Nidan
/ˈniː.dɑːn/noun
A Japanese martial-arts rank meaning second-degree black belt or second-level dan.
Did you know?In Japanese martial arts, dan ranks form a graded path of advancement, while the word dan itself means a step, level, or stage.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Chinese
二段
“Two levels or the second stage; the characters later supplied the Sino-Japanese term.”
Middle Chinese
Chinese
二段
“A second rank, section, or level; the pronunciation developed into the Japanese readings ni and dan.”
Medieval Japan
Japanese
二段 (nidan)
“Second level or second grade, using Sino-Japanese vocabulary.”
1880s–20th Century
Japanese
二段 (nidan)
“A formal second dan rank in systems of martial-arts grading.”
Modern English
English
nidan
“A Japanese martial-arts rank commonly glossed as second-degree black belt.”