Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, a is a student who has graduated from

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

but has failed to enter a school at the next level, and consequently is studying outside of the school system for entrance in a future year.浪人 at Japanese-English dictionaries
プログレッシブ和英中辞典
o
ニューセンチュリー和英辞典
''Rōnin'' may study at a ''

yobikō The are privately-run schools marketed to students who are taking examinations held each year in Japan from January to March to determine college admissions. The students generally graduated from high school but failed to enter the school of thei ...

''.

Etymology

The term ''rōnin'' is

colloquial Colloquialism (), also called colloquial language, everyday language or general parlance, is the linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication. It is the most common functional style of speech, the idiom normally employed in conver ...

; the word is more formal. The term derives from their having no school to attend, as a ''

rōnin A ''rōnin'' ( ; ja, 浪人, , meaning 'drifter' or 'wanderer') was a samurai without a lord or master during the feudal period of Japan (1185–1868). A samurai became masterless upon the death of his master or after the loss of his master's ...

'', a masterless samurai, had no leader to serve. Sometimes, the term 二浪 (short form) or 二年浪人 (full form, 二年 - second year) is used for student who failed exams twice.

In popular culture

''Rōnin'' appear frequently in fiction and

Japanese popular culture Japanese popular culture includes Japanese cinema, cuisine, television programs, anime, manga, video games, music, and doujinshi, all of which retain older artistic and literary traditions; many of their themes and styles of presentation can be t ...

. As an example, the

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

and

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

series ''

Love Hina is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from October 1998 to October 2001, with the chapters collected into 14 ''tankōbon'' volumes by Kodansha. The ...

'' features three main characters, Keitaro Urashima,

Naru Narusegawa is a fictional character in the ''Love Hina'' series by Ken Akamatsu and one of the central characters in the franchise. Known for her fiery temper and tendency to use physical violence to punish central character Keitaro Urashima, she is the fi ...

, and

Mutsumi Otohime This is a list of fictional characters in the anime and manga series ''Love Hina'' created by Ken Akamatsu. The character names are listed in Western order, with the given name before the family name. ''Note'' because the story spans over seve ...

, who are described as ''rōnin'' throughout most of the series. In the manga and anime series ''

Chobits is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the Japanese manga collective Clamp. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Young Magazine'' from September 2000 to October 2002, with its chapters collected ...

'', the protagonist, Hideki Motosuwa, is a ''rōnin'' studying at a preparatory school to get into college. ''

Maison Ikkoku is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Big Comic Spirits'' from 1980 to 1987, with the chapters collected into 15 ''tankōbon'' volumes. ' ...

'' also features a ''rōnin'' as its main character; the series centers around his studying for exams as he is distracted by others that he lives with. The protagonist of ''

Sekirei is a Japanese manga series by Sakurako Gokurakuin. The manga was serialized in Square Enix's ''seinen'' magazine ''Young Gangan'' between December 2004 and August 2015. A sequel to the manga began serialization in the same magazine in May 201 ...

'', Minato Sahashi, is also a ''rōnin''. ''

Kanamemo is a Japanese four-panel comic strip written and illustrated by . The strip has been serialized in Houbunsha's seinen manga magazine ''Manga Time Kirara Max'' since April 19, 2007. It is about Kana Nakamachi and her growing experience as a n ...

s Hinata Azuma is a roninsei as well due to her love of gambling and money making, activities which hinder her studies.

References

External links

''Rōnin-sei no Tanjō''
thesis at

Keio University , mottoeng = The pen is mightier than the sword , type = Private research coeducational higher education institution , established = 1858 , founder = Yukichi Fukuzawa , endowmen ...

{{Japan-edu-stub Academic pressure in East Asian culture Japanese words and phrases Testing and exams in Japan ko:재수#일본

Etymology

In popular culture

See also

References

External links