麺
[mẽ̞ɴ]
The English phrase "noodles" is translated to Japanese as 麺.
The word 麺 is used to refer to noodles. You can use it in various contexts, such as カップ麺 to refer to the standard term for instant cup noodles or つけ麺 to specify the style of noodles served with a separate dipping sauce.
Did you know?
- In Japan, it is perfectly polite and even encouraged to slurp your 麺 loudly. This signals to the chef that the meal is delicious and helps aerate the broth to enhance the flavor.
- In Japan, there is a specific custom of eating toshikoshi soba, a type of 麺 eaten on New Year's Eve to symbolize long life and the cutting off of the year's hardships.
- The kanji component for 麺 includes the radical for 'wheat', which provides a visual clue to its origin.
Examples in context
- 麺類が好きです。I like noodles.This sentence shows how to express a liking for the category of noodles using 麺.Tatoeba #10607397 by small_snow, translation #2807657 by Hybrid
- 「お腹空いた。何かない？」「カップ麺ならあるけど、食べる？」「うん。食べる」"I'm hungry. Do we have anything?" "There's some cup noodles, would you want that?" "Yeah, I'll take it."This dialogue uses the term 麺 to discuss having cup noodles available to eat.Tatoeba #10760343 by small_snow, translation #10768120 by end
- 今日初めてつけ麺を食べた。I ate noodles for the first time today.This sentence describes eating a specific style of dipping noodles using 麺.Tatoeba #369322 by Trank, translation #416547 by Scott
- わたしはラーメンが大好きです。I love ramen.
- 今日はうどんでも食べに行きませんか？How about going to eat some udon today?
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are deciding what to eat for lunch.
- 健太 Kenta今日のランチは何にする？Kyou no ranchi wa nani ni suru?What should we do for lunch today?
- 結衣 Yui私は麺がいいな。Watashi wa men ga ii na.I would like noodles.
- 健太 Kentaじゃあ、近くのうどん屋に行こう。Jaa, chikaku no udonya ni ikou.Then, let's go to the udon shop nearby.
- 結衣 Yui賛成！行こう！Sansei! Ikou!Agreed! Let's go!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 麺, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
