In Japan, a kanendosei (colloquially, a "ronin") is a student who has graduated from middle school or high school 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. They may study at a yobiko.

A ronin was a samurai with no lord or master during the feudal period (1185–1868) of Japan. In modern Japanese usage, the term also describes a salaryman who is "between employers" or a secondary school graduate who has not yet been admitted to university.