Rouran is the name of a confederation of nomadic tribes on the northern borders of Inner China from the late 4th century until the middle 6th century.

It has sometimes been hypothesized that the Rouran were identical to the Eurasian Avars who later appeared in Europe.

Ruanruan and Ruru remain in modern usage despite once being derogatory.

They derive from orders given by the Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei, who wages war against the Rouran and intends to intimidate the confederacy.The power of the Rouran is broken by an alliance of Göktürks, the Chinese Northern Qi dynasty, and tribes in Central Asia in 552.