The journey, from white to black
Taekwondo is climbed grade by grade. Each belt is a step, with its color, its poomsae and its exam. Here is the complete map of the path.
How the grades work
Before the black belt come the keup (급): colored belts. Once black, they are dan (단). The surprising detail: keup numbering counts down, while dan numbering counts up.
From white (10th keup) to red (1st keup), the last color before black. The lower the number, the further you have progressed.
At the black belt, the counter flips: from 1st dan (the first black) to 9th dan.
The roadmap
The journey in colors. Small catch: children and adults do not follow exactly the same belts.
- White10 keup
- Yellow9 keup
- Green8 keup
- Green, 1 tab7 keup
- Blue6 keup
- Blue, 1 tab5 keup
- Blue, 2 tabs4 keup
- Red3 keup
- Red, 1 tab2 keup
- Red, 2 tabs1 keup
White, yellow, green, blue then red, with tabs for the intermediate grades.
- White15 keup
- Yellow14 keup
- Yellow, orange tab13 keup
- Orange12 keup
- Orange, green tab11 keup
- Green10 keup
- Green, purple tab9 keup
- Purple8 keup
- Purple, blue tab7 keup
- Blue6 keup
- Blue, red tab5 keup
- Blue, 2 red tabs4 keup
- Red3 keup
- Red, black tab2 keup
- Red, 2 black tabs1 keup
FFTDA scale: 15 grades, starting at the 15th keup. Orange and purple added.
The grade test
Passing a belt means an exam: you demonstrate everything you have learned. The panel assesses several areas.
In France (FFTDA), the exam is organized into three modules to pass: A (poomsae and basic techniques), B (theory) and C (self-defense and sparring).
The black belts (dan)
How long does it take?
It all depends on the club, the country and attendance, but to give an idea:
The higher you climb, the longer you wait: the minimum interval between two dan grows by about one year per grade. Progression is not a race.
Only the intervals between dan grades are official: they come from the Kukkiwon promotion test rules. Keup durations depend on the club and the federation, since the Kukkiwon does not certify colour belts: the ones shown here are a common order of magnitude.
The black belt (and the poom)
We imagine it as an end: it is a beginning. The 1st dan marks the moment when we finally master the basics, and when the real learning begins. Its Japanese equivalent, shodan, means “first step”.
Before the age of 15, you do not receive a dan but a poom (품): a half-red, half-black belt, from the 1st to the 4th poom. As an adult, poom converts to dan.
Ready to move up a grade?
Start with the very first steps: your first grade test, from the 10th to the 9th keup.
Indicative timeframes (varying by federation, club and age). Sources: Kukkiwon, World Taekwondo, FFTDA.