09/07/2015
Belt Color Meanings
White
White belts are typically given to beginner students of the martial arts. White is a symbol of birth and beginning, indicating that the student is just starting to gain knowledge.
Yellow
A yellow belt symbolizes sunlight, a symbol of new strength and the beginning of new life. This represents the student's progress as he receives knowledge from his instructor and become stronger and more skilled.
Orange
The orange belt also symbolizes the sun. It represents a sun that is growing in power, warming the earth and preparing it for new growth. The student at this stage is preparing for further development.
Green
As a martial arts student improves, he receives a green belt. The green belt represents the growth of a seed that sprouts upward, becoming a plant. Like the sprout, the student is becoming something greater.
Blue
A blue belt represents the sky and signifies continued growth. A student moves upward in his development, just as a plant reaches up into the blue sky as it grows.
Red
Red is another representation of the sun -- this time representing a close, hot sun. This proximity to the sun represents the student's detailed knowledge.
Purple
A purple belt student is undergoing change as he advances in his studies and begins to set his sights on the black belt. The purple belt represents this change, symbolizing the sky changing color at dawn.
Brown
Brown represents maturity. Like seeds that turn brown in the harvest season, the student has matured into something new at this stage in his development. The student will begin to see the benefits of his work, like a farmer reaping his crop at harvest.
Black
A black belt is the highest level of taekwondo -- though there may also be levels of black belt. The black belt is the opposite of the white belt, signifying completion and maturity in the student. It is popularly said that ancient martial artists' white belts would become black with dirt over years of training, but this story is likely just that.