How Many Belts Are in Karate?
Most systems use kyu grades before black belt and dan grades after it, but the belt is only a map.
This depends on the style and the organization, so let's clear the confusion once and for all.
Most traditional karate systems have around 8 to 10 colored belts before black belt, called kyu grades. These typically go from white belt through yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, and then black. Some styles add stripes or additional colors in between.
After black belt, there are 10 dan degree levels. Most practitioners spend their entire lives between 1st and 5th dan. 9th and 10th dan are exceptionally rare, reserved for those who have dedicated decades to the art and contributed enormously to its growth.
The belt system was introduced relatively recently in martial arts history. Judo's founder Jigoro Kano introduced it in the late 1800s, and karate adopted it afterward. Before that, karate had no belts at all. The knowledge was simply passed from person to person.
So the belt is a map, not the territory.