Types of Japanese Noodles: Ramen, Udon, Soba and Beyond

At first glance, Japanese noodles can seem interchangeable. Long strands. Soup or sauce. A scatter of toppings.

Yet there is a world of difference between somen and hiyamugi, udon and soba, or ramen and everything else. That difference lies in flour and water, in gluten and alkalinity, and in how each noodle is meant to meet soup or sauce.

These distinctions did not appear all at once. Over centuries, imported grains and techniques were adapted, refined and regionalized until they became a unique noodle culture.

Traditional Japanese Noodles: How to Tell Them Apart

Once a luxury food offered to the gods and enjoyed by the elite, noodles gradually moved into everyday life.

Today, they are so embedded in Japanese daily rhythm that strong opinions have formed about which noodle suits which season, how thick or thin each strand should be, how it should be cooked and how it should be eaten.

The debate is part of the fun - and that fun begins by from knowing how to tell them apart.

Let's start with these five core types of Japanese noodles.

Somen and Hiyamugi: Thin Noodles Enjoyed Cold

Somen noodles are among the oldest documented noodles in Japan. Made from wheat flour, salt and water, the dough is stretched - traditionally, by hand - until it becomes extremely fine. These white strands are typically under 1.3 mm in diameter.

Coming after somen but before udon, soba and ramen, hiyamugi's first recorded appearance is in a 1261 document that included a description of the noodles being eaten in Kyoto.

Hiyamugi is made by mixing wheat flour, salt and water - the same basic ingredients as somen - but the noodles are slightly thicker, usually between 1.3 and 1.7 mm, making them somewhat similar to vermicelli.

Historically, both somen and hiyamugi were summer foods, valued for their ability to refresh the body.

Even today, they are most often served cold - hiyamugi means ' cold wheat' - and with a dipping sauce made from soy sauce, dashi and mirin. After boiling, the noodles are rinsed thoroughly in cold water, which removes surface starch.

Because of their lightness, these noodles often appear as a snack or a simple dish. They may be served with chopped scallions, grated ginger, cucumber or seaweed.

Udon Noodles: Thick, Wheat-based Comfort

If somen is about delicacy, udon is about substance. Made by combining wheat flour, salt and water, the key step is kneading the dough: the salt tightens the gluten, which gives the noodles their characteristic chewiness.

Udon noodles are thick, usually over 1.7 mm. Their color is typically bright white or slightly off-white, and their flavor is mild, allowing them to pair easily with many broths and toppings.

Udon works well both hot or cold, making it one of the most versatile types of noodles in Japanese cuisine. In hot preparations, it appears in clear soups flavored with dashi and soy sauce, often topped with chopped scallions, tempura or sweet, fried tofu. Cold versions are rinsed and eaten with a dipping broth.

As somen, hiyamugi and udon are all made from wheat flour, water and salt, they could be considered members of the same family. So, what's the difference?

First, thickness: somen is the thinnest - and the softest - followed by hiyamugi and udon, the firmest and chewiest of the trio.

Second, the production process. Hiyamugi and udon are made in the same way as soba: by rolling the dough out, folding it and cutting it into thin strips. For this reason, hiyamugi was once also called kirimugi - cut wheat.

Somen is made by stretching the dough into fine, string-like strands, which are then cut into shorter lengths. The dough is typically coated with oil during this process: an extra step not found in the making of hiyamugi or udon.

Third, sweetness. The thinner the noodle, the more starch - the source of its sweetness - leaches into the cooking water during boiling.

As a result, ultra-thin noodles like somen lose more of that sweetness and taste comparatively light, while thicker noodles such as udon retain more starch and develop a fuller, rounder flavor.

Soba Noodles: All About the Aroma

Unlike udon and ramen, soba relies on buckwheat, not wheat, for its defining character. Buckwheat flour has little gluten, so soba noodles are often made with a binder - usually wheat flour - to help them hold together.

Classic soba is known for its earthy flavor, slightly rough texture and brownish hue. The more buckwheat used, the darker and more aromatic the noodle becomes.

Soba noodles are made by rolling the dough flat and cutting it into thin strands. The noodles may be eaten hot in soup or served cold with a dipping sauce.

Ramen: Wheat, Kansui and Endless Variety

The youngest of Japan’s major noodles, ramen is made from wheat flour, water, salt and kansui - an alkaline solution that gives ramen its signature bounce, yellowish tint and chewy texture.

Unlike udon, ramen noodles vary wildly. They can be thin or thick, straight or wavy, low- or high-hydration. The amount of water used changes everything: lower hydration produces firmer, chewier noodles that pair well with rich, thick soups; higher hydration creates soft, glossy strands.

Ramen is rarely eaten plain. It exists to interact with broth - rich, layered and intensely flavorful - as well as toppings such as chashu pork, bamboo shoots, seaweed, chopped scallions and boiled eggs.

Over time, ramen has evolved into a universe of variants, each shaped by local taste and climate. In Hokkaido, long winters and heavy snow gave rise to ramen focused on warming the body: rich broths, thick wavy noodles and bold seasoning. Sapporo’s miso ramen, for example, is often enriched with garlic, ginger and butter. 

Far to the south, in Kyushu, ramen is dominated by tonkotsu - pork bones boiled hard until fat and collagen emulsify into a pale, opaque soup with unmistakable intensity. 

Wheat or Buckwheat?

At the heart of Japanese noodles lies a clear divide: wheat-based noodles versus buckwheat.

Udon and ramen depend on gluten. Gluten provides elasticity and chewiness, which explains why udon can be thick yet tender and why ramen can spring back against the teeth.

Soba, by contrast, lacks gluten so the noodles are fragile. But they make up for it with the aroma of buckwheat.

This difference shapes the entire dish. Wheat noodles are often paired with heavier broths or sauce, while soba works best with lighter seasoning that respects its natural flavor.

Seasonal Noodle Dishes

Japanese noodle culture, like the rest of the country's cuisine, is deeply seasonal.

In summer, cold noodles dominate. Somen, hiyamugi and soba are served cold with a dipping sauce, the noodles rinsed in icy water to heighten their refreshing quality.

Dishes such as hiyashi chuka - chilled ramen noodles dressed in a tangy soy sauce and topped with thinly sliced vegetables, egg and meat - also help people to cool down.

Winter calls for warmth. While curry udon and nabeyaki udon, which is cooked and served in a donabe clay pot, are available at other times of the year, they are particularly welcome in winter.

At this time of the year, heavier and starch-thickened broths also become more popular.

The ability of noodles to shift between hot and cold is one reason they remain a staple across seasons.

Noodle Etiquette in Japan: Should You Slurp?

Common etiquette for all noodles

• Do not bite through noodles, letting part of them return to the bowl. The key is to take manageable amounts: the traditional guideline is three strands for udon and six for soba.
• Try not to splash the soup. After bringing the noodles to your mouth, support the ends with your chopsticks or spoon.
• If your hair is long, tie it back. The only strands that should touch the bowl are the noodle kind.
• When it comes to Japanese noodles, slurping is not inherently bad manners; it developed as a way to cool noodles and draw in aroma, especially for soba. But it can upset some, so look at the diners around you and take your cue from how they have the noodles.

Soba-specific guidelines

• Have the first bite plain, without dipping the noodles in sauce.
• Don't dunk the soba completely in the tsuyu sauce - dip only about one-third of the length so the noodles aren't overwhelmed.
• Put condiments such as wasabi and toppings like scallions on the noodles rather than mixing them into the dipping sauce.

Ramen-specific manners

• Consider the feelings of the person who put together your bowl of ramen. Taste it at its best by eating it promptly; letting the noodles sit in the soup will change their texture. If you're worried about burns from slurping too fast, transfer the noodles to a spoon before eating - this will help cool them down.
• Opinion is divided and, at times extremely heated, about whether it's acceptable to leave the soup behind. While people do finish it, ramen soup is notoriously high in fat and salt so it's fine not to drink it all, especially if it's rich.

Making Noodles at Home: Udon with Basic Equipment

Of the Big Three - udon, soba and ramen - udon is the easiest to make at home. Here's a recipe to help you get started.

Recipe for Homemade Udon Noodles

Ingredients (serves 3)

Medium-strength flour: 300 g
Water (cold in summer, lukewarm in winter): 135-145 ml
Salt: 15 g (just under 1 tbsp)
Dusting flour: as needed

Method

Add the water and salt to a small bowl and stir until the salt is completely dissolved.

Place the flour in a large bowl. Add about two-thirds of the salted water and mix quickly by hand.

Add the remaining water gradually, mixing until the dough is evenly moist. Mix quickly but carefully to avoid lumps.

Press the dough by folding it from the outside toward the center, flipping it over and pressing again. Repeat until the dough comes together.

Transfer to a floured surface and knead using body weight 20-30 times. Fold into thirds, rotate and repeat 2-3 times until smooth.

If kneading by hand is difficult, use your feet. Place the dough in a plastic bag, cover with a kitchen towel or towel and step on it. Once flattened, fold it into thirds and step on it again.

Shape the dough into a ball, seal in a plastic bag and let rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. The dough should spring back about one-third of the way when pressed.

(When dough is kneaded, the gluten strands connect and the dough becomes increasingly firm. During resting, the gluten relaxes, softening the dough and making the next steps easier. Resting time varies according to the season and room temperature - dough matures faster when it's warm).

Remove the dough from the bag and knead lightly: fold the edges inward, rotate slightly and fold again. Stand the dough upright, fold it toward you and shape it into a neat round.

Place it back into the plastic bag and let it rest for at least 20 minutes. As before, press with a finger; if the dough springs back about one-third of the way, it's ready.

Dust the work surface and dough with flour.

Roll the dough into a circle about 30 cm wide and 3 mm thick. Dust generously with flour and fold into widths that are easy to cut with a knife.

Place it on a floured cutting board, sprinkle more flour on top and cut into strips about 3 mm wide.

Bring 1.5-3 liters of water to a boil in a large pot. Gently add the noodles, loosening them as you do so. Once the water boils, reduce the heat enough and boil for another 10 minutes. When the noodles become translucent, they are done.

Quickly transfer the cooked noodles to a colander and rinse under running water.

Rinsing tightens the noodles and improves the texture. Even when serving the udon hot, it's best to rinse them first and then reheat them briefly in boiling water.

Serve immediately for the best flavor.

Strands Woven into Daily Life

From pale wheat strands slipping through a light soup, to buckwheat noodles with an earthy aroma, each noodle type carries history in its texture and flavor.

But understanding these noodles isn't about memorizing names. Whether soba wolfed down at a train station or a bowl of instant ramen shared late at night, noodles are part of Japanese life. The decision to order soba instead of udon, or ramen instead of either, and to have them served hot or cold is shaped by habit, weather and appetite.

Because these noodles are so familiar to people in Japan, their differences are often felt rather than explained.

Once you become familiar with those differences - in ingredients, texture and preparation - you, too, may find yourself going with your gut.

By Janice Tay