This comprehensive reference guide covers every single candlestick pattern you should be aware of, and then some. I’ve included a small description, and will add images soon.
When day trading, if you don’t know your candlestick patterns, you’re already at a major disadvantage. Significant market reversals and trends are happening everyday, signaled by weakness or shifts in market sentiment that show up in these patterns.
If you don’t see your favorite pattern included in this list, please reach out so I can update it.
Abandoned Baby
Bottom
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 3
Appearance: A long bearish candle, a Doji with a gap down, and a long bullish candle with a gap up. The Doji’s shadows should not overlap with the shadows of the first and third candles, creating a distinct gap or “abandoned baby” appearance.
Similar Patterns: Morning Star, Evening Star
Top
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 3
Appearance: A long bullish candle, a Doji with a gap up, and a long bearish candle with a gap down. The Doji’s shadows should not overlap with the shadows of the first and third candles, creating a distinct gap or “abandoned baby” appearance.
Advance Block
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 3
Appearance: Three consecutive bullish candles with progressively smaller bodies and longer upper shadows. This pattern indicates that bullish momentum is waning.
Belt Hold
Bearish
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 1
Appearance: A single bearish candle that opens at or near its high and closes near its low, with a long body and little or no upper or lower shadows. This pattern indicates a strong shift in sentiment from bullish to bearish.
Bullish
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 1
Appearance: A single bullish candle that opens at or near its low and closes near its high, with a long body and little or no upper or lower shadows. This pattern indicates a strong shift in sentiment from bearish to bullish.
Breakaway
Bearish
Direction: Bearish Candles: 5 Appearance: A long bullish candle followed by three smaller candles with lower highs and a final long bearish candle that closes below the first candle’s low. This pattern indicates a trend reversal from bullish to bearish.
Bullish
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 5
Appearance: A long bearish candle followed by three smaller candles with higher lows and a final long bullish candle that closes above the first candle’s high. This pattern indicates a trend reversal from bearish to bullish.
Concealing Baby Swallow
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 4
Appearance: Two consecutive bearish Marubozu candles followed by two smaller bearish candles that are contained within the body of the second Marubozu. The final candle has a bullish body that engulfs the previous candle’s body.
Counterattack Lines
Direction: Neutral
Candles: 2
Appearance: A long candle, followed by an opposite-colored candle of similar length that retraces most or all of the first candle’s movement, indicating a counterattack by the opposing market force. The pattern suggests potential indecision or a possible reversal, depending on the context and subsequent price action.
Dark Cloud Cover
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 2
Appearance: A long bullish candle followed by a long bearish candle. The second candle opens above the first candle’s high and closes within the first candle’s body, but not below its midpoint.
Deliberation
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 3
Appearance: Three consecutive bullish candles with progressively smaller bodies. The third candle has a small body and a long upper shadow, indicating a potential trend reversal.
Doji
Direction: Neutral
Candles: 1
Appearance: A single candle with a small or nonexistent body and long upper and lower shadows. The opening and closing prices are nearly equal, indicating indecision in the market.
Learn how to trade the Doji pattern here.
Doji Star
Direction: Neutral
Candles: 3
Appearance: A Doji candle that appears between a bullish and a bearish candle, signaling a potential trend reversal or continuation.
Dragonfly Doji
Direction: Neutral
Candles: 1
Appearance: A single candle with a small or nonexistent body and a long lower shadow. The opening and closing prices are nearly equal, and the candle may signal a potential reversal depending on the preceding trend.
Engulfing
Bearish
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 2
Appearance: A small bullish candle followed by a larger bearish candle that engulfs the entire body of the first candle. This pattern indicates a potential trend reversal from bullish to bearish.
Learn how to trade the Bearish Engulfing pattern here.
Bullish
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 2
Appearance: A small bearish candle followed by a larger bullish candle that engulfs the entire body of the first candle. This pattern indicates a potential trend reversal from bearish to bullish.
Learn how to trade the Bullish Engulfing pattern here.
Evening Doji Star
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 3
Appearance: A long bullish candle followed by a Doji that gaps up and a long bearish candle that closes within the first candle’s body. The pattern suggests a potential trend reversal.
Evening Star
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 3
Appearance: A long bullish candle followed by a small-bodied candle that gaps up and a long bearish candle that closes within the first candle’s body. This pattern indicates weakening bullish momentum.
Falling Three Methods
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 5
Appearance: A long bearish candle followed by three smaller bullish candles, each with a lower high and a higher low, and a final long bearish candle that closes below the first candle’s low. The pattern indicates a continuation of the downtrend.
Gravestone Doji
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 1
Appearance: A single candle with a small or nonexistent body and a long upper shadow. The opening and closing prices are nearly equal, and the candle may signal a potential reversal depending on the preceding trend.
Hammer
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 1
Appearance: A single candle with a small body and a long lower shadow at least twice the length of the body. The pattern typically appears at the end of a downtrend and suggests a potential reversal.
Hanging Man
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 1
Appearance: A single candle with a small body and a long lower shadow at least twice the length of the body. The pattern typically appears at the end of an uptrend and suggests a potential reversal.
Harami
Bearish
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 2
Appearance: A long bullish candle followed by a smaller bearish candle that is entirely contained within the body of the first candle. This pattern suggests that bullish momentum is weakening and a trend reversal may be imminent.
Bullish
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 2
Appearance: A long bearish candle followed by a smaller bullish candle that is entirely contained within the body of the first candle. This pattern suggests that bearish momentum is weakening and a trend reversal may be imminent.
Harami Cross
Bearish
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 2
Appearance: A long bullish candle followed by a Doji that is entirely contained within the body of the first candle.
Bullish
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 2
Appearance: A long bullish candle followed by a Doji that is entirely contained within the body of the first candle.
High Wave
Direction: Neutral
Candles: 1
Appearance: A single candle with a small body and long upper and lower shadows, indicating indecision in the market. The pattern may signal a potential trend reversal or continuation depending on the preceding trend and subsequent price action.
Hikkake Pattern
Direction: Neutral
Candles: 3 or 4
Appearance: A false inside bar breakout (bullish or bearish) followed by a reversal in the opposite direction. The pattern suggests a potential trend continuation or reversal depending on the context and preceding trend.
Homing Pigeon
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 2
Appearance: A long bearish candle followed by a smaller bearish candle that is entirely contained within the body of the first candle. The pattern suggests a potential trend reversal.
In-Neck
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 2
Appearance: A long bearish candle followed by a bullish candle that opens lower and closes near the first candle’s close. The pattern suggests a potential continuation of the downtrend.
Inverted Hammer
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 1
Appearance: A single candle with a small body and a long upper shadow at least twice the length of the body. The pattern typically appears at the end of a downtrend and suggests a potential reversal.
Kicker
Bearish
Direction: Neutral
Candles: 2
Appearance: The first candle is bullish, followed by a bearish candle that opens below the low of the first candle, with no overlap between the two candles’ bodies. The second candle typically closes significantly lower than its open, further reinforcing the reversal.
Bullish
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 2
Appearance: The first candle is bearish, followed by a bullish candle that opens above the high of the first candle, with no overlap between the two candles’ bodies. The second candle typically closes significantly higher than its open, further reinforcing the reversal.
Bullish
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 2
Appearance: A bearish candle followed by a bullish candle that opens at the same level as the previous candle’s open, with no overlap between the two candle bodies. The second candle’s close should be significantly higher than the first candle’s close.
Ladder
Bottom
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 5
Appearance: DirectionFour consecutive bearish candles with lower lows, followed by a bullish candle that opens above the previous candle’s close and closes higher. The pattern suggests a potential trend reversal.
Top
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 5
Appearance: Four consecutive bullish candles with higher highs, followed by a bearish candle that opens below the previous candle’s close and closes lower. The pattern suggests a potential trend reversal.
Long-Legged Doji
Direction: Neutral
Candles: 1
Appearance: A single candle with a small or nonexistent body and long upper and lower shadows. The opening and closing prices are nearly equal, if not equal.
Also called: Rickshaw Man
Long Shadow
Lower
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 1
Appearance: A single candle with a small body and a long lower shadow at least twice the length of the body. The pattern typically appears at the end of a downtrend and suggests a potential reversal.
Upper
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 1
Appearance: A single candle with a small body and a long upper shadow at least twice the length of the body. The pattern typically appears at the end of an uptrend and suggests a potential reversal.
Marubozu
Direction: Neutral
Candles: 1
Appearance: A single candle with a long body and no or very short shadows. The candle’s color indicates the direction of the trend, with a bullish Marubozu indicating a strong uptrend and a bearish Marubozu indicating a strong downtrend.
Matching Low
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 2
Appearance: Two consecutive bearish candles with matching lows. The pattern suggests a potential trend reversal.
Mat Hold
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 5
Appearance: A long bullish candle followed by three bearish candles with higher lows and a final bullish candle that closes above the first candle’s high. The pattern indicates a continuation of the uptrend.
Meeting Lines
Bearish
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 2
Appearance: A long bullish candle followed by a long bearish candle. Both candles have the same closing price, indicating that the bullish momentum is weakening, and a trend reversal may be imminent.
Bullish
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 2
Appearance: A long bearish candle followed by a long bullish candle. Both candles have the same closing price, indicating that the bearish momentum is weakening.
Morning Doji Star
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 3
Appearance: A long bearish candle followed by a Doji that gaps down and a long bullish candle that closes within the first candle’s body. The pattern suggests a potential trend reversal.
Morning Star
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 3 Appearance: A long bearish candle followed by a small-bodied candle that gaps down and a long bullish candle that closes within the first candle’s body. This pattern indicates weakening bearish momentum.
On-Neck
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 2
Appearance: A long bearish candle followed by a bullish candle that opens lower and closes near the first candle’s low. The pattern suggests a potential continuation of the downtrend.
Piercing Line
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 2
Appearance: A long bearish candle followed by a long bullish candle that opens below the first candle’s low and closes within the first candle’s body but above its midpoint. The pattern suggests a potential trend reversal.
Rising Three Methods
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 5
Appearance: A long bullish candle followed by three smaller bearish candles, each with a higher low and a lower high, and a final long bullish candle that closes above the first candle’s high. The pattern indicates a continuation of the uptrend.
Separating Lines
Bearish
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 2
Appearance: A long bullish candle followed by a long bearish candle. The second candle opens at the same level as the first candle’s open, indicating a potential trend reversal from bullish to bearish.
Bullish
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 2
Appearance: A long bearish candle followed by a long bullish candle. The second candle opens at the same level as the first candle’s open, indicating a potential trend reversal from bearish to bullish.
Shooting Star
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 1
Appearance: A single candle with a small body and a long upper shadow at least twice the length of the body, appearing at the end of an uptrend.
Short Line
Direction: Neutral
Candles: 1
Appearance: A single candle with a small body and relatively short shadows. The pattern indicates indecision in the market and may signal a potential trend reversal or continuation depending on the preceding trend.
Side-by-Side
Bearish
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 3
Appearance: Two consecutive bearish candles with similar bodies that follow a long bullish candle. The second and third candles open at or near the first candle’s close.
Bullish
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 3
Appearance: Two consecutive bullish candles with similar bodies that follow a long bearish candle. The second and third candles open at or near the first candle’s close.
Spinning Top
Direction: Neutral
Candles: 1
Appearance: A single candle with a small body and relatively long upper and lower shadows. The pattern indicates indecision in the market and may signal a potential trend reversal or continuation depending on the preceding trend.
Stick Sandwich
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 3
Appearance: A bearish candle followed by a bullish candle with a lower low, and then another bearish candle that closes at the same level as the first candle. The pattern suggests a potential trend reversal.
Three Black Crows
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 3
Appearance: Three consecutive long bearish candles with lower lows and lower highs. The pattern indicates a strong bearish reversal or continuation.
Three Inside Down
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 3
Appearance: A long bullish candle followed by a bearish candle that engulfs the first candle’s body, and a third bearish candle that closes lower than the second candle. The pattern suggests a potential trend reversal.
Three Inside Up
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 3
Appearance: A long bearish candle followed by a bullish candle that is contained within the first candle’s body, and a third bullish candle that closes above the first candle’s high. The pattern suggests a potential trend reversal.
Three Line Strike
Direction:
Bullish
Candles: 4 Appearance: Three consecutive bearish candles with lower lows, followed by a bullish candle that opens below the previous candle’s low and closes above the first candle’s high. The pattern indicates a potential trend reversal.
Three Outside Down
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 3
Appearance: A long bullish candle followed by a bearish candle that engulfs the first candle’s body, and a third bearish candle that closes lower than the second candle. The pattern suggests a potential trend reversal.
Three Outside Up
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 3
Appearance: A long bearish candle followed by a bullish candle that engulfs the first candle’s body, and a third bullish candle that closes higher than the second candle. The pattern suggests a potential trend reversal.
Three Stars in the South
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 3
Appearance: Three consecutive bearish candles with progressively smaller bodies and longer lower shadows. The pattern indicates that selling pressure is decreasing and suggests a potential trend reversal.
Three White Soldiers
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 3
Appearance: Three consecutive long bullish candles with higher highs and higher lows. The pattern indicates a strong bullish reversal or continuation.
Thrusting
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 2
Appearance: A long bearish candle followed by a bullish candle that opens lower and closes within the first candle’s body but below its midpoint. The pattern suggests a potential continuation of the downtrend.
Tri-Star
Direction: Neutral
Candles: 3
Appearance: Three consecutive Doji candles that form a star pattern, indicating market indecision. The pattern may signal a potential trend reversal or continuation, depending on the preceding trend and subsequent price action.
Tweezers
Bottom
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 2
Appearance: Two consecutive candles with matching lows. The first candle is bearish, and the second candle is bullish. The pattern suggests a potential trend reversal.
Top
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 2
Appearance: Two consecutive candles with matching highs. The first candle is bullish, and the second candle is bearish. The pattern suggests a potential trend reversal.
Two Black Gapping
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 4
Appearance: Two consecutive bullish candles followed by two consecutive bearish candles that gap down. The pattern indicates a potential trend reversal.
Two Crows
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 3
Appearance: A long bullish candle followed by two smaller bearish candles that close within the first candle’s body but below its midpoint. The pattern suggests a potential trend reversal.
Unique Three River
Direction: Bullish
Candles: 3
Appearance: A long bearish candle, followed by a small-bodied bullish candle that gaps down, and a third bullish candle that engulfs the second candle’s body. The pattern suggests a potential trend reversal.
Upside Gap Three Methods
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 3
Appearance: A long bullish candle followed by a small-bodied bearish candle that gaps up, and a third bearish candle that engulfs the second candle.
Upside Gap Two Crows
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 3
Appearance: A long bullish candle followed by a bearish candle that gaps up, and another bearish candle that closes within the first candle’s body. The pattern suggests a potential trend reversal.
Upside Tasuki Gap
Direction: Bearish
Candles: 3
Appearance: A long bullish candle followed by a second bullish candle that gaps up, and a third bearish candle that closes within the gap between the first two candles. The pattern suggests a potential trend reversal.
Other Candlestick Guides
This list is by no means complete. There are some more obscure, less used candlestick patterns that I’m sure I’ve missed.
But a couple guides exist that may cover those, if you are looking for even more patterns than these. You should not need to even use all of these to find success, but it’s not going to hurt to know them either way.
https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Candlestick-Charting-Techniques-Contemporary/dp/0735201811