Karate belt order: every color in order, with a chart
Karate belt order from white to black belt: a common chart of every color, kyu and dan ranks, and how Shotokan and Kyokushin differ. Styles vary.
A common karate belt order is white, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, then black. There is no single standard, though. The colors, their order and the number of grades differ by style and by organization, and two locations of the same style can run different ladders. The order you follow is the one in your own syllabus.
The common order at a glance: 1. White, 2. Yellow, 3. Orange, 4. Green, 5. Blue, 6. Purple, 7. Brown, 8. Black.
This guide shows the common ladder, two published examples that differ from it, what the ranks are called, and what an owner needs to do when their order does not match the “standard.”
A common order
Many businesses use some version of this ladder. It is also the standard ladder BlackBeltCRM starts from before you adjust it.
| Order | Belt | A typical grade |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | White | Beginner, no grade yet |
| 2 | Yellow | Early kyu |
| 3 | Orange | Early kyu |
| 4 | Green | Mid kyu |
| 5 | Blue | Mid kyu |
| 6 | Purple | Senior kyu |
| 7 | Brown | Highest kyu grades, often more than one |
| 8 | Black | 1st dan (shodan) and above |
Treat the “typical grade” column as a pattern, not a rule. How many kyu grades a business has, and which colors it gives them, is up to the instructor or the association.
Kyu and dan
Karate borrowed its grading vocabulary from Japanese martial arts. Ranks before black belt are kyu grades, and the ranks from black belt up are dan grades.
- On the kyu side, Wikipedia’s article on kyū says kyū ranks “progress using a descending order system, so 1st kyū is the highest,” that there is no standard association between belt colors and particular ranks, and that the system varies from art to art and organization to organization.
- On the dan side, the dan system began in Go and was brought into martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, who “started the modern rank system in 1883” by awarding shodan to two senior students. The number of dan ranks depends on the style, with 1 to 5 and 1 to 10 common in Japanese martial arts.
So a student holding a 6th kyu is further from black belt than one holding a 3rd kyu, and the number tells you more than the color does.
Two published examples that differ
These are published examples, not a complete survey.
Kyokushin (one branch’s chart)
The Kyokushin article on Wikipedia gives the West Los Angeles Branch’s ranking as an example, and notes that the belt order “does vary between Kyokushin groups”:
| Kyu | Belt |
|---|---|
| 11th | White |
| 10th | Orange |
| 9th | Orange with white tag |
| 8th | Blue |
| 7th | Blue with white tag |
| 6th | Yellow |
| 5th | Yellow with white tag |
| 4th | Green |
| 3rd | Green with white tag |
| 2nd | Brown |
| 1st | Brown with white tag |
| Black | Black |
This ladder puts orange and blue before yellow and green, has no purple, and uses tags between colors. It does not match the common order above.
An English Shotokan syllabus
The kyu grades page of an English Shotokan association lists, from novice to 1st kyu:
| Kyu | Belt |
|---|---|
| Novice | White |
| 9th | Orange |
| 8th | Red |
| 7th | Yellow |
| 6th | Green |
| 5th | Purple |
| 4th | Purple and white |
| 3rd | Brown |
| 2nd | Brown and white |
| 1st | Brown with two white stripes |
Here orange comes before yellow, red appears, and the senior grades are split with white. The page also sets rules worth noticing as an owner: a minimum of three months between kyu grades, based on at least three hours of training a week, and at least six months of training for a 1st kyu before the black belt exam.
Goju-ryu, Wado-ryu, Shito-ryu and others
We could not find an official belt chart for these styles that we could cite, and casual pages online disagree with one another. If you train in one, your association’s published syllabus is the source of truth. That is the point: there is no universal chart to copy.
What the colors mean
Beyond rank, you will see color meanings explained as a progression: white for a beginner with everything ahead, yellow for the first light, green for growth, brown for a plant ripened and ready for harvest, black for mastery of the basics. These are teaching conventions that vary by business. The historical record is plainer: in 1907 Kanō introduced a white uniform with a white belt for those without a dan grade and a black belt for those with one, according to the same Wikipedia article. If a parent asks what a color means, the honest answer is the one your own instructors give, because it is the one your instructors teach.
Stripes, tags and kids’ ladders
Many businesses add steps between colors, especially for children, who need a visible win sooner than every few months. A stripe, a tag or a tip on the belt marks progress inside a grade without changing the color. The Kyokushin and Shotokan examples above both do it, in different ways. If you add steps, decide three things up front: how many a grade has, whether each needs a test or only an instructor’s sign-off, and whether a step carries a fee. Members notice when the rules change halfway through a ladder.
If your order does not match the “standard”
This is the practical problem. A business has kids with tip stripes on a belt, adults on a longer ladder, and perhaps a different association for a second style. A spreadsheet or a fixed software list forces one ladder on everyone.
A few things to set up in whichever tool you use:
- Ranks per program, not one list for the business. A kids karate ladder and an adult jiu-jitsu ladder rarely match.
- Your order and your names, including half-steps like stripes or tags.
- Eligibility rules from your syllabus: time at rank, classes attended, a minimum gap between grades.
- A record of every change. If a belt was entered wrong, the correction should be visible, not silent.
In BlackBeltCRM, each program has its own ranking system. You start from the standard ladder and rename, reorder or remove ranks until it matches your syllabus, and the Promotions screen then lists students eligible to move up by classes attended or time at rank. A belt order for your supplier prints from the students who passed. Grading fees are set on the rank and billed with tuition. See belt tracking software for the whole workflow, or karate student management if karate is your main program. Running a dojo more broadly? See dojo management software, or what martial arts software is and what to check before you buy.
If you run something other than a martial arts school, none of this is forced on you: ranks are optional, and the billing and attendance work the same without them. Try it on your own syllabus with the 14-day free trial.
Belt order guides
- Types of martial arts: the major styles compared
- Taekwondo belt order
- BJJ belt order
- Judo belt order
- Kung fu sash order
Questions people ask
What is the order of karate belts from lowest to highest?
A common order, lowest to highest, is white, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, then black. Some styles insert other colors (red appears in one English Shotokan syllabus) or split grades with stripes and tags, so check your own syllabus.
What belt comes after white in karate?
In the common ladder it is yellow. It is not universal: the Kyokushin branch chart and the English Shotokan syllabus quoted below both put orange right after white.
How many belts are there in karate?
It depends on the style and organization. The common ladder has eight colors from white to black, while the Kyokushin branch chart below lists eleven kyu grades plus black, using tags between colors.
What is the highest belt in karate?
Black is where the dan grades begin, and dan ranks keep counting up from there (the number of dan grades depends on the style). Some organizations mark the most senior dan grades with other belts, such as red and white, so it varies.
What is the karate belt order?
A common order is white, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, then black. There is no single standard: colors and the number of grades vary by style and organization, and two locations of the same style can differ.
What is the difference between kyu and dan?
Kyu grades are the ranks before black belt, and they count down, so 1st kyu is the highest. Dan grades start at black belt (1st dan, shodan) and count up.
Do all karate styles use the same belt colors?
No. A Kyokushin group and an English Shotokan association, for example, publish different color sequences, and Kyokushin groups also differ from one another. Always follow the syllabus of your own organization.
How long does it take to get a black belt in karate?
It depends on the program, the number of grades and how often you train. We do not quote a single figure. Ask your instructor for the minimum time between grades and the required training frequency in your syllabus.
Can I set my own belt order in BlackBeltCRM?
Yes. Each program has its own ranking system. Start from the standard ladder, then rename, reorder or remove ranks to match your syllabus, and choose from 68 built-in belt pictures.