Kyu and dan

Kyu and dan are the two halves of the karate ranking system, shown by the color of the obi.

Kyu ranks are the student grades, counted down to black belt — a beginner might be 9th kyu, and you climb toward 1st kyu. Dan ranks start at the black belt (shodan = 1st dan) and count up — 2nd dan, 3rd dan, and so on. So "the closer to 1, the higher" during kyu, then it flips and "higher number = higher rank" once you're dan. Promotions happen through exams that test kihon, kata, and kumite.