Here's how to interpret the Five of Pentacles when it appears in a one-card draw.

For a Love Question

This is a time to prioritize stability in your daily life over romance. It's important to steady your own foundation first.

For a Work Question

A hint of job loss or reduced income. But if reversed, it's a sign you've entered a period of recovery.

Nyanta

The Five of Pentacles is a bit of a tough card, but I think I understand it now!

Nekosuke

Cards with a 5 do point to hardship, but that's really a step toward growth. When the Five of Pentacles shows up, don't forget stability, and believe in the version of yourself that comes out the other side of the difficulty!

✦Five of Pentacles Keyword List

Here are the essential keywords that capture the essence of the Five of Pentacles. Use these as a reference when reading.

• Financial hardship
• Health concerns

⚖Five of Pentacles YES/NO

Here's how to read the YES/NO answer when you draw the Five of Pentacles.

Upright YES/NO

Reversed YES/NO

♡Their Feelings When This Card Appears

Here's how to read the other person's feelings, upright and reversed, when the Five of Pentacles appears in a love reading.

Upright

Around the theme of "financial hardship," the other person is holding emotions shaped by the influence of Pentacles — matter, money, practical life. The messages of financial hardship and health concerns are showing up in their true feelings.

Reversed

Reversed shows the upright emotion weakening, or being held in without expression. Their feelings may be turned inward.

✦Frequently Asked Questions About the Five of Pentacles

✦Summary

We've walked through the meaning of the Minor Arcana's Five of Pentacles in simple terms.

The Pentacles cards speak honestly about the material world we live in, and about our everyday lives.

They touch on our place in society and our values — the kind of thing we find ourselves reflecting on again and again throughout life.

And tarot gives us a way to really sit with those questions.

Material abundance alone isn't enough — a rich inner life supports our health too, and helps build a better future.

Spending real time with tarot cards seems to teach us how to become truly, richly ourselves.

At first, it might take time, or you might feel confused.

When that happens, come back to articles like this one to guide your reading.

With repetition, your intuition will sharpen, and you'll find yourself able to read the cards in more and more ways.

Tarot is a wonderfully strange thing — truly anyone can learn to read it with ease.

You don't need the huge amount of study that something like astrology or Four Pillars of Destiny requires.

What matters most is your own intuition and inspiration.

Trust yourself, and keep on reading.

Thank you so much for reading all the way to the end.

Reviewed by

Usatoko WHITE

Professional fortune teller specialising in tarot, oracle and Lenormand reading. Usatoko supervises every divination guide at Luna Factory to keep them accurate and beginner-friendly.

Written by the Luna Factory Editorial Team