ラーメン
rāmen[ɾa̠ːmẽ̞ɴ]
The English phrase "ramen noodles" is ラーメン (rāmen) in Japanese.
In Japanese, ラーメン refers to the entire dish of ramen noodles in broth, not just the dry noodles themselves.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is rāmen.
Did you know?
- In Japan, it is common and polite to slurp ラーメン loudly. This signals to the chef that you are enjoying the meal and helps cool the noodles so you can taste the flavor better.
- There is a linguistic debate over whether ラーメン comes from the Chinese word for 'pulled noodles' or the German word Rahmen, meaning 'frame'.
- Many ラーメン shops in Japan use a ticket vending machine system. Customers pay and select their meal via the machine before ever speaking to the staff.
Examples in context
- 「夕食にラーメンを食べたいです。」(Yuushoku ni rāmen o tabetai desu.)I want to have ramen for dinner.
- 「一緒にラーメンを食べに行きましょう！」(Issho ni rāmen o tabe ni ikimashou!)Let's grab some ramen together!
- ラーメンが食べたいです。Ramen ga tabetai desu.I want to eat ramen noodles.
- このラーメンはとても美味しいです。Kono ramen wa totemo oishii desu.These ramen noodles are very delicious.
Example conversation
Kenta and Himari are deciding what to eat for lunch.
- 健太 Kenta今日のランチは何にしますか？Kyō no ranchi wa nani ni shimasu ka?What will you have for lunch today?
- 陽葵 Himari私はラーメンが食べたいです。Watashi wa ramen ga tabetai desu.I want to eat ramen noodles.
- 健太 Kentaいいですね。近くに美味しいラーメンの店があります。Ii desu ne. Chikaku ni oishii ramen no mise ga arimasu.That sounds good. There is a delicious ramen noodle shop nearby.
- 陽葵 Himariじゃあ、そこに行きましょう！Jā, soko ni ikimashō!Then, let's go there!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ラーメン, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ラーメン, CC BY-SA 4.0.
