Ramen Glossary
122 ramen terms in Japanese and English, from the broth pot to the counter. Every entry gives the kanji, the reading, and a plain definition of what the word actually means to someone cooking a bowl.
The same glossary ships inside RamenLab for iPhone, free and offline, wired into the recipes and lessons that use each term.
Broth 15
- tonkotsu · pork-bone emulsion broth
- chintan · clear broth
- paitan · cloudy emulsion broth
- dashi · Japanese stock
- kombu · dried kelp
- katsuobushi · dried skipjack flakes
- niboshi · dried baby sardines
- shiitake · dried shiitake
- tori-gara · chicken carcass
- ashi · body
- umami · savory depth
- kokumi · richness depth
- aku · scum
- ichiban dashi · first dashi
- genkotsu · pork femur
Tare 10
Noodles 15
- kansui · alkaline mineral water
- suibunritsu · hydration ratio
- barikata · very firm
- kata · firm
- futsuu · standard firmness
- yawamen · soft noodle
- tsukemen · dipping noodle
- hiyashi · chilled noodle
- seimen · noodle making
- tewaza · hand-cut noodle
- hosomen · thin Hakata noodle
- chijiremen · Sapporo curly noodle
- chuka-men · Chinese-style alkaline noodle
- men-age · the noodle pull
- koshi · noodle bite
Toppings 20
- chashu · braised pork
- ajitama · marinated soft-boiled egg
- nitamago · simmered egg (alt. ajitama)
- menma · fermented bamboo shoots
- negi · Japanese scallion
- nori · dried seaweed sheet
- beni-shoga · red ginger
- takana · preserved mustard greens
- moyashi · bean sprouts
- kikurage · wood-ear mushroom
- toumorokoshi · sweet corn
- bata- · butter
- naruto · pink-swirl fish cake
- wakame · Japanese seaweed
- goma · sesame seeds
- rayu · Japanese chili oil
- seabura · pork back fat
- ninniku · garlic
- shoga · fresh ginger
- goma-abura · toasted sesame oil
Styles 13
- kaedama · second noodle refill
- hakata · Hakata style
- sapporo · Sapporo style
- tokyo · Tokyo style
- yokohama · Yokohama style
- iekei · house-style (Yokohama)
- kitakata · Kitakata style
- kumamoto · Kumamoto style
- tantanmen · Japanese dan dan noodles
- tsukemen · dipping ramen
- hiyashi-chuka · cold summer ramen
- onomichi · Onomichi style
- chuka-soba · Chinese-style soba
Technique 16
- suidashi · cold-water extraction
- chan · fast-boil extraction
- kaeshi · soy-sauce base (soba)
- mayu · charred garlic oil
- negi-yu · scallion oil
- rayu-seiho · chili-oil making
- chushutsu · extraction
- nyukaeki · emulsion
- chiyu · rendered chicken fat
- nimono · braise
- shitayude · pre-boil blanch
- shimofuri · blanch-and-rinse
- sashimizu · cold-water check
- hi-kagen · heat control
- torobi · whisper simmer
- nekaseru · resting, aging
Equipment 10
Tools 8
Culture 15
- kyushu · Kyushu island
- ramen-ya · ramen shop
- yatai · food stall
- ramen · the canonical noodle soup
- itamae · chef
- shokunin · craftsman
- tenshu · shop owner
- yatai-bunka · food-stall culture
- shime · closing dish
- koku · depth of flavor
- tabetai · I want to eat
- shikomi · prep work
- dandori · kitchen sequencing
- kotteri · rich, heavy
- assari · light, clean
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