麺めん麭ぽう

also: メンパオ

め

ん

ぽ

う

Meanings

noun

bread

rare term

Rare term for bread, originally a military term. The reading めんぽう is used for 麺麭/麵麭, while メンパオ is from Chinese 'mianbao' for 麪包. In modern Japanese, パン is the standard word.

Kanji

麺noodles, wheat flour
麭sticky rice ball
麪noodles, wheat flour
包wrap, pack up, cover
麵flour, dough, noodles

Related words

パン
パン is the standard modern Japanese word for bread, while 麺麭 is a rare historical term.

Word family

乾かん麺めん麭ぽう
hardtack; hard biscuit

Written forms

麺めん麭ぽう
Rare kanji spelling for bread; originally a military term. The reading めんぽう is used.
麪包
- メンパオ
  Rare kanji spelling, with the reading メンパオ borrowed from Chinese 'mianbao'.
- めんぽう
麵めん麭ぽう
Variant kanji form using 麵 instead of 麺; equally rare.
メンパオ

Etymology

The kanji spellings 麺麭 and 麪包 are rare historical borrowings for 'bread'. The reading めんぽう was used as a military term, and メンパオ is directly from Chinese 'mianbao'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain; these forms are now obsolete in everyday use.