Judo in Canada Canada there are six "kyū" grades for seniors (people 16 years of age or older), eleven "kyū" grades for juniors (people under the age of 16), and ten "dan" grades that are restricted to seniors. Both senior and junior students begin as white belts ("rokkyū") and progress with promotion through yellow, orange, green, and blue, to brown belt ("ikkyū"). Half-grades for juniors were introduced in 2010 and are represented by belts that combine the colours of the previous grade and the next grade (a white and yellow belt, for example, represents a half-grade between "rokkyū" and "gokyū", which the grading
Judo in Canada syllabus calls "6th+ "kyū""). The first five "dan" grades ("shodan" to "godan") are represented by a black belt. Judoka ranked sixth to eighth "dan" may wear a red and white belt, and those ranked ninth or tenth "dan" may wear a solid red belt, but this is not required and the black belt remains the standard for all "dan" grades. In the past women's belts would include a white stripe in the centre of the length of the belt to differentiate them from men, but this is much less common now. Promotions are regulated by Judo Canada using guidelines set