How to Identify Karate Belts

Some examples of karate belts.

Karate students mark their progress with belts. The color of the belt identifies the student's rank, which an instructor may use to pair students of similar rank in class. There are nine levels of belts, and reaching the next one is a matter of pride to each student. The color and order of belts received may vary slightly from school to school but the general pattern is the same.

Instructions

1. The standard belt system starts with white and ends with black. According to all-karate.com, there is a theory that this system is in place because the original founders never washed the belts. A new student would get a white belt, and over time dirt would turn the belt yellow, then orange, then brown, then black.

2. Identify the rank by the hue of the belt. Another common theory from karate lore is the white belt the rookie student received was never exchanged for a new one. Instead, the same belt was just dyed another color. Each dye was darker than the next. So, a yellow dye went on the white belt, an orange dye went on the yellow belt, and so forth. The final belt was black and did not need another dye.

3. Under normal "Kata" rules with the nine stages of belts, the first white belt for a newcomer has one black bar. The next rank puts two black bars on the white belt. The next belts in order are yellow, yellow with one black bar, green, green with one black bar, brown, brown with one black bar, brown with two black bars, and black. The karate student only advances in ranks after mastering a set amount of skills for her current level.

Tips & Warnings

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• Some Karate schools may follow different requirements for each belt earned.

References

• All-Karate: Colored Belts and How They Came to Be