Dan (rank)
A Dan is a measure of advanced rank, often used in martial arts and the board game go.[1] It usually ranges from 1 to 10,[2] with higher numbers indicating greater skill.[3] In martial arts, it is used for black belts only.[4] In go or shogi, players of 1 Dan or above can be considered "masters". Dan literally means "step" in Japanese.
Composition
Usually, the belt of a Dan martial artist will have a number of strips according to the person's rank.[5]
Dan in Japan
This table shows how to call dan in Japanese.
| Degree | 1st Dan | 2nd Dan | 3rd Dan | 4th Dan | 5th Dan | 6th Dan | 7th Dan | 8th Dan | 9th Dan | 10th Dan |
| Pronunciation | Shodan[6] | Nidan | Sandan | Yondan | Godan | Rokudan | Shichidan[7] | Hachidan | Kudan | Jūdan[2] |
| Kanji | 初段 | 弐段/二段[8] | 参段/三段[9] | 四段 | 五段 | 六段 | 七段 | 八段 | 九段 | 十段[2] |
Notable players with higher dan
Go and shogi players are usually called by their dan by media like NHK and Asahi Shinbun.
| Dan | Japanese and Chinese | Name of players |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | 九段 | Rui Naiwei,[10] Go Seigen, Eio Sakata, Masao Kato |
| 8 | 八段 | Mika Yoshida, Kazuko Konishi |
| 7 | 七段 | Ayumi Suzuki, Ichiyo Shimizu |
| 6 | 六段 | Kana Satomi, Hiroe Nakai, Xie Yimin |
References and notes
- ↑ In Japan, Dan ranks are given by Nihon Ki-in and Kansai Ki-in.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 senseis
.xmp .net?Judan - ↑ "Dan: Definition and Much More from Answers.com". Archived from the original on 2008-07-20. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
- ↑ Dan Overview. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
- ↑ Dan Stripes. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- ↑ Shodan is "beginning grade".
- ↑ Sometimes also pronounced Nanadan.
- ↑ The older kanji for "2"--弐--is usually used.
- ↑ The older kanji for "3"--参--is usually used.
- ↑ senseis
.xmp .net?RuiNaiwei
Dan (rank) Media
Copy of Image:Go-Equipment-Narrow.png with a black background
- ShogiBanKoma
Diploma of 7th dan in Japanese kendo
Some Korean martial art schools use embroidered bars to denote different dan ranks, as shown on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd dan belts above.
