- ajitsuke-tamago味付け玉子ajitsuke tamago/ad͡ʑitsɯke tamago/
- The soy-marinated soft-boiled egg sliced on top of ramen. A premium topping in any ramen shop.
- aka-kitsune赤いきつねAkai Kitsune/akai kitsɯne/
- *Red Fox* — Maruchan's iconic Japanese cup udon, launched 1978. Dashi-and-soy broth with a piece of fried tofu (*aburaage*) on top. Fried tofu is what foxes (*kitsune*) are said to favor in folklore — hence the name and the fox graphic on the cup.
- akai-himitsu-no-tare赤い秘密のタレakai himitsu no tare/akai çimitsɯ no taɾe/
- *Red secret powder* — the chili-and-sesame seasoning packet that defines Ichiran's tonkotsu ramen. Included with every Ichiran retail take-home kit. The recipe is closely guarded by Ichiran Foods.
- chashu叉焼chashu/t͡ɕaːɕɯː/
- Japanese-style braised pork belly, sliced thin, used as a ramen topping. From Chinese char siu.
- dashi出汁dashi/daɕi/
- Japanese soup stock made from kombu (kelp) and katsuobushi (bonito flakes). The foundation of nearly every Japanese broth.
- hakata博多Hakata/hakata/
- District of Fukuoka City in southern Japan, the birthplace of cloudy tonkotsu (pork-bone) ramen. Hakata-style ramen uses very thin straight noodles in milky pork-bone broth — distinct from Tokyo shoyu or Sapporo miso traditions. Ichiran and Ippudo are both Hakata-style chains.
- kansui鹸水kansui/kaɴsɯi/
- Alkaline mineral water added to ramen dough to create the springy yellow texture. Without kansui, you have lo mein, not ramen.
- katsuobushi鰹節katsuobushi/katsɯoboɕi/
- Dried, smoked, fermented bonito flakes used in dashi. The brown shavings you see floating on takoyaki.
- menmaメンマmenma/memma/
- Fermented bamboo shoots, a classic ramen topping. Yellow-brown, slightly tangy, with bouncy texture.
- miso味噌miso/miso/
- Fermented soybean paste. Red, white, or mixed (awase). Foundation of miso ramen and miso soup.
- narutomaki鳴門巻narutomaki/naɾɯtomaki/
- Pink-and-white spiral fish cake sliced into rounds. Classic ramen topping; the pink-spiral cartoon design.
- negi葱negi/ɲeɡi/
- Japanese long onion / scallion. Sliced thinly as a topping for ramen, udon, soba.
- seimen正麺Seimen/seːmeɴ/
- Maruchan's premium instant-noodle line launched 2011 in Japan and later in the US. Pre-fried but with a higher-grade flour and a real kansui dose. Closes much of the gap between mass-market instant and restaurant-tier ramen.
- shoyu醤油shoyu/ɕoːjɯ/
- Japanese soy sauce. Naturally brewed, less salty than Chinese soy. Standard table seasoning.
- tareタレtare/taɾe/
- The seasoning concentrate added to ramen broth — shoyu, shio, or miso based. Defines the ramen's classical category.
- tonkotsu豚骨tonkotsu/toŋkotsɯ/
- Pork bone. As a ramen style, refers to the fast-boiled milky-white pork bone broth associated with Hakata.
- tsuyuつゆtsuyu/tsɯjɯ/
- Dipping sauce for cold noodles. Dashi + soy + mirin, chilled. Standard with zaru soba and sōmen.