# How do you pronounce "Ramen" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 3, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348 "2004-02-03T17:54:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gumbercules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gumbercules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gumbercules)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/1 "2004-02-03T17:54:19Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/2 "2004-02-03T18:21:44Z")
I say rah-men. [And I’m right.](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=ramen) ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/3 "2004-02-03T20:11:01Z")
> [@Gumbercules](#): > > 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’ve never heard it pronounced with a “y” sound. Just Ra(like the sun god) +Men. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/4 "2004-02-03T20:43:13Z")
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). ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/5 "2004-02-03T21:02:53Z")
> [@Gumbercules](#): > > 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? 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). ---
**Author:** ![Siddhartha\_Vicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@Siddhartha\_Vicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siddhartha_Vicious)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/6 "2004-02-03T21:05:29Z")
Another person checkinhg in who says rah-men. Never even heard anyone pronounce it ray-men. By the way, I love your Username, **Gumbercules**. ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/7 "2004-02-03T21:22:53Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![beegirl13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@beegirl13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beegirl13)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/8 "2004-02-03T21:30:04Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Roadwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@Roadwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadwalker)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/9 "2004-02-03T21:52:29Z")
saimin everyone call it that in Hawaii, you can get it at resturants ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/10 "2004-02-03T21:53:39Z")
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… ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/11 "2004-02-03T22:50:45Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/12 "2004-02-03T23:57:58Z")
I’ve always said rahm-yen. However, given all the responses here, I believe I’ll start saying it properly now. . . 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![fruitbat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@fruitbat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fruitbat)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/13 "2004-02-04T00:49:56Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/14 "2004-02-04T02:15:35Z")
I say rah-men and roll the r. > [@Roadwalker](#): > > saimin > everyone call it that in Hawaii 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. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/15 "2004-02-04T03:33:02Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > 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… 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. ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/16 "2004-02-04T04:01:27Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > 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… 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… ---
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/17 "2004-02-04T04:07:15Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/18 "2004-02-04T04:14:52Z")
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. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Helena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c68b51/32.png) [@Helena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/19 "2004-02-04T04:52:57Z")
And in Korean it’s _rah-myun_ (“myun” being noodles… not sure what the ra is supposed to be!) ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348/20 "2004-02-04T05:21:19Z")
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. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-ramen/227348.md?page=2)