Karate Gi Size Chart: How to Get the Right Fit First Time

Karate gi are sized by your height, not by your chest, waist or clothing size. The size number and the height in centimetres mean the same thing, and they follow one rule: size number x 10 + 130 = your height in cm. A size 4 gi fits someone 170cm tall. A size 5 fits 180cm. Measure your height, match it to the chart below, and order that size. Do not size up for comfort, because a karate gi is meant to fit close and a loose gi can cost you marks in kata.

In this article

• The karate gi size chart
• Why are karate gi sized 0 to 7?
• How to measure for a karate gi
• How should a karate gi actually fit?
• What if you are between sizes?
• How much will a canvas gi shrink?
• FAQ

The Karate Gi Size Chart

This is the sizing used by Tokaido and by most Japanese and European karate brands. Both numbers refer to the same size, so a gi listed as 4/170cm is a size 4 and fits a person 170cm tall.

Size	Height	Typically fits
0	130cm	Child, roughly 7 to 8 years
1	140cm	Child, roughly 9 to 10 years
2	150cm	Junior, roughly 11 to 12 years
3	160cm	Teen or petite adult
3.5	165cm	Adult
4	170cm	Adult
4.5	175cm	Adult
5	180cm	Adult
5.5	185cm	Adult
6	190cm	Tall adult
7	200cm	Tall adult

Half sizes exist for a reason. If you are 175cm, a 4.5 is a genuinely better fit than rounding to a 4 or a 5, and it is worth checking whether your brand offers them before settling for a compromise.

Why Are Karate Gi Sized 0 to 7 Instead of S, M and L?

Because karate sizing came from Japan, where uniform sizing has always been indexed to height rather than to build. It carried across to WKF competition and stuck.

This is genuinely more accurate for a martial arts uniform than S, M and L. The critical measurements on a gi are sleeve length and trouser length, and both track height far more reliably than they track chest or waist. Two people who both wear a medium shirt can be 165cm and 180cm, and they need different gi.

It also means that your body weight is not part of the calculation. A heavier athlete and a lighter athlete of the same height wear the same gi size. Cotton canvas has enough give across the body that width is rarely the limiting factor, whereas a sleeve that stops halfway up your forearm cannot be fixed.

How to Measure for a Karate Gi

You need one measurement and about thirty seconds.

1. Stand against a wall without shoes, heels together, back straight.
2. Mark the top of your head and measure from the floor to that mark in centimetres.
3. Match your height to the chart above. If you land exactly between two sizes, read the next section.

That is the whole process. You do not need chest, waist or arm measurements for a standard gi, and any size guide asking for them is either selling a tailored uniform or has adapted a generic apparel chart that was not built for karate.

For children, measure them the same way and resist the temptation to buy two sizes up. A gi that swamps a child teaches poor technique, gets stood on, and looks wrong at grading.

How Should a Karate Gi Actually Fit?

Once it is on, check four things:

• Jacket sleeves should finish somewhere between the middle of your forearm and your wrist bone with your arms hanging down. WKF competition rules require the sleeve to cover at least half the forearm and to stop short of the wrist.
• Jacket length should reach your hips, roughly to where your fingertips fall. Long enough to stay tucked under the belt through a full kata, not so long it interferes with kicks.
• Trousers should sit at the waist and finish between the middle of your shin and just above the ankle. Never over the foot.
• Shoulders should let you punch straight overhead without the seam pulling or the jacket lifting off your hips.

The most common mistake is buying too big. A loose gi hides the line of a technique, dulls the snap that kata judges listen for, and reads as sloppy from the panel. A karate gi is supposed to look deliberate.

What If You Are Between Sizes?

Check three things in order.

Does the brand make a half size? If you are 175cm and a 4.5 exists, that is your answer. Half sizes at 165cm, 175cm and 185cm exist precisely because so many adults fall between the whole numbers.

Is the gi cotton canvas? Untreated cotton canvas shrinks on its first few washes. If you are between sizes in a canvas gi, take the larger size and let the wash bring it in. Take the smaller one and a shrink will leave you with sleeves that are too short, which cannot be undone.

Is it pre-shrunk or a synthetic blend? Then it will not move much, so take the size closest to your actual height.

How Much Will a Canvas Karate Gi Shrink?

An untreated heavyweight cotton canvas gi will typically lose around 3 to 5 percent in length over its first few washes, which is roughly 5cm to 9cm on a 180cm gi. Almost all of that happens in the first two or three washes and then stops.

You control how much of it happens:

• Wash cold. Cold water is the single biggest factor. A hot wash on a new canvas gi can take it down a full size.
• Air dry, never tumble. Heat in a dryer causes more shrinkage than the wash itself.
• Hang it by the shoulders while damp so it dries in shape.
• Iron on the reverse to bring back crispness before competition.

Handled this way, a good canvas gi holds its size and its snap for years.

Frequently Asked Questions

What size karate gi should I buy?

Match your height to the size number using the rule size x 10 + 130 = height in cm. A 170cm adult wears a size 4, a 180cm adult wears a size 5. Body weight does not affect the calculation, because gi sizing is driven by sleeve and trouser length rather than build.

Should I size up in a karate gi?

Only if it is untreated cotton canvas and you fall between two sizes, since canvas shrinks 3 to 5 percent on early washes. Otherwise buy your true height size. A gi bought deliberately large will not shrink to fit, it will just look loose and cost you marks in kata.

Do karate gi sizes differ between brands?

The height-based numbering is close to universal across Japanese and European brands, so a size 4 is a 170cm gi almost everywhere. What varies is cut. Competition gi are cut closer than training gi at the same size, so a competition 4 will feel more fitted than a training 4.

What size karate gi for a 10 year old?

Measure the child rather than using their age. Most 10 year olds are between 135cm and 145cm, which is a size 0 or 1. Age charts are a rough guide only, and buying oversized so a child grows into it makes technique harder to learn and looks wrong at grading.

How do I stop my karate gi from shrinking?

Wash it in cold water, never tumble dry, and hang it by the shoulders to air dry. Heat is what shrinks cotton canvas, both in the wash and in the dryer. A gi treated this way holds its size after the first two or three washes.