The three main lines
Almost every palm shows three prominent creases. Side light makes them much easier to see than overhead light.
- Heart line: the top horizontal crease, usually starting near the little finger and running towards the index or middle finger. Traditionally linked to emotional style.
- Head line: the middle horizontal crease, running from between thumb and index finger across the palm. Traditionally linked to thinking style.
- Life line: the curve sweeping around the base of the thumb. Traditionally linked to vitality - not to lifespan.
Minor lines and marks
Beyond the three main lines, tradition knows fate lines, relationship lines at the outer edge, the money line, children lines and the sun line towards the ring finger - plus small marks such as crosses, stars and triangles. They are the most popular projection surface of palmistry: almost any mark can be read as something. Treat them as storytelling, not evidence.
What the lines cannot do
Hand lines are creases that form where your hand folds, and they change with age and use. They do not predict your future, your health or your lifespan. Anyone claiming otherwise is selling certainty that does not exist.
Start reading
New to palmistry? How to read palms: the basics walks you through the first ten minutes. And if you want numbers instead of guesses, the free hand check measures your hand in the browser.
English articles
- Fate Line Meaning: The Vertical Line Through Your Palm
- Left or Right Hand: Which Palm Should You Read?
- Palmistry Myths: Short Life Line and Other Misreadings
- Do Hand Lines Change Over Time? Yes - Here Is Why
- How to Take a Hand Photo for Palm Analysis
- Finger Length Meaning: Ratios, Gaps and the Thumb