ラーメン

1930 is a clear dictionary point for ラーメン: Seisenban Nihon Kokugo Daijiten lists Modan Jiten with the word, and a 1931 Asakusa text gives ラアメン beside シュマイ and ワンタン. The usual source form is Chinese 拉麺 or 拉面, Mandarin lāmiàn, where 拉 means to pull and 麺 means wheat flour or noodles. The exact naming route is debated, with 老麺 and 柳麺 also reported in Japanese sources. The route is tied to Chinese noodle shops in Meiji port cities such as Yokohama and Kobe, then to Taisho and early Showa urban food culture. Japanese sources also used 支那そば, 南京そば, and later 中華そば. After 1945, ラーメン became the common name, and Momofuku Ando's 1958 Chicken Ramen made the word common in home food as well as restaurant food. Modern English ramen usually points to the Japanese bowl: alkaline noodles, broth, tare, and toppings such as chashu or menma. Chinese lāmiàn can mean hand-pulled noodles and does not require the Japanese soup style. A short example is 味噌ラーメンを食べた, which names a Japanese regional style rather than a Chinese noodle-making method.