Harami Cross Pattern

What a harami cross is

A harami cross is a candlestick pattern in which a doji forms entirely inside the real body of the candle before it. A doji is a candle whose open and close are at or very near the same price. The "real body" is the part of a candle between the open and the close, not the wicks.

The word harami refers to something held inside, like a child in the womb. The doji is the "child" contained within the larger body. It is a stricter form of the Bullish Harami and Bearish Harami, where the inner candle can have any small body.

Drawn example

Example chart, no live prices:

Exact formation rules

1. A clear prior move. Price should be in a visible trend before the pattern.
2. A large prior candle. The earlier candle has a long real body in the direction of that trend.
3. A doji next. The following candle opens and closes at or near the same price.
4. Containment. The doji's open and close sit inside the prior candle's real body. Strict definitions also want the doji's wicks inside the prior candle's range; looser ones allow the wicks to poke out.
5. Direction depends on context. After a rise it is read as a bearish harami cross; after a fall, a bullish harami cross.

Harami cross meaning: buyers and sellers

The large prior candle shows one side in control. The doji shows that, on the next candle, neither side could move price away from the open. Momentum has paused, and the range has contracted inside the previous candle.

That is the full meaning: indecision after a strong move. It does not say a reversal has started. It says the dominant side did not follow through on that candle.

Where it matters

• Trend: the pattern needs a prior move to pause. In a sideways range, a doji inside a candle is common and tells little.
• Level: it carries more weight at a support or resistance zone, a prior swing high or low, or a round-number area already respected on the chart.
• Timeframe: on daily and weekly charts each candle reflects more trading, so the pattern is less noisy than on minute charts, where doji appear constantly.

Why it fails in isolation

• A doji is only a pause. Trends often pause and then continue.
• On low-liquidity hours or quiet sessions, doji form simply because little traded.
• News releases can override any candle structure instantly.
• Broker data differs slightly, so the doji may not look identical on every feed.

How traders seek confirmation

Many traders wait for the next candle to close beyond the prior candle's body in the opposite direction to the trend. This sequence is close to the Three Inside Up/Down pattern. Others look for agreement from volume, momentum indicators or a broken trendline. Some treat the doji's high and low as an Inside Bar range and watch which side breaks.

Confirmation reduces false readings but does not remove them. Leveraged forex and CFD trading can lose money fast, and a pattern is not a plan. Read Risk management and practise identifying patterns on a Demo account first. More patterns are on Candlestick Patterns and Doji.

Frequent questions

Is a harami cross bullish or bearish?

Neither by itself. After a rise it is read as bearish, after a fall as bullish, and it signals indecision rather than a confirmed turn.

What is the difference between a harami and a harami cross?

In a harami the inner candle has a small body. In a harami cross the inner candle is a doji.

Does the doji's wick have to stay inside the prior candle?

Strict definitions require it; many traders only require the doji's body to be inside the prior real body.

Can I trade a harami cross candlestick on its own?

It often fails without context or confirmation. Treat it as information about indecision, not as a trigger.