There are 6 colors of belts in Taekwon-Do; White, Yellow, Green, Blue, Red, and Black. White is the lowest ranking color and black the highest. Taekwon-Do is divided into two rank systems, the Colored Belt rank system and the Black Belt rank system. Colored Belts Ranks are called Gups (Grades) and Black Belt Ranks are called Dans (Degrees).
The Colored Belt rank system is divided into 10 Gup (Grade) Levels starting at 10th Gup White Belt and progressing to 1st Gup Senior Red Belt. There are two ranks for each color of belt. The senior rank is designated by a stripe of the next belt level at the tips of the Colored Belt.
The Black Belt Rank System of Taekwon-Do is divided into 9 Dan (Degree) Levels; 1st Degree Black Belt is the lowest and 9th Degree Black Belt the highest. Black Belt Degrees are divided into 3 categories. First through Third Degree is "Novice" level and is referred to by the title "Busabum" which means "Assistant Instructor". Fourth through Sixth Degree is "Expert" level and is referred to by the title "Sabum" which means "Instructor". Seventh and Eighth Degree is "Master" level and is referred to by the title "Sahyung" which means "Master Instructor". Ninth Degree is "Grandmaster" level and is referred to by the title "Sasung".
Black Belt ranks are designated by stripes on the tips of the Black Belt; novices by white stripes, experts by yellow stripes, and masters by red stripes.