Belt Auction

What is the Order of colors of Karate belts?

I know that white is the first one...and black is the last one...what are the ones in between?? ANSWER IN DETAIL PLZ!!!

Public Comments

1. It depends on what type of karate you study. I studied tye kwan doe- o do kwan when I was younger it went white yellow green blue brown black
2. This is the ranking system in my style: white high white (belt gets green stripe) yellow high yellow green high green purple high purple brown high brown 1st degree black belt 2nd degree black belt, etc
3. The order is:White,Orange,Yellow,Green,Blue,Purple,Brown,Black,Red.
4. Honestly it will vary greatly depending on style and the school. I have seen some McDojo's that actually have a camoflage belt lol. Originaly there was only White, Brown, and orange. In our school we have White, Yellow, Green, Blue, Brown, then Black. Each belt is progressivly darker then the last. We do not use stripes.
5. as Katana172 said it varys greatly that depends on your dojo and/or organization, there is no set standard for it. i have seen them with as few as 6 and as many as 25+ in general there shouldn't be more then 10 usually its white, yellow orange for beginner blue, purple, green for intermediate some dojo's do green purple brown, for advance black belt means you have an understanding of basic techniques. 1st to 3rd degree are beginner 4th to 6th degree are intermediate 7th to 10th degree are advance red belt i have see in various spots some place have it just before black other its advance black belt. we dont use red belt in my dojo.
6. it depends on the style of karate you are taking, and the dojo that you go to.
7. It differs slightly depending on the particular style of Karate, but generally it is: White Yellow Orange Green Blue Purple Brown Black With variations in stripes, etc.
8. I see many answers. The problem is that every style has a different version of the color belt system. The colors can be in different order depending on the style. For example: White Yellow Orange Blue Green Purple Brown Black That is the system we use. Note that it is not the same as some of the other answers here. Each is correct for the art it is used in.
9. The answer varies, as many will tell you - but here's a traditional reasoning behind it so that you can understand why you're looking at the various progressions out there: The beginner starts with a white (clean) belt. As this student practices, the uniform (and belt) gets stained and yellowed. With time, there will be also blood stains, which begin red and become brown with age. There are also brown dirt stains, and the clothing gets further from white until finally, with enough practice (you ever mixed all crayon colors together?) you guessed it - it looks almost black (which dried blood sometimes ends up as when it's dirty). Does it make sense now? The longer one practices the further from white his/her belt and uniform would be. Now, we prefer in modern times to keep our clothing clean, and we have products that help keep whites white, but the symbolism remains within Karate systems. A point of interest: Kung Fu systems have traditionally NOT had any colors to show level or rank. The only thing like rank is that a student of one Master who has studied even one day longer than another is called "big brother" or "big sister" by the other. They see each other as a family or clan, under one common father, the Master. There have not been any other distinctions, other than the difference between a 'student' and a 'disciple'. Sometimes Masters who have commercial schools will take on students, who pay tuition and come to train and then go home. More traditionally, disciples dedicate their lives to the system and work to carry on the tradition to future students. They are the lifestylers, versus the hobbyists. There is one additional rank - when their training is at a certain point, they may receive permission to teach something. When they are teaching others, they are called 'teacher', which would be a rank of sorts. However, what they can teach and at what stage of their development they are allowed to teach is completely up to their Master to decide, and these vary widely. I hope this answer is clear enough - there is no one correct answer but this one helps you reason for yourself. Happy training to all, Grandmaster David Moore Co-Founder of Ming Wei Dao Instructor of Wing Chun Basics
10. For me it was: White (of course) Green Brown Black Originally there was no ranking system in Okinawa. Most Masters didn't even get a document. There was usually a Roster that gave the order of the students by seniority. Miyagi Chojun wrote a document naming all his students and noting Seiko Higa as "Master" of Goju Ryu. Other ranks were awarded by Senior practitioners who were acknowledged to be the head of their own "Ryu". They would convene to recognize long term practitioners who wanted to begin teaching or start a "Ryu". So "karate" did not have a belt system. It was adapted from Judo's Founder - Jigoro Kano, who is known for implementing the Obi system of ranking. When people say that a belt is to "hold up your gi", that is inaccurate. A belt is rank - a Sash is for holding up your clothes. Edit: Man... some of the answers on here make me wonder.
11. You should know that in many forms of Karate (perhaps all) color belts are simply a trophy to boost your ego. what really matters is the rank that the belt represents. Students begin as a "KYU." You may start at 8 Kyu and go down to 1 KYU. After 1 KYU you become a master or Dan and count up. 1st Dan, 2nd Dan..... Now, how the schools give belts varies. All Dans are black belts. Some schools refer to them as 1st Dan, second Dan. Others refer to them as Shodan (1 Dan) Nidan (2 Dan) Sandan (3 Dan). Some use an English term "degree" to replace Dan. So a 3rd Dan black belt would be called "3rd degree" black belt. The KYU belts (lower belts) have more variety. For example, in some forms of Shotokan, Students begin with no rank (white) and soon earn a 8 KYU - a yellow belt. You may not get another belt until green (6 KYU) and then Brown (3, 2, 1 KYU). Some schools give yellow (8 KYU), orange (7 KYU), Green (6 KYU), Purple (5, 4KYU) and Brown (3,2,1 KYU) then black. Whats important to remember is that rank is what the belts symbolize, the belt itself is nothing, you can buy one at any store. Some would say even rank itself is not as important, what is important is mastering the art. Even if you never get to test and earn the rank, study karate for the sake of learning the art, not earning rank and belts for their sake alone
12. I would have to know the what ryu of Karate you want to know about. There are hundreds of different styles of Karate and not all of them have the same belt system.
13. HA theres only really 3 true colors in Karate! RED WHITE BLUE AMERICA!!!! BABY BABY!!!!