Playing the Pokémon TCG

Pokémon card rarity symbols: circle, diamond, stars and Japanese codes

Updated on 16/10/2026👁 1 reader

Scarlet & Violet series: on the left the symbol printed on international cards, on the right the code on Japanese cards. Black, white or gold stars tell you how rare the card is.

Where the symbol is

Regulation mark, set code, number and rarity of a Japanese card — On this Japanese card, bottom left: the regulation letter (I), the set code (M1L), the number (064/063) and the rarity written in letters (AR). On international cards there's a gold star instead of AR.

On international cards the rarity symbol is a small shape next to the number; on Japanese cards it's a letter code. They mean the same thing: how hard the card is to find in a pack.

Circle, diamond and star: the basic rarities

Symbol	Rarity	How many per pack
● circle	Common (C)	Several in every pack
◆ diamond	Uncommon (U)	Usually three per pack
★ black star	Rare (R)	At least one per pack (or a better card)

White and gold stars

Since the Scarlet & Violet series the special cards have coloured stars. Two black stars are the regular Pokémon ex (Double Rare, RR in Japanese); two white stars are the textured full arts (Ultra Rare, SR in Japanese). The gold stars are the most wanted: one for Illustration Rares (AR), two for Special Illustration Rares (SAR), three for gold cards (UR).

ARs (one gold star in English)

Chandelure

069/067

3,99 €2 pcs

Kleavor

071/067

2,49 €1 pcs

Mightyena

072/067

3,49 €1 pcs

Hoothoot

073/067

8,79 €4 pcs

SARs (two gold stars in English)

Pikachu ex

126/103

74,99 €3 pcs

Salamence ex

133/103

19,99 €2 pcs

Hisuian Zoroark VSTAR

234/172

36,49 €2 pcs

Deoxys VSTAR

223/172

32,99 €1 pcs

Other symbols you might find

Symbol	What it means
"Edition 1" stamp	First Edition of the English cards from 1999–2002: worth far more than the regular print
Black star saying PROMO	Promotional card (events, magazines, special products)
Letter in a box (G, H, I, J…)	Regulation mark: tells you whether the card is legal in Standard
Set code (M6a, SV2a…)	Which expansion the card came from
S and SSR (Japanese)	Shiny Pokémon and shiny super rares
No symbol	The very first Japanese cards of 1996 had no printed rarity

For the regulation mark read the guide to the Standard format; for each Japanese code the guide to rarities; for shiny cards the guide to shiny cards.

Frequently asked questions

What does the gold star on Pokémon cards mean?+

On recent international cards one gold star means an Illustration Rare (AR in Japanese), two gold stars a Special Illustration Rare (SAR), three gold stars a Hyper Rare, the gold card (UR).

What does the diamond on a card mean?+

The black diamond means an uncommon card. The black circle is common, the black star rare.

Do Japanese cards have the symbols?+

No: instead of the symbol they have a letter code (C, U, R, RR, AR, SR, SAR, UR), printed next to the number.

What is the 1st Edition symbol?+

It's the 'Edition 1' stamp on the first English print runs of 1999–2002, on the left under the artwork. Cards with that stamp are worth much more.