My students and I entered into a discussion (way off topic) about the correct way of pronouncing those extra salty yummy deep fried noodles.
I say “rahmen” but it seems here in northern new york more people tend to say “raymen”. Nissin’s web site is no help. So what is the correct proonounciation?
I say rah-men. And I’m right.
I’ve never heard it pronounced with a “y” sound. Just Ra(like the sun god) +Men.
My mom always pronounced remmy-on. Then again, she didn’t know what the hell she was talking about. I pronounce it ramen (and so does she, now that I’ve spent a great deal of time mocking her pronunciation).
Northern New York??? Me too. Where exactly?
Anyway, I also pronounce it “rahmen” and I’ve heard “raymen”. But I have also heard it pronounced “ram-en” (like the animal).
Another person checkinhg in who says rah-men. Never even heard anyone pronounce it ray-men.
By the way, I love your Username, Gumbercules.
RAH-men. Anyone who says “Raymen” shall be locked in a classroom and forced to listen to fingernails dragged across the chalkboard for the rest of the day. It’s only fair.
I am from upstate New York and pronounced it ray-men until I got to college. I wasn’t very attached to the pronunciation, so I switched when everyone here pronounced it rah-men.
saimin
everyone call it that in Hawaii, you can get it at resturants
Tha Japanese say “rahmen” and roll the “r”. But they also consider it a foreign word. I don’t know how the Chinese say it…
I pronounce it “bleaaaauuuuuggghhhhhh” with emphasis on the “ugh” part. I’m no longer a poverty-stricken bachelor and I haven’t had to eat it in years. With any luck, I’ll never have to taste it again.
BTW, I pronounce it rah-men as well. Didn’t know there were diverging opinions on it.
I’ve always said rahm-yen. However, given all the responses here, I believe I’ll start saying it properly now. . . 
I was wondering this myself while reading the Ender series of books by Orson Scott Card. For those who haven’t read it, he writes of alien species that are capable of communicating and living with humans. He calls those types of aliens ramen or strangely sometimes raman. Would that be pronounced the same way as the noodles?
I say rah-men and roll the r.
I disagree– saimin noodles and ramen noodles are similar but distinct, and most people I know differentiate between the two. Depending on the variety, the noodles differ in their ingredients, preparation, appearance, and consistency.
If it was true they are the same, there wouldn’t be a tangible difference between the stuff you get from Zippy’s or Shiro’s and the stuff you get from Ezogiku. But there is. Also, if they were the same, there’d be no reason to maintain calling them by different names; one name would fall into disuse. Yet places continue to use the two terms.
The Japanese ra-men is a somewhat sloppy transliteration of the Chinese lo mein (which is actually pronounced “loh-myen”). The Japanese style ramen isn’t the same as Chinese lo mein, but that’s apparently where the word comes from.
I don’t have a cite for this, alas; I picked it up somewhere while I was living in Tokyo about 17 years ago. Bruce_Daddy’s link up there kind of gestures in the general direction of corroborating my story, though.
To be extra-precise, the “r” is halfway between a Spanish “r” sound and an “l” sound. “lah-men” is actually close to the real pronunciation than “rah-men”.
The Chinese word “ramen” comes from is la1mian4.
I think it’s sad that such a heavenly preparation got such a bad name from instant stuff that has little in common with the real stuff. Hmmm… ramen…
I pronounce it ray-men. Most people around here (Kansas) pronounce it like that. However, one of my friends insists on saying “roman”. There is no fricking “o” in the word! we insist. But she always says it like that.
It’s always been “rah-men” here in the great midwest. I’m not poverty-stricken but I kind of like them. Not a steady diet of them but it sure is a lot to eat for a dime.
And in Korean it’s rah-myun (“myun” being noodles… not sure what the ra is supposed to be!)
It’s from Chinese “to pull.” Ramen, or rah-myun, or lamian means “pulled noodles” because you stretch the dough out when you make them.