Kendo grades (kyū and dan)

Note: kendo does not use colored belts.

Dan grade requirements

1. 1-dan — after 1-kyū; At least 13 years old
2. 2-dan — after At least 1 year of training after receiving 1-dan;
3. 3-dan — after At least 2 years of training after receiving 2-dan;
4. 4-dan — after At least 3 years of training after receiving 3-dan;
5. 5-dan — after At least 4 years of training after receiving 4-dan;
6. 6-dan — after At least 5 years of training after receiving 5-dan;
7. 7-dan — after At least 6 years of training after receiving 6-dan;
8. 8-dan — after At least 10 years of training after receiving 7-dan; At least 46 years old

Open the belt order tool

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Belt colors shown as swatches are approximate.

Data: Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.