What do AR and SAR mean on Japanese Pokémon cards, and how do they compare with English rarity stars?
Summary
Japanese cards mark rarity with letter codes such as AR, SR, and SAR. English cards, starting with the Scarlet & Violet series, use black circles, diamonds, and stars, plus foil and gold stars in different counts. The two systems are built differently, and each official explanation covers only its own language's marks. The single letter at the bottom left of a Japanese card, such as H, I, or J, is a regulation mark and says nothing about rarity.
Rarity on Japanese cards
The official Japanese guide to reading a card calls the rarity mark the sign of how rare a card is and says it appears on cards from expansion packs. Product pages use the letter codes directly. The Pokémon Card 151 page has a heading for its specially illustrated AR, SAR, and SR cards, the Night Wanderer page has a section for its AR, SR, and SAR cards, and the Terastal Festival ex page promotes its many SAR cards.
Rarity on English cards
Pokémon revamped the English rarity symbols when the Scarlet & Violet series began. The official announcement describes them this way.
| Symbol | Rarity | What the announcement says |
|---|---|---|
| Black circle, diamond, star | Common, uncommon, rare | Unchanged; also used on parallel foil cards |
| Two black stars | Double rare | Pokémon ex, including Tera Pokémon ex |
| Two shiny foil stars | Ultra rare | Full-art foil Pokémon ex and some Supporter cards |
| One gold star | Illustration rare | Alternate full-art illustrations of common, uncommon, and rare Pokémon |
| Three gold stars | Hyper rare | Formerly called secret rare; full-art foil with gilded borders |
Special illustration rare is a separate rarity for alternate-art Pokémon ex and Supporter cards. On parallel foil cards, the expansion code at the bottom left sits in a white box with black text, the reverse of the usual black box with white text.
H, I, and J are regulation marks
Japanese cards also carry a one-letter regulation mark at the bottom left, separate from rarity. The mark has been printed since the Sun & Moon series, and from January 23, 2026, the Japanese Standard format allows cards marked H, I, or J. On cards from the XY BREAK series and earlier, the expansion mark sits at the bottom right instead.
Sources
- Pokémon Card Game official site, how to play (card types and how to read them, Japanese)
- Pokémon Card 151 (SV2a, Japanese)
- Night Wanderer (SV6a, Japanese)
- Terastal Festival ex (SV8a, Japanese)
- Pokémon Card Game regulations (Japanese)
- Scarlet & Violet card design and rarity symbols
Details are as published on these pages on the date above and can change. Check the official page before you buy or submit.