Japanese symbol for “drifter”
浪人
ろうにん
Romaji: rounin
ronin; masterless samurai
In Japanese, drifter is 浪人, read ろうにん (rounin).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n, vi, vs ronin; masterless samurai
- n, vi, vs high school graduate waiting for another chance to enter university after having failed the yearly entrance examination
- n person out of work; jobless person
- n wanderer; drifter
Written forms: 浪人、牢人. Readings: ろうにん.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “drifter”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 旅人 | たびにん tabinin | itinerant (esp. itinerant gambler); drifter; nomad |
| ドリフター | ドリフター dorifutaa | drifter |
| 放浪者 | ほうろうしゃ hourousha | vagrant; vagabond; drifter |
| 蓬客 | ほうかく houkaku | wanderer; drifter |
| 遊士 | ゆうし yuushi | wanderer; drifter |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 浪費 | ろうひ rouhi | waste; extravagance |
| 放浪 | ほうろう hourou | wandering; roaming; drifting |
| 流浪 | るろう rurou | vagrancy; wandering; nomadism |
| 波浪 | はろう harou | waves; billows; surge |
| 浪曲 | ろうきょく roukyoku | rōkyoku; naniwabushi; recitation of stories accompanied by samisen |
| 人間 | にんげん ningen | human being; human; person |
| 個人 | こじん kojin | individual; private person; personal |
| 人気 | にんき ninki | popularity; public favor |
See also: Chinese symbol for “drifter”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.
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