buckwheat (plant)
Refers to the buckwheat plant (Fagopyrum esculentum) or its grain. Often used in compounds like そば粉 (buckwheat flour).
Buckwheat flowers are blooming all over the field.
soba; buckwheat noodles
Only with reading そば
Abbreviation of 蕎麦切り (sobakiri). Refers to the thin Japanese noodles made from buckwheat flour, served hot or cold. A staple of Japanese cuisine.
See also: 蕎麦切り
I had cold soba noodles for lunch.
There is a custom of eating year-crossing soba noodles.
Chinese-style wheat noodles
Only with reading そば
Used in names of Chinese-style noodle dishes, such as 焼きそば (yakisoba, fried noodles) or 皿そば (plate noodles). These noodles are typically made from wheat flour, not buckwheat.
Yakisoba is made from wheat flour.
I made hand-pulled soba noodles over the weekend.
He slurped his soba loudly.
There's a custom of eating toshikoshi soba on New Year's Eve.
soba with dried herring
okame soba; soba with fish cake, mushrooms, and greens
plain soba in hot broth; soba without toppings
zaru soba; cold soba noodles served on a bamboo draining basket with dipping sauce
soba made with 20% wheat flour and 80% buckwheat flour
high-quality soba; Sarashina soba
Kanji spelling, especially common in restaurant signs and formal contexts. The reading そば is a jukujikun (special kanji reading).
Katakana spelling, sometimes used for emphasis or in botanical contexts. Included as a search-only variant.