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I saw on some restaurants `ramen` is written like `ラーメン`, but sometimes like
`らーめん`. Seems like both are correct, but I'm confused which variant should I
use when I write about this meal. Does it depend on context? Also I saw the
same about `ぴかぴか/ピカピカ`。

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4TITW.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4TITW.jpg)

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/EZeYs.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/EZeYs.jpg)
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2019-03-25T13:33:14.550
2019-03-25T10:55:54.430
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question
katakana word-usage hiragana
Why sometimes the same words are used in hiragana and katakana?
The "proper" way to write this word is ラーメン because it's a relatively recent
Chinese loanword. You can easily confirm this fact using any dictionary.

But ラーメン has evolved in a unique way in Japan in the last 100 years or so to
the point where [it may be called a Japanese
dish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramen). And some old and "Japanized"
loanwords are written in hiragana as if they were native Japanese concepts.

  * [Why is たばこ written in hiragana instead of katakana?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/33032/5010)

ラーメン is not as old as たばこ or てんぷら, and writing ラーメン in hiragana is still far
from standard. But some people may choose to write it in hiragana to make it
"different" in some way or another. Judging from the appearance of the
restaurant, maybe the designer wanted to express the nuance of " _the
traditional Japanese-style_ ramen". Some other Chinese dishes popularized in
Japan can be written in kanji, katakana and sometimes hiragana (e.g., 焼売 =
シューマイ = しゅうまい, 餃子 = ギョーザ = ぎょうざ).

Aside from this, hiragana and katakana are used arbitrarily for various
aesthetic purposes. Each alphabet has its own "feel" or "impression" shared
among Japanese speakers.

  * [ニッポン? Why Kana?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/17799/5010) -- 日本 is written in katakana because it looks more "international"
  * [Why is Toyota typically written in Katakana? (トヨタ)](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/31078/5010) -- 豊田 is written in katakana because it looks "hi-tech"
  * [Why is the place's official name written as "なら工藝館" (rather than "奈良工藝館")?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/35785/5010) -- 奈良 is written in hiragana because it looks more "friendly"
  * [What does it mean for the 'feel' of a sentence / text when it's written in all hiragana?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/15108/5010) -- Sometimes a whole sentence is written in all-hiragana to make it look "cute"
  * [Why are katakana preferred over hiragana or kanji sometimes?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/1930/5010)
  * [Why is the word オタク written in katakana?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/46870/5010)
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answer