Start with the grading system, not a colour
The All Japan Judo Federation says that Japan has no nationally uniform rule for kyu belt colours. That is a useful warning against treating even a Japanese chart as a universal template.
For your own club, write down the organisation responsible for grading, the name of the scheme and the group it covers. A country alone is not enough information. An English-language page may describe British Judo rather than your association in the United States. Likewise, a French explanation can help an international reader understand the idea without determining their local examination requirements.
If two charts disagree, do not immediately conclude that one club is doing judo incorrectly. First compare their headings and intended audiences. A junior progression, an adult syllabus and a simplified introductory graphic may be describing different things. Your task is to find the applicable document, not the most colourful search result.
Sources: 全日本柔道連盟
Read kyu and dan as grade labels
In British Judo's example, completing Kyu leads to preparation for black belt in the Dan system, not an automatic award.
Kyu and dan distinguish grading categories; the precise progression needs its scheme. British Judo describes six Kyu grades, while the accessed German Judo Federation regulation begins at eighth kyu. Those figures are scoped examples, not alternative universal answers.
When recording your own level, copy the complete grade written on your certificate or official record rather than translating a belt colour into a number from another website. Keep the awarding organisation beside it. This is particularly useful when a search result gives only a sequence of coloured rectangles with no explanation of numbering.
Do not count every colour change as a new dan, or interpret a stripe without its legend. Nor should a chart ending at black belt be taken to mean that all later distinctions disappear. If a label is unfamiliar, use a glossary to understand the word, then return to the responsible organisation for the actual requirements.
Sources: British Judo Association · Deutscher Judo-Bund
Compare examples without building a conversion chart
France Judo's introductory list runs white, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown, black, then white-and-red. It is a simplified French overview, not a complete children's chart. The Kodokan youth criteria instead describe seventh through first kyu for primary-school children; the two sources are not a conversion table.
Compare each source by asking the same questions: who published it, who is it for, what level of detail does it provide, and where are the assessment rules? The French overview is useful for orientation; the Kodokan subsection identifies a particular youth scheme; the German regulation describes its own formal progression; British Judo separates Kyu and Mon pages.
This comparison explains why a tidy global ladder would hide important differences. It is not an exhaustive survey of every association, and it does not tell an Italian, American or visiting student which foreign grade they automatically receive. Exact colour mappings, national syllabuses and detailed age tables require a separate check of the relevant current documents.
Sources: France Judo · 公益財団法人講道館
Children need the right scheme
British Judo's Mon overview describes eighteen junior grades, using belt colours and/or tags. Counting coloured belts alone would therefore miss part of that scheme.
For a parent, useful questions are practical: which scheme is my child following, how is progress explained, where is it recorded, and what happens when the child changes class? Ask how the teacher distinguishes learning feedback from a formal grading decision. A child should not have to infer what they are learning merely by watching friends receive different belts.
Do not import an adult chart into a children's class or use another child's promotion date as a deadline. If a transition between junior and adult systems is approaching, request the applicable written transition rule. We deliberately omit an exact British transfer age here because the two overview pages contain wording that needs reconciliation with the current syllabus.
Sources: British Judo Association
Assessment is not simply time served
British Judo's Kyu scheme has no contest requirement. The accessed DJB regulation requires all technical and formal conditions before award. Kodokan youth assessment includes understanding, practical skills and judo spirit.
An editorial way to prepare a useful conversation is to separate three columns: the published requirement, what the teacher has actually assessed, and what remains unclear. For example, knowing a technique name, showing a controlled movement with a cooperating partner and choosing it in a changing situation are different questions. Let the actual syllabus and examiner determine what must be demonstrated; this example is not a replacement examination.
A calendar can record attendance and preparation, but it cannot decide readiness. If a hoped-for grading does not happen, ask which requirement needs further work and how the teacher will review it. Do not respond by attempting unfamiliar throws, locks or chokes without instruction, or by treating a promised number of sessions as entitlement to promotion.
Sources: British Judo Association · Deutscher Judo-Bund · 公益財団法人講道館
Changing clubs: a worked example
Illustrative example: an adult moves abroad with a certificate, a belt and several years of practice. The new club uses unfamiliar grade names. Instead of buying the colour shown at the same position on an online chart, the student brings the certificate, awarding organisation, grading date and previous syllabus to the new teacher.
The first question is how the receiving organisation handles existing grades. The second is what information it needs to understand the student's experience. The third is which class and supervised practice conditions are suitable while that is clarified. These are separate matters: recognition of a document is not the same question as choosing a partner for today's session.
This example does not promise automatic recognition, a retest or a particular conversion outcome. Keep the original record unchanged and add the receiving body's decision when it is actually made. If a translation is requested, ask what form is acceptable before paying for one.
A checklist for reading a belt chart
Check the authority: can you reach the document from the organisation's own website? Check the audience: children, adults, a particular programme or all members? Check the version: distinguish a publication or revision date from the date you downloaded it. A recently shared image may still reproduce an older scheme.
Next inspect the legend. Does a divided colour, stripe or tag represent a separate step? Are ungraded beginners included? Does the graphic show a complete system or just an introduction? Open the linked requirements instead of assuming that the image contains eligibility, assessment and administration rules.
Finally, take one unresolved question to the actual grading contact. For instance: this overview and this syllabus use different labels; which applies to my next assessment? Save the reply with the document reference. This approach is more useful than collecting several conflicting charts and trying to average their sequences.
What a belt can and cannot tell you
Our editorial interpretation is that a grade and today's contest ability are not interchangeable descriptions. The sources above explain grading schemes; they are not studies measuring how accurately belt colour predicts a result against a specified opponent. They do not justify saying that grades have no relationship to skill either.
For practice planning, consider the situation you want to understand. Someone may explain a movement clearly yet hesitate when an opponent changes direction. A returning judoka may need to discuss a long break before joining demanding practice. These hypothetical situations show why a belt is a starting point for conversation, not a complete account of current capacity.
Respect the awarded grade while asking about relevant experience and present needs. Do not use a lower or higher colour to settle every question about confidence, tactical choices, health or the intensity appropriate for a pair.
Keep a small record and a useful next question
A minimal personal note can contain four things: the scheme, the recorded grade, the source document and the next question for your teacher. Add the date of an actual clarification when it happens. Leave uncertain details marked as uncertain rather than filling them from a generic chart.
Choose a notebook or digital tool according to the task. If you want to connect feedback with later practice, a practice log may help organise your own notes; the optional app-selection guide explains different tool needs. Neither a notebook, an app nor an AI answer awards, verifies or converts a judo grade.
After reading, you should be able to name the system you need and locate the right question within it. That is a more reliable next step than memorising a universal-looking colour ladder that may not describe your dojo.
Sources
- 柔道衣・帯について — 全日本柔道連盟. Sources checked:
- Kyu Grade Scheme — British Judo Association. Sources checked:
- Graduierungsordnung des Deutschen Judo-Bundes e.V. — Deutscher Judo-Bund. Sources checked:
- LES COULEURS DE CEINTURE — France Judo. Sources checked:
- 昇段資格について — 講道館級位(少年)について — 公益財団法人講道館. Sources checked:
- Mon Grade Scheme — British Judo Association. Sources checked:
Sources & editorial approach
We link factual claims to their original sources and distinguish research findings from interpretation. Study populations, dates and limitations matter.
Translations are prepared with AI assistance. They are not certified by a federation or independently reviewed by native-speaking judo experts. Articles do not replace qualified instruction.