Candlestick Patterns Cheat Sheet — 12 Essential Patterns Every Trader Must Know

About This Infographic

Candlestick patterns are the language of price action — and mastering the 12 most important ones gives traders an immediate edge in reading market sentiment before an indicator can signal a move. This infographic presents a two-column visual cheat sheet organized by bias. Bullish Reversal Patterns: Hammer (small body, long lower wick — buyers rejected sellers at lows), Morning Star (3-candle bottom reversal from bears to bulls), Bullish Engulfing (large green candle fully engulfs the prior red candle), Piercing Line (green candle closes above 50% of prior red candle), Doji Star (doji at market lows signals indecision and potential reversal up), and Dragonfly Doji (open equals close equals high with a long lower wick — strong bullish signal). Bearish Reversal Patterns: Shooting Star (small body, long upper wick — buyers failed at highs), Evening Star (3-candle top reversal from bulls to bears), Bearish Engulfing (large red candle fully engulfs prior green candle), Dark Cloud Cover (red candle closes below 50% of prior green candle), Gravestone Doji (open equals close equals low with long upper wick — strong bearish signal), and Hanging Man (identical to Hammer but appearing in an uptrend — a warning signal for bulls). The bottom section includes a candlestick anatomy diagram showing upper wick, body (open/close), and lower wick with green for bullish and red for bearish.