Surround Yourself With Scrumptious Men (麺): Learn The Kanji for Japanese Noodles

Everybody loves ramen.

From works of edible art prepared by skillful chefs, to styrofoam cups steeped by students on a budget - this landmark of Japanese cuisine never fails to please.

When beginning a Japanese language journey, it’s no surprise that noodles enter the room rather quickly. After all, eating ramen is generally towards the top of one’s list of must-have experiences when finally visiting Japan.

Over the next few minutes, I will provide a solid foundation of Japanese vocabulary and insights that will make your first trip to a Japanese noodle house all the more special.

Let’s begin with another one of our Kanji Rorschach Tests.

What do you see in 麺?

I personally see a freshly picked tomato, to the right of an elaborate sword.

The pomodoro and blade together conjure up images of an Italian chef, ready to put forth a generous quantity of, you guessed it - pasta.

James Heisig, the man who popularized this mnemonic method, sees a face mask to the right of a barley leaf.

But it doesn’t matter too much what any of us see, so long as we arrive at the correct meaning and pronunciation.

麺, or “men” - is the Kanji for noodles.

Take a moment to come up with a mnemonic story of your own.

Now that you’ve the invested time to become somewhat acquainted with men (麺), there is something I should tell you.

You will probably never see 麺 used for ramen.

ラーメン or 拉麺?

While a Kanji representation of ramen does exist in the form of ra (拉) men (麺), you’re far more likely to encounter the Katana version (ラーメン) than you are to ever see 拉麺.

This is because ramen is technically a modified version of a Chinese dish called lāmiàn. And since the word lāmiàn is not of Japanese origin, it therefore ought to be spelled in Katana, just like ハンバーガー for hamburger or アイスクリーム for ice cream.

But don’t let that discourage you from becoming a masterful enjoyer of 麺.

We’ve still got a bowlful of real-life use cases to explore.

坦々麺 (Tantanmen)

My personal favorite has always been tantanmen.

Known for its bold and spicy sesame sauce, I first fell in love with 坦々麺 in New York City.

There are a few different types of 坦々麺, but you’re most likely to encounter one of these:

• 紅坦々麺 (kurenai tantanmen): made with a spicy red pepper sauce
• 白坦々麺 (shiro tantanmen): made with a milder white sesame sauce
• 黒坦々麺 (kuro tantanmen): made with a rich and savory black sesame sauce

While attending a coding bootcamp where I learned how to develop and deploy websites just like this one, I visited a nearby Japanese restaurant for the 坦々麺 lunch special probably twice a week.

Oftentimes with 坦々麺, part of the fun is being able to select your desired level of spiciness.

In such cases, keep an eye out for 辛 (kara).

辛 levels may scale by numbers, (simply 1,2,3) or you may see these names written.

Spiciness Level: 辛 (kara)

Note: 甘口 is more likely to appear in reference to curry.

つけ麺 (Tsukemen)

Tsukemen differers from ramen and tantanmen in the sense that you have to tsuke the men. What do I mean by this?

つけ (tsuke) literally means “to put.”

And tsukemen is served by separating the noodles and soup into different bowls - requiring you to lift your cold and lonely noodles and manually place them into the hot soup.

I personally do not like this added step between myself and eating, and I often find it difficult not to make a mess. Your experience may vary.

素麺 (Somen)

Somen is quite thin and delicate.

These noodles are typically served cold with a separate soy dipping sauce, making them a popular choice for the summer months.

They are also the same noodles responsible for “Nagashi Somen”, or “Flowing Noodles.”

Call it silly, call it questionably hygienic - I call it an impossible way to resist smiling.

Nagashi somen involves sending your noodles down decorative waterfalls made from cut bamboo, and catching them with your chopsticks as they pass.

𰻝𰻝麺 (Biangbiangmen)

In the Japanese learning community, try-hards looking to impress their peers will often rush to memorize the Kanji for depression: 鬱

Its complexity and stroke count is enough to give most people a headache the first time they attempt to dissect it.

It’s also what led the character to become unofficially (and incorrectly) seen as the most difficult Kanji.

I too made a concentrated effort to be one of those edgy Kanji learners who could write 鬱 from memory. Little did I know, that we would all soon be humbled by a noodle.

In reality, the most complex Kanji to ever grace the earth is probably this perplexing pictogram.

This 58 stroke behemoth represents the “biáng” in biáng biáng miàn, another noodle dish of Chinese origin.

The structure of its Kanji is so dense, that it only entered the Unicode system in 2020 - making it entirely possible that 𰻝 might not even display correctly on your device.

As for how 𰻝𰻝麺 tastes, my friends and I have no idea.

We’ve been too hung up on trying to figure out how to read it.

Hasty, but tasty decisions

Upon finally entering one of Japan’s exalted noodle eateries, there is a good chance you will be quickly confronted by an unfamiliar device - a ticket vending machine.

If the staff are watching and waiting, or even worse, a queue has formed behind you - you will undoubtedly experience an uncomfortable sense of urgency.

Therefore, it is crucial that you are able to decipher noodle selections as quickly as possible.

Here are some choices you may be asked to make.

Oiliness: 油 (abura)

Firmness: 麺 (men)

Note: There are two secret levels of added firmness in Fukuoka.

・バリカタ (barikata): mega firm
・ハリガネ (harigane): giga firm

Broth intensity: 味 (aji)

Delicious men create delicious times

Is how I think that expression goes.

Thank you for joining me on this quest to master the Kanji for Japanese noodles.

Whether you're a seasoned connoisseur of men (麵) or simply a men (麵) enthusiast, I hope that this post has fanned the flames of your appreciation for the linguistics behind these beloved dishes.

So the next time you find yourself in a proper Japanese house of noodles - smash that 濃いめ button, and flex those Kanji abilities with confidence.