Many Japanese martial arts

Budo

is a Japanese term describing martial arts. In English, it is used almost exclusively in reference to Japanese martial arts.-Etymology:Budō is a compound of the root bu , meaning war or martial; and dō , meaning path or way. Specifically, dō is derived from the Buddhist Sanskrit mārga...

 feature an obi

Obi (sash)

is a sash for traditional Japanese dress, keikogi worn for Japanese martial arts, and a part of kimono outfits.The obi for men's kimono is rather narrow, wide at most, but a woman's formal obi can be wide and more than long. Nowadays, a woman's wide and decorative obi does not keep the kimono...

as part of their exercise outfit

Keikogi

or dōgi is a uniform for training, used in martial arts derived from Japan, or budō. . The prototype for the modern keikogi emerged in the late 19th century. The keikogi was developed by judo founder Kano Jigoro...

. These obis are often made of thick cotton

Cotton

Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

 and are about 5 cm wide. The martial arts obis are most often worn in the koma-musubi knot (square knot); in practice where hakama is worn, the obi is tied in other ways.

In many martial arts the colour of the obi signifies the wearer's skill level. Usually the colours start from the beginner's white and end in the master's black, or red and white.

Aikidō

Unlike in many other martial arts, adult practitioners of aikidō

Aikido

is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...

 do not wear coloured obis, though in some schools different colour codes have been formed, especially for children. The children's obis range from white for beginner level to 5th kyū, other colours for the rest of the kyū levels, and black for levels 1st dan and up.

In some aikidō schools, wearing a hakama

Hakama

are a type of traditional Japanese clothing. They were originally worn only by men, but today they are worn by both sexes. Hakama are tied at the waist and fall approximately to the ankles. Hakama are worn over a kimono ....

 is a privilege earned by reaching the first dan

Dan (rank)

The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...

 level. In other schools, all practitioners may wear a hakama. After taking up using a hakama, the colour of obi does not matter since it will be covered by the hakama.

Example of colour range in aikidō

Below is a typical example of obi colours per level in aikidō:

Level	Obi colour
6th kyū	yellow
5th kyū	orange
4th kyū	green
3rd kyū	blue
2nd and 1st kyū	brown
1st-3rd dan	black
4th-9th dan	black and red, or white and red
10th dan	red

However, aikidō schools worldwide may use their own systems with little reference to other schools save the use of a black belt for at least some dan grades.

Atarashii naginata

The outfit used for atarashii naginata practice includes a hakama that covers the obi. The obi is always white; its colour has no significance beyond simply blending in with the white keikogi

Keikogi

or dōgi is a uniform for training, used in martial arts derived from Japan, or budō. . The prototype for the modern keikogi emerged in the late 19th century. The keikogi was developed by judo founder Kano Jigoro...

 worn when practicing the art.

Iaidō

The outfit worn to iaidō

Iaido

is a modern Japanese martial art associated with the smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword from its scabbard, striking or cutting an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then replacing the sword in the scabbard...

 practise includes a hakama, which is worn over the top of the obi, which fastens the keikogi

Keikogi

or dōgi is a uniform for training, used in martial arts derived from Japan, or budō. . The prototype for the modern keikogi emerged in the late 19th century. The keikogi was developed by judo founder Kano Jigoro...

. The obi colour has no meaning in iaidō, and is usually chosen to blend in with the kimono or hakama worn by the practitioner.

Jōdō

The outfit used for jōdō

Jodo

, meaning "the way of the jō", or is a Japanese martial art using short staffs called jō. The art is similar to bōjutsu, and is strongly focused upon defense against the Japanese sword. The jō is a short staff, usually about 3 to 5 feet long...

 practise includes a hakama that covers the obi. The colour of the obi has no significance.

Jūdō

Below are the colours of obis worn for jūdō

Judo

is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

 practise. Junior practitioners have a different colour range. There are also other colour ranges used worldwide.

Level	Obi colour
beginners	red
10th kyū	white
9th kyū	yellow
8th and 7th kyū	orange
6th and 5th kyū	green
4th and 3rd kyū	blue
2nd and 1st kyū	brown
1st - 5th dan	black
6th and 7th dan	red and white
8th - 10th dan	red
Shōdan-ho	brown and black ("temporary black")
1st – 5th dan	black
6th dan and higher	red and white

Jūjutsu

The colours for obis used for jūjutsu

Jujutsu

Jujutsu , also known as jujitsu, ju-jitsu, or Japanese jiu-jitsu, is a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon....

 practise range as follows:

Level	Obi colour
beginners	red
10th – 8th kyū	red
7th kyū	white with a red stripe
6th kyū	yellow
5th kyū	orange
4th kyū	green
3rd kyū	blue
2nd kyū	violet
1st kyū	brown
Shōdan-ho	brown and black ("temporary black")
1st - 5th dan	black
6th dan and higher	red and white

Jūkendō

The outfit used for Jūkendō

Jukendo

is the Japanese martial art of bayonet fighting, and has been likened to kendo . Jukendo techniques are based on sojutsu or bayonet techniques from the 17th century, when firearms were introduced to Japan....

 practise includes a hakama that covers the obi. The colour of the obi has no significance.

Wadō-ryū

The obis used in the wadō-ryū karate school range in colour as follows:

Level	Obi colour
beginners	white
10th kyū	white
9th kyū	white with a yellow stripe
8th kyū	yellow
7th kyū	orange
6th kyū	green
5th kyū	blue
4th kyū	violet
3rd - 1st kyū	brown
1st dan and higher	black

Shōtōkan

The obis used in the shōtōkan karate school

Shotokan

is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigo Funakoshi . Gichin was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing karate through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including...

 range in colour as follows:

Level	Obi colour
9th kyū	orange
8th kyū	red
7th kyū	yellow
6th kyū	green
5th kyū	violet
4th kyū	violet with a white stripe
3rd kyū	brown
2nd kyū	brown with a white stripe
1st kyū	brown with two white stripes
1st - 5th dan	black
6th dan and higher	black, or red and white

Kendō

The outfit used for kendō

Kendo

, meaning "Way of The Sword", is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or kenjutsu.Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.-Practitioners:Practitioners...

 practise includes a hakama that covers the kendogi. An obi is optional; if worn, its colour has no significance.

Kyūdō

The outfit used for kyūdō

Kyudo

, literally meaning "way of the bow", is the Japanese art of archery. It is a modern Japanese martial art and practitioners are known as .It is estimated that there are approximately half a million practitioners of kyudo today....

 practise includes a hakama that covers the obi. The colour of the obi has no significance.

Tankendō

The outfit used for tankendō practise includes a hakama that covers the obi. The colour of the obi has no significance.