かけそば

か

け

そ

ば

Meanings

plain soba in hot broth; soba without toppings

usually written using kana alonefood / cooking

A basic bowl of soba noodles served in hot broth, typically with only chopped green onions. Contrasts with もりそば (cold soba with dipping sauce) and ざるそば (cold soba on a bamboo tray).

Kanji

蕎buckwheat
麦barley, wheat
掛hang, suspend, depend

Related words

もりそば
Cold soba served on a plate with a separate dipping sauce, unlike かけそば which is served in hot broth.
ざるそば
Cold soba served on a bamboo tray with dipping sauce, often with shredded nori; similar to もりそば but with a different presentation.
きつねそば
Soba in hot broth topped with sweet fried tofu, whereas かけそば has no toppings.
たぬきそば
Soba in hot broth topped with tempura bits (tenkasu), whereas かけそば is plain.

Opposites

盛もり
盛り (as an abbreviation of 盛り蕎麦) is cold noodles with a separate dipping sauce, while かけ蕎麦 is served hot in broth, making them the two basic contrasting soba styles.

Word family

ぶっかけそば
soba with broth poured over it

Written forms

かけそばUsage84%
Kana spelling is standard; the word is usually written in kana.
かけ蕎麦そばUsage12%
Kanji spelling with 蕎麦 for そば; less common but still seen.
掛かけ蕎麦そばUsage2%
Full kanji spelling; less common but still seen.
掛かけそばUsage2%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kanji form; not a standard spelling.

Etymology

Shortened from ぶっかけそば, soba served with hot broth poured directly over the noodles; かけ derives from 掛ける “pour over.”