Gomoku: Meaning of the Japanese Word

Gomoku (五目) is a Japanese word often used in the names of Japanese dishes but rarely heard in everyday life.

If I give an example, when I hear the word, what comes to my mind right away is only four things,

• Gomoku Narabe (五目並べ)
• Gomoku Zushi (Sushi) (五目寿司)
• Gomoku Chahan (五目炒飯)
• Gomoku Ramen (五目ラーメン)

Three out of them, that is, Gomoku Sushi, Gomoku Chahan, and Gomoku Ramen, are food names.

Meanwhile, the rest, Gomoku Narabe, is the name of a Japanese board game, which can be abbreviated to Gomoku. 

So what we Japanese mean by saying Gomoku in daily life is almost always Gomoku Narabe. 

The Meaning of Gomoku in Japanese Cuisine

The word, Gomoku, is composed of two Kanji characters, 五 (Go), meaning five in Japanese, and 目, usually pronounced as Me meaning eye.

But in this case, the latter is a counter word for pieces and read as Moku, and Go-Moku stands for five pieces/varieties.

However, when the word is used in the names of dishes, it has a different meaning from the original.

In Japanese cuisine, the word Gomoku can refer to a dish made with a wide variety of ingredients, which is not limited to 5 kinds. 

Thus, Gomoku Zushi, Gomoku Chahan, and Gomoku Ramen generally use more food materials than average varieties in their categories.