Gravestone Doji Candlestick Pattern: What It Looks Like and What It Means
A gravestone doji is a one-candle pattern with a long upper wick, almost no body and little or no wick below. Price climbed during the period, then fell back to about where it started. At a high, some traders read it as a possible bearish reversal, meaning a rise that may be turning into a fall. It raises a question about the climb; it does not answer it.
How It Forms
Each candle covers a single stretch of trading, such as one day. The body is the box that spans open to close, and a wick is a thin line stretching out to the highest or lowest price reached. A close above the open makes a candle bullish; a close below makes it bearish.
A doji is a candle whose open and close are nearly equal, so the body almost vanishes. In the gravestone version, buyers lift the price well above the open, sellers drag it back, and the candle closes near the open with almost nothing underneath.
Priced in made-up dollars, the drawing looks like this:
| Candle (made-up prices) | Open | High | Low | Close |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $14 | $22 | $12 | $20 |
| 2 | $20 | $30 | $18 | $28 |
| 3 (gravestone doji) | $28 | $43 | $27.50 | $29 |
| 4 | $28 | $30 | $20 | $22 |
| 5 | $22 | $24 | $14 | $16 |
Candles 1 and 2 each close above their opens, so these made-up prices are rising. Candle 3 opens at $28 and closes at $29, a body only $1 wide, yet it reached $43. Its upper wick is $14 long and its lower wick just $0.50. Candles 4 and 5 close below their opens.
How to Read It
Weigh a gravestone doji by asking what it erased, where it sits and what comes next.
- The erased rally. The candle ends near where it began, so sellers erased the whole climb.
- The location. It means most at a high, near resistance, a price level where earlier rises have stalled. In the middle of a trend it says little.
- The next candle. Like every doji, it wants confirmation. In the drawing, candle 4 closes at $22, below the gravestone's $29 close, which supports the bearish reading. A close above its $43 high would weaken it.
What to Watch For
A single gravestone doji proves little; in a strong uptrend it often marks only a pause. Three look-alikes each differ from it in their own way.
- A dragonfly doji is the mirror image: a long lower wick, no upper wick, and a possible bullish reversal at a low. Both shape and place flip.
- A shooting star also has a long upper wick after a rise, but it keeps a small body. The position is the same; only the shape differs.
- A plain doji needs only a near-equal open and close. The gravestone adds a long upper wick and none below.
Free or Premium
Gravestone Doji belongs to the 10 extended patterns. Showing it on a chart is part of Rapunzl Premium; the pattern filters in Rapunzl's Stock Scanner include it for free.
Try It in Rapunzl
With a Candlestick or OHLC chart showing, go to Customize Chart → Chart Indicators → Levels, Patterns & AI Charts and turn on Pattern Markers. Markers use ▲ for bullish, ▼ for bearish and ◆ for indecision, with a detected-patterns list below the chart. To see a gravestone doji marked, switch on the extra opt-in that adds 10 advanced patterns to the 13 core ones (part of Rapunzl Premium).
In the Stock Scanner, open the Bearish candlestick filter and pick Gravestone Doji among its patterns. The filter lists stocks that completed a bearish pattern on the latest daily candle, which makes each result a place to practice the checks above.
A 15-Minute Class Activity
Sort the Long Wicks. Groups of three get the six made-up candle cards below, cut from paper.
| Card (made-up prices) | Open | High | Low | Close | Comes after |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $30 | $44 | $30 | $30 | a rise |
| 2 | $50 | $50 | $38 | $50 | a fall |
| 3 | $20 | $30 | $19 | $23 | a rise |
| 4 | $12 | $19 | $12 | $12 | a rise |
| 5 | $40 | $40 | $26 | $40 | a fall |
| 6 | $34 | $41 | $33 | $36 | a rise |
- 3 minutes. Groups sketch each candle, marking the body and both wicks.
- 5 minutes. Groups sort the cards into three piles: gravestone doji, dragonfly doji and shooting star. The answers are cards 1 and 4, cards 2 and 5, and cards 3 and 6.
- 4 minutes. Which of the three piles needs the next candle to close lower to support its reading? (Gravestone doji and shooting star; the dragonfly doji would need a higher close.)
- 3 minutes. Exit ticket: complete the sentence, "A shooting star is not a gravestone doji because its ..."
Related Patterns
- Dragonfly Doji: the mirror image, with the long wick below.
- Doji: the family, where open and close nearly match.
- Shooting Star: a long upper wick after a rise, with a small body.
- How to Read a Candlestick Chart: bodies, wicks and direction, one candle at a time.
Frequently Asked
Questions
Look for a candle whose open and close sit close together at the bottom of its range, with a long wick pointing up. It shows a rally that faded back to about where it started within one period.
It is usually classed as bearish. At a high, some traders read it as a possible reversal from rising to falling, though it needs a lower candle after it to back that up.
At a high, especially near resistance. In the middle of a trend, the same shape often means very little.
Bring Candlestick Reading Into Your Classroom
Request a demo to see how Rapunzl's charts and simulator can support your course. Families who want to explore at home can start on our parents page.
Indicators, patterns and examples in this article are for education and are not investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
By Myles Gage, CEO & Co-Founder at Rapunzl.