The Ultimate Guide to Bearish Harami Candlestick Patterns

Last updated: January 12, 2025

Bearish Harami Pattern

Harami candlestick patterns are a type of reversal pattern, where there are bullish and bearish equivalents. If the second candle is a doji, this pattern is classified as a harami cross.

Similar to the engulfing pattern but in reverse, with the bearish harami pattern, a candle with a small real body falls within the extended body of the preceding candle, indicating that the strongly bullish market movements seen the previous day are running out of steam.

General Identification & Interpretation

Steve Nison is credited with bringing Japanese candlestick charting to the West. In his book "Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques" he describes bearish harami patterns with the following characteristics:

Typical characteristics

• First candlestick is an unusually long green candle
• Second candlestick has a small real body with opening and closing prices within the body of the first candlestick
• The candles don't necessarily have to be opposing colors

Examples of use as a trading indicator

• Potential bearish reversal signal after an uptrend

Other interpretations

• If the second candle is a doji, this pattern is classified as a harami cross

More for beginners

Check out our quick start guide to candlestick charting for more information if you are new to candlestick charting!