Yondan
/ˈjoʊn.dɑːn/noun
The fourth-degree rank in a Japanese martial art or another system using dan grades.
Did you know?Yondan combines Japanese yon, “four,” with dan, “step” or “grade”; dan ranking was popularized in modern Japanese martial arts through systems associated with Jigoro Kano’s judo reforms.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Chinese
段 (duàn)
“A section, portion, step, or grade; the source of Japanese dan.”
Old Japanese
Japanese
よん (yon)
“Four; one of the standard Japanese readings for the numeral 四.”
Modern Japanese
Japanese
四段 (yondan)
“Fourth dan or fourth grade in a ranked system.”
Late 19th–Early 20th Century
Japanese
dan
“A numbered rank or grade in modern Japanese martial-arts ranking systems.”
20th Century
English
yondan
“A borrowed martial-arts term for fourth-degree rank.”