Kyu
級
A student grade before the master dan grades. It is counted downward, from a high number to first kyu, and in Korean is called gup.
Quick Facts
Word breakdown
Definition
Kyu (級) means class or level. In martial arts it denotes the student grades that precede the master dan grades. Unlike dan, kyu is counted downward: a beginner starts at the highest number and first kyu is the last grade before first dan. How many kyu an art has differs by organization. In Korean arts the student grade is called gup or geup (급) and works the same way. The system comes from the board games go and shogi, and Kano Jigoro brought it into martial arts in judo. Student grades are usually distinguished by belt color. In judo the colors go from white through yellow, orange, green and blue to brown, Kyokushin has its own order with orange, blue, yellow, green and brown, and intermediate grades are marked by stripes.