ronin
noun
ronin is spelled R-O-N-I-N: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Ronin, the name). As a noun, ronin means “A masterless samurai (who often becomes a mercenary to make ends meet)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ronin is ronins or rōnins.
How many letters and syllables are in ronin?
| Letters | 5: R-O-N-I-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,416th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is ronin?
Ronin appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Ronin, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce ronin?
Ronin has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of ronin
- ronins plural
- rōnin
- rōnins plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ronin mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A masterless samurai (who often becomes a mercenary to make ends meet).
- 2
colloquialA student who has failed the entrance examination for the high school or university of their choice: if the student does not wish to take the exam the following year or is unable to, the student becomes a ronin, assuming full responsibility for their own training and survival.
noun
- 1
Alternative spelling of ronin.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ronin in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense masterless samurai:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ronin |
| German | Ronin (Rônin m, Rōnin m) |
| Portuguese | ronin |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does ronin come from?
From Japanese 浪人 (rōnin), in turn from Middle Chinese 浪人 (MC langH nyin, “dissolute, wasteful, unrestrained + person”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).