1.
student retaking entrance exams; ronin student
A student who failed university entrance exams and is spending a year (or more) studying to retake them. These students typically attend prep schools (予備校) full-time while preparing for the next round of exams.
彼は浪人生だ。
He's a ronin student.
浪人生の一年間は辛かった。
The year as a ronin student was tough.
浪人生が予備校に通いながら、第一志望の大学を目指している。
The ronin student is attending a prep school while aiming for their first-choice university.
A culturally specific term in Japan's education system. After failing to gain admission to their desired university, some students choose to spend a gap year studying intensively rather than attending a less preferred school.
FORMATION:
浪人 (ronin; masterless samurai → person without a fixed position) + 生 (student). The term borrows from the historical concept of a samurai without a lord, metaphorically applied to students without a school.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 浪人生活: ronin student life
- 一浪: one year of ronin study
- 二浪: two years of ronin study
- 浪人生向け: aimed at ronin students
CULTURAL NOTE:
Being a 浪人生 carries some social stigma but is extremely common. Many prestigious universities have a significant proportion of students who entered after one or more years of 浪人. The experience is often described as character-building despite its difficulty.
RELATED TERMS:
- 予備校: cram school/prep school — where most 浪人生 study
- 現役: a student who passes on their first attempt (contrasted with 浪人)