Each candle shows a period’s open, high, low and close. The body runs from open to close (green when the close is higher, red when it’s lower) and the wicks show the extremes. Candlestick patterns read the fight between buyers and sellers from one to three candles.
Green candle: opened at the bottom of the body, closed at the top. Red candle: opened at the top, closed at the bottom. The thin lines above and below are the wicks (or shadows): prices traded during the period that didn’t hold.
Single-candle patterns
One candle can show who won the session. They matter most at support, resistance or after a long move, and are best confirmed by the next candle.
Hammer Bullish
After a decline, a small body near the top of the range with a lower wick at least twice the body. Sellers pushed price down hard, but buyers took it all back by the close.
Inverted hammer Bullish
After a decline, a small body at the bottom with a long upper wick. Buyers tried to rally; it needs a strong next candle to confirm.
Shooting star Bearish
After a rise, a small body near the low with a long upper wick: buyers pushed up, then sellers drove price back down.
Hanging man Bearish
Shaped like a hammer but found after a rise. The long lower wick shows sellers testing the market; a weak next candle confirms it.
Doji Either way
Open and close at almost the same price. Indecision: neither side won. After a strong trend, a doji can be the first sign the move is tiring.
Dragonfly doji Bullish
A doji with a long lower wick and no upper wick. Strong rejection of lower prices, especially at support.
Gravestone doji Bearish
A doji with a long upper wick and no lower wick: a rally that was completely sold off.
Marubozu Either way
A big body with little or no wick. A green one shows buyers in control from open to close; a red one, sellers.
Spinning top Either way
A small body with wicks on both sides. Both buyers and sellers were active but neither won; often seen before a pause.
Two-candle patterns
The second candle reacts to the first. Engulfing and harami patterns are among the most widely watched.
Bullish engulfing Bullish
After a decline, a green candle whose body completely covers the previous red body. Buyers overwhelmed the sellers in one session.
Bearish engulfing Bearish
After a rise, a red body that completely covers the previous green body.
Bullish harami Bullish
A small green body inside the previous large red body. Selling momentum has stalled; confirmation matters more than with engulfing patterns.
Bearish harami Bearish
A small red body inside the previous large green body, after a rise.
Piercing line Bullish
After a red candle, a green candle opens below its low and closes above the middle of its body.
Dark cloud cover Bearish
After a green candle, a red one opens above its high and closes below the middle of its body.
Tweezer bottom Bullish
Two candles with matching lows, the first red and the second green: the same support held twice.
Tweezer top Bearish
Two candles with matching highs, the first green and the second red.
Three-candle patterns
Slower to form, but they show a clearer shift in control.
Morning star Bullish
A large red candle, a small candle that gaps lower (the star), then a large green candle closing well into the first body. A classic bottoming pattern.
Evening star Bearish
The top-of-trend mirror: a large green candle, a small star above it, then a large red candle closing deep into the first.
Three white soldiers Bullish
Three strong green candles in a row, each opening within the previous body and closing near its high.
Three black crows Bearish
Three strong red candles in a row, each closing near its low. Sustained selling after a rise.
Find them automatically
Add the Candlestick Patterns indicator in the chart and FreeCharting marks engulfing patterns, hammers, shooting stars, morning and evening stars, three soldiers and crows, piercing lines, dark cloud cover and dojis as they form, with a trend filter so you don’t get a signal on every wiggle. Hover a candle to see which pattern it made.
Candles matter most at levels that already matter: a hammer on a support line or a shooting star under resistance says more than one in the middle of nowhere. Draw your levels, and set an alert on them so you’re there when price arrives.
Frequently asked questions
Which candlestick pattern is the strongest?
Engulfing patterns and morning or evening stars are among the most watched, because they show control switching sides decisively. Any pattern is stronger at an important support or resistance level and after a clear trend.
Do candlestick patterns work on every timeframe?
They appear on every timeframe, but daily and weekly candles carry more weight because each one represents much more trading. On one-minute charts many patterns are noise.
What does a doji mean?
A doji opens and closes at almost the same price, so neither buyers nor sellers won the period. After a long move it can be an early sign of a pause or reversal, especially if the next candle confirms it.
Can I see Heikin Ashi candles instead?
Yes. Pick Heikin Ashi in the chart type menu. Heikin Ashi candles average prices to smooth the trend, so classic patterns look different on them; switch back to regular candles to read patterns.