Candle Body and Wick
A candle's body is the thick part between its open and close; its wicks (or shadows) are the thin lines that reach the high and the low.
Every candlestick has a body and usually two wicks. The body is the thick part between the open and close. The wicks, also called shadows or tails, are thin lines reaching up to the high and down to the low. Together they show where price opened, closed and travelled during the period.
- Category
- Technical Analysis
- Reading time
- 3 min
- Also called
- Real body, Shadow, Tail
- Updated
Body and wick in plain words
The thick part of a candle — hollow or filled — is the body, sometimes called the real body.1
The thin lines above and below the body show how high and how low price went; they are called shadows, wicks or tails.1
An upper wick shows how far price climbed above the body before falling back.2
How to read body and wicks
Find the body
It is the hollow or filled portion.1
Measure the body
Compare its length with recent candles.
Read the upper wick
It shows how far price rose above the body before retreating.2
Read the lower wick
It shows how far price fell below the body before recovering.2
Compare wick and body
A wick taller than the body hints at a volatile period.
Check for no wick
No wick means the open or close was the high or low.
Worked examples
Example 1 — Long upper wick
Rejected highA hypothetical candle: open 30, high 36, low 29.5, close 31.
| Upper wick | 5 |
| Body | 1 |
A long upper shadow shows buyers dominated during the session but sellers forced prices down from their highs.1
Example 2 — No wick
Full-bodyA hypothetical candle opens at its low 50 and closes at its high 55.
| Lower wick | 0 |
| Upper wick | 0 |
No wick means the open or close was also the extreme of the period.3
Example 3 — Wick bigger than body
VolatileA hypothetical candle has a 1-point body and 6-point wicks.
| Body | 1 |
| Wicks | 6 |
A wick taller than an already long body points to a very volatile period.3
Body vs wick
| Aspect | Body | Wick |
|---|---|---|
| Shows | Open to close | Open/close to high/low |
| Look | Thick | Thin |
| Other names | Real body | Shadow, tail |
| Tells you | Net move | Price rejected |
Where traders use it
Patterns
Reading Candlestick patterns.
Rejection
Spotting rejected levels at Support and Resistance.
Volatility
Judging Volatility.
Stops
Placing a Stop Loss beyond a wick.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages
- Shows the full range of a period.
- Wicks reveal rejected prices.
- Simple to learn.
Disadvantages
- Meaning depends on context.
- Wicks can be noise on short timeframes.
- Thin markets give misleading wicks.
- No volume information.
Going deeper
Read as far as you need. Each level builds on the one before it.
Names
Beginner
The wicks mark the full range, from the period's high to its low.1
Lower wick
Intermediate
A lower wick shows how far price dropped below the body before buyers pushed it back.2
Upper shadow
Advanced
A long upper wick tells a story: buyers lifted price during the session, then sellers took over and drove it back down.1
Common mistakes
Ignoring wicks
They show the full range.
Reading wicks on tiny timeframes
They are often noise.
Placing stops at the wick tip
Leave room.
Forgetting context
A wick at support means more.
Check your understanding
Test yourself before moving on. Each answer comes with an explanation.
Key points to remember
- The body runs from open to close.
- Wicks reach the high and low.
- Wicks are also called shadows or tails.
- Long wicks show rejected prices.
- Read both in context.
Frequently asked questions
Is a shadow the same as a wick?
Do wicks matter on weekly charts?
Can a candle have no body?
Further learning
- Candlestick
Candle basics.
- Range
High minus low.
- Reversal
Wick-based reversals.
- Stop Loss
Stops beyond wicks.
Sources
This article is written in our own words. The sources below support the specific facts, rules and figures marked with a number in the text. Links open the original publisher’s page.
- StockCharts ChartSchool. Introduction to Candlesticks (opens in a new tab) Checked .
- CMC Markets. Candlestick Patterns Explained: A Beginners Guide (opens in a new tab) Checked .
- IG. Japanese Candlesticks: What They Are + How to Trade (opens in a new tab) Checked .
Read more elsewhere
- Trading Metrics (our sister site): Candlestick Patterns (opens in a new tab)
Educational content, not financial advice. Examples use hypothetical prices and simplified costs; actual fees, margin rules and regulations vary by broker, market and country. Trading Metrics is our sister site, under the same ownership; we are not affiliated with any other publisher linked above. Last reviewed . Report an error or request a source credit.