Karate belts
Encyclopedia
Use
The Karate belt system is used in martial arts training to show the progress that a student has made in his/her study. The student starts out at a low rank of belt (white) and progresses through the ranks to make it to the top (black) to instruct students him/her self. They have to advance through the ranks (called kyu) to show their honor. To advance belts, they must show that they are ready by doing a belt examination. Belt examinations could involve performing sets of katas, fighting other members of the dojo, or performing other tests that show proficiency of the art.Belt Order
Each dojo typically chooses the sequence of colors for their students. Many patterns are accepted but they typically follow a similar order.Below are two examples of belt order:
| Lowest | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11th Kyu | White | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 10th Mon Kyu | Yellow With Green Stripe | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 10th Kyu | Yellow With White Stripe | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 9th Mon Kyu | Yellow With Red Stripe | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 9th Kyu | Yellow Belt | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 8th Mon Kyu | Orange With Green Stripe | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 8th Kyu | Orange With White Stripe | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 7th Mon Kyu | Orange With Red Stripe | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 7th Kyu | Orange Belt | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 6th Mon Kyu | Blue With Green Stripe | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 6th Kyu | Blue With White Stripe | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 5th Mon Kyu | Blue With Red Stripe | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 5th Kyu | Blue Belt | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 4th Mon Kyu | Purple With Green Stripe | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 4th Kyu | Purple With White Stripe | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd Mon Kyu | Purple With Red Stripe | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd Kyu | Purple Belt | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2nd Mon Kyu | Brown With White Stripe | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st Kyu | Brown Belt | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st Dan | Black Belt 1st Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2nd Dan | Black Belt 2nd Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd Dan | Black Belt 3rd Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 4th Dan | Black Belt 4th Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 5th Dan | Black Belt 5th Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 6th Dan | Black Belt 6th Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 7th Dan | Black Belt 7th Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 8th Dan | Black Belt 8th Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 9th Dan | Black Belt 9th Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 10th Dan | Black Belt 10th Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lowest | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mukyu | White | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 10th Kyu | Yellow Belt | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 9th Kyu | Orange Belt | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 8th Kyu | Blue Belt | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 7th Kyu | Purple Belt | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 6th Kyu | Green With White Stripe | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 5th Kyu | Green Belt | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 4th Kyu | Green With Black Stripe | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd Kyu | Brown With White Stripe | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2nd Kyu | Brown Belt | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st Kyu | Brown With Black Stripe | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st Dan | Black Belt 1st Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2nd Dan | Black Belt 2nd Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd Dan | Black Belt 3rd Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 4th Dan | Black Belt 4th Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 5th Dan | Black Belt 5th Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 6th Dan | Black Belt 6th Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 7th Dan | Black Belt 7th Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 8th Dan | Black Belt 8th Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 9th Dan | Black Belt 9th Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 10th Dan | Black Belt 10th Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Even within a particular style, there are many variations between schools. However, there is a general trend in most schools and styles to work up from a white belt to a black belt in gradually darkening colors.