うどん

う

ど

ん

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

noun

udon; thick wheat noodles

usually written using kana alonefood / cooking

A type of thick Japanese noodle made from wheat flour, commonly served in hot broth or chilled with a dipping sauce.

昼ひるごはんにうどんを食たべた。
I ate udon for lunch.
寒さむい日ひは温あたたかいうどんがおいしい。
On cold days, hot udon is delicious.

See all 96 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

うどんを打うつto make udon noodles (by kneading and cutting the dough)
祖そ母ぼは毎まい週しゅううどんを打うっている。
My grandmother makes udon noodles from scratch every week.
うどんをすするto slurp udon noodles
彼かれは音おとを立たててうどんをすすった。
He slurped his udon noisily.

Kanji

饂Japanese noodles, (kokuji)
飩Japanese noodles

Related words

そばN3
そば is a thin, dark noodle made from buckwheat flour, while うどん is a thick, white noodle made from wheat flour.
ラーメン
ラーメン is a Chinese-style wheat noodle usually served in a rich meat-based broth, whereas うどん is a Japanese-style wheat noodle with a lighter, simpler broth.

Don't confuse with

そばN4
うどん is a thick wheat noodle, while そば is a thin buckwheat noodle (except in Chinese-style dishes like 焼きそば where it's also wheat).

Word family

うどんすき
udon suki; seafood and vegetables cooked sukiyaki-style with udon
ひもかわうどん
flat noodles; himokawa udon
カレーうどん
curry udon; udon with curry sauce

Written forms

うどんUsage97%
The word is usually written in kana; the kanji form 饂飩 is rarely used.
ウドンUsage2%
饂飩Usage1%
rarely-used kanji form
- うどん
  Rare kanji form; learners should use the kana spelling.
- うんどん
  out-dated reading
うんどん
out-dated reading

Etymology

Developed through the earlier form 饂飩, formerly read うんどん; loss of the medial nasal produced modern うどん. The word ultimately reflects a Chinese name for a wheaten food, though the precise route and referent remain uncertain.