Shotokan Belt Levels & Ranks

This page looks at Shotokan belt levels. These are the color belt and black belt levels awarded in Shotokan Karate. However, since there are a number of different Shotokan organizations, belt levels and related color systems can vary between dojos and organizations (i.e. different Shotokan federations). Moreover, some dojos also make individual changes to their belt systems when compared to their national federation. Therefore, please check with your Sensei for the system used at your dojo. Nevertheless, we have tried to list the common belt levels & systems used by the major Shotokan associations & federations below.

For instructions and/or videos on the Shotokan katas required to achieve these belt levels, please visit Black Belt Wiki’s main Shotokan Katas section. To learn about the belt systems used in other Karate styles, please visit our section on Karate Ranks & Titles. Or for information on the belt systems used by other styles (i.e. Krav Maga or Aikido), please visit our main section on Martial Arts Belts.

List of the Shotokan Associations & Related Belt Levels that are shown below

  1. International Shotokan Karate Federation Belt Levels (ISKF)
  2. Japan Karate Association Belt Levels (JKA)
  3. Shotokan Karate of America Belt Levels (SKA)
  4. ShotoCanada

International Shotokan Karate Federation Belt Levels (ISKF)

  • 9th Kyu – White Belt – Some ISKF schools also have a 10th Kyu white belt level
  • 8th Kyu – Yellow Belt
  • 7th Kyu – Orange Belt
  • 6th Kyu – Green Belt
  • 5th Kyu – Purple Belt
  • 4th Kyu  – Purple Belt
  • 3rd Kyu – Brown Belt
  • 2nd Kyu – Brown Belt
  • 1st Kyu – Brown Belt
    • Black Belt Kata Test Requirements
    • 1st Kata – Student selection of Bassai Dai, Jion, Kanku Dai or Enpi (Empi).
    • 2nd Kata – Examiner’s selection of kata from Heian Nidan through Tekki Shodan. Therefore, students must know them all. See Black Belt Wiki’s main Shotokan kata section for instructions & videos on these kata.
  • 1st Dan Black Belt – Shodan
  • 2nd Dan Black Belt – Nidan
  • 3rd Dan Black Belt – Sandan
  • 4th Dan Black Belt – Yondan
  • 5th Dan Black Belt – Godan
  • 6th Dan Black Belt – Rokudan
  • 7th Dan Black Belt – Shichidan
  • 8th Dan Black Belt – Hachidan
  • 9th Dan Black Belt – Kudan
  • 10th Dan Black Belt – Judan

Belt Levels for Shotokan & Other Karate Styles

Japan Karate Association Belt Levels (JKA)

  • 10th Kyu – White Belt
  • 9th Kyu – White Belt
  • 8th Kyu – Yellow Belt
  • 7th Kyu – Orange Belt
    • Kata – Heian Shodan
  • 6th Kyu – Green Belt
    • Kata – Heian Nidan
  • 5th Kyu – Purple Belt – Some JKA schools use Blue Belts for this Kyu
    • Kata – Heian Sandan
  • 4th Kyu – Purple Belt
    • Kata – Heian Yondan
  • 3rd Kyu – Brown Belt
    • Kata – Heian Godan
  • 2nd Kyu – Brown Belt
    • Kata – Tekki Shodan
  • 1st Kyu – Brown Belt
    • Kata – Bassai Dai, Kanku Dai, Enpi (Empi) or Jion (student’s choice)
  • 1st Dan Black Belt – Shodan
    • Kata – Bassai Dai, Kanku Dai, Enpi (Empi) or Jion (student’s choice)
  • 2nd Dan Black Belt – Nidan
    • Kata – Student’s favorite kata
  • 3rd Dan Black Belt – Sandan
    • Kata – Student’s favorite kata
  • 4th Dan Black Belt – Yondan
    • Kata – A kata from Heian Shodan to Tekki Nidan as specified by examiner
    • Kata – Student’s favorite kata
  • 5th Dan Black Belt – Godan
    • Kata – A kata from Heian Shodan to Tekki Sandan – specified by examiner
    • Kata – Student’s favorite kata
  • 6th Dan Black Belt – Rokudan
    • Kata – Bassai Dai, Kanku Dai, Enpi (Empi) or Jion – specified by examiner
    • Kata – Student’s favorite kata
  • 7th Dan Black Belt – Shichidan
    • Kata – Student’s favorite kata
  • 8th Dan Black Belt – Hachidan
  • 9th Dan Black Belt – Kudan
  • 10th Dan Black Belt – Judan

Shotokan Karate of America Belt Levels (SKA) – The SKA only uses white, brown and black belts.

White Belts

  • Unranked
  • Hachikyu (8th Level Kyu)
  • Shichikyu (7th Level Kyu)
  • Rokkyu (6th Level Kyu)
  • Gokyu (5th Level Kyu)
  • Yonkyu (4th Level Kyu)

Brown Belts

  • Sankyu (3rd Level Kyu)
  • Nikyu (2nd Level Kyu)
  • Ikkyu (1st Level Kyu)

Black Belts

  • Shodan (1st Degree)
  • Nidan (2nd Degree)
  • Sandan (3rd Degree)
  • Yodan (4th Degree)
  • Godan (5th Degree)

ShotoCanada – with required Kata for testing

  • White (10th kyu)
  • Red (9th kyu) – Kihon Kata (Taikyokyu Shodan)
  • Yellow (8th kyu) – Heian Shodan
  • Orange (7th kyu) –  Heian Nidan
  • Green (6th kyu) –  Heian Sandan
  • Blue (5th kyu) – Heian Yondan
  • Purple (4th kyu) – Heian Godan
  • Brown (3rd kyu) – Tekki Shodan
  • Brown (2nd kyu) – Bassai Dai or Kanku Dai and Tekki Nidan
  • Brown (1st kyu) -Bassai Dai, Kanku Dai, Empi or Jion and Examiner’s choice of Bassai Dai, Kanku Dai, Tekki Shodan and Heian
  • Black (Shodan – 1st Degree) – Jion, Empi or Hangetsu and Examiner’s choice of Bassai Dai, Kanku Dai, Jion also Tekki Shodan and Heian
  • Black (Nidan – 2nd Degree)
  • Black (Sandan – 3rd Degree)
  • Black (Yondan – 4th Degree)
  • Black (Godan – 5th Degree)
  • Black (Rokudan – 6th Degree)
  • Black (Shichidan – 7th Degree)
  • Black (Hachidan – 8th Degree)
  • Black (Kudan – 9th Degree)
  • Black (Judan – 10th Degree)

Reference Sources

  1. ISKF, Kyu Exam Guidelines, https://iskf.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/KyuExamGuidelines.pdf
  2. ISKF, Dan Exam Guidelines, https://iskf.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/DanExamGuidelines-1-4-2_2015.pdf
  3. Japan Karate Association, Dan Ranking, https://www.jka.or.jp/en/about-jka/dan-ranking/
  4. CSULB Shotokan Karate Club, Belt Ranking System, https://csulb.ska.org/karate-practice/belt-ranking-system/
  5. ShotoCanada, Testing Syllabus