Karate Belt Levels

Belts We've Earned So Far

Karate uses a belt system to show progress. When you start, you wear a white belt. As you learn and pass belt exams, you move to different colors. These belts show how far you've come. After each examination, you get a certification that shows you completed that level. The exact belt order can change depending on the organization, but at our dojo, younger kids go through a special program first.

When my son started at age 4, he began in the Lil' Dragon program. That included white belt, then yellow, yellow/black, organe/white, orange/black, red/white, and red/black. Once he finished that, he moved into youth beginner class and earned his orange and green belts. Then he moved into the youth intermediate class and got his green/black belt, blue belt, and blue/black belt, which is where he is now. His next belts will be purple, purple/black, then four levels of brown belt, then junior black belt. He's expected to earn his junior black belt in 2027. And then he won't be able to go for a full black belt until he turns 18, so he still has a while to go.

When I joined karate, I started as a white belt, which is where I'm at right now. I haven't had much time to take regular classes very often, but I've been practicing at home with my son for a while and have learned a lot just by helping him and watching his classes. Once I graduate and things slow down a bit, I plan to take karate more seriously and start working toward earning the next belts. It's something I look forward to doing together with him.