Kyu
/kjuː/noun
A rank or grade below the level of dan in Japanese martial arts and other traditional disciplines.
Did you know?The kyu–dan ranking system was formalized in Japan through traditions influenced by older educational and game-ranking systems, with kyu ranks counting downward toward mastery while dan ranks count upward.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese
Old Chinese
級
“A step, rank, or level in an ordered series”
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
級 (kjɨp)
“Class, rank, or grade”
Classical Japanese
Japanese
級 (kyū)
“Grade, class, or rank”
Late 19th–Early 20th Century
Japanese
級 (kyū)
“A student or proficiency grade in systems of traditional study and martial arts”
20th Century
English
kyu
“A rank below dan, especially in Japanese martial arts”
Modern English
English
kyu
“One of the numbered grades indicating progress toward an advanced rank”