麪

Phono-semantic compound:

麥 (mài, “barley, wheat”) — semantic, denotes grain.

丏 (miǎn, “to cover”) — phonetic, gives the sound.

Thus, the original sense was “powdered grain” or “food made from wheat.”

국수 (麵) — noodles

밀가루 (麵粉) — flour

냉면 (冷麵) — cold noodles

라면 (拉麵) — ramen

While 麪 may appear in academic or calligraphic contexts, 麵 is universally standard.

麪 — original orthodox form (rare).

麵 — common traditional form (standard in most regions).

麺 — Japanese Shinjitai simplification.

面 — Chinese simplified form.

Although 麪 is the etymologically correct form, it is seldom used today.

Even in Hong Kong and Macao, it is taught as the formal variant but almost always replaced by 麵 in daily life.