Judo dan grades are the ranks from black belt upward. There are ten, from shodan (1st dan) to judan (10th dan). They follow the kyu grades, usually six, worn as colored belts. Dan grades are awarded by the national federation or, for its own grades, by the Kodokan, with a minimum age and minimum time between each one.
Kyu and dan: two scales that connect
Jigoro Kano introduced dan grades at the Kodokan in the 1880s, borrowing the idea from other Japanese pursuits such as the board game go. The goal was simple: separate those who had finished learning the basics from those still learning them.
Student grades, the kyu, count down. You usually start at 6th kyu and work up to 1st kyu, the brown belt in most systems. Which color matches which kyu depends on your federation, as our guide to judo belt colors in order explains.
Dan grades go the other way and count up. 1st dan is the first level of mastery, 10th the highest.
Japanese names, from shodan to judan
| Grade | Japanese name | Belt |
|---|---|---|
| 1st dan | Shodan | Black |
| 2nd dan | Nidan | Black |
| 3rd dan | Sandan | Black |
| 4th dan | Yondan | Black |
| 5th dan | Godan | Black |
| 6th dan | Rokudan | Red and white |
| 7th dan | Shichidan (or nanadan) | Red and white |
| 8th dan | Hachidan | Red and white |
| 9th dan | Kudan | Red |
| 10th dan | Judan | Red |
"Sho" means beginning. The choice is deliberate: the first black belt marks the start of real study, not the end of it. Kyu grades have names too, from rokkyu (6th kyu) to ikkyu (1st kyu), though you rarely hear them outside Japan. Our judo terminology guide covers the rest of the vocabulary.
Other Japanese martial arts, such as karate and aikido, use dan grades too, each with its own rules. A 2nd dan in judo and a 2nd dan in karate did not pass the same tests.
Who awards dan grades?
Colored belts are the coach's call. Dan grades are a different matter. In official judo they come from the national federation, which is the IJF member for its country, or from the Kodokan for Kodokan grades. Many federations also recognize Kodokan grades.
Some countries go further and protect dan titles by law. France is one example: only its federation's grading commission may award judo dan grades, and claiming one from an unrecognized body can count as misuse of a title. Elsewhere it is a matter of federation rules rather than law. Either way, a dan bought from a self-styled organization carries no weight in clubs or at competitions.
Minimum time between grades
Every federation sets a minimum age and a minimum time in the previous grade. A good way to read these rules is that the waiting time is training time, not idle time. A year in grade means a lot of sessions on the mat, not a year on the couch.
The numbers vary widely. As one labeled example, France currently sets minimum ages of 15 for 1st dan, 17 for 2nd, 20 for 3rd and 24 for 4th. It adds one or two years in the previous grade. For 5th dan the French minimum is 29, with three years at 4th dan. Other federations use different ages and gaps. Beyond 5th dan, time in grade is usually counted in many years of practice everywhere. Check your own federation's current grading rules before you plan a promotion.
What changes from one dan to the next
For the early dan grades, gradings usually combine a kata, a technical demonstration, contest results and some form of involvement in judo. The kata change with each grade: part of the nage-no-kata, then all of it, then katame-no-kata and others later. The first exam is covered in detail on our page about the judo black belt grading.
Higher up, the contest element disappears. Panels expect reflection on judo, a personal demonstration and proof of long-term involvement in teaching, refereeing or club life. The top grades, with the red and white then red belt, reward a whole career.
Our take on chasing dan grades
Some judoka take each dan as soon as the rules allow. Others wait ten years between grades and their judo is no worse for it. Both exist, and neither is right by default.
What matters is that the grade matches what you show on the mat. A 3rd dan who cannot throw a green belt cleanly is a problem for the club. A 1st dan who has coached kids for fifteen years without testing again has everyone's respect. If you are preparing a dan, set the exam date with your coach and work backward: kata first, then the rest.