Somen noodles (そうめん in Japanese)　are wheat noodles with water and salt kneaded in, then coated in vegetable oil, stretched thin, and dried in the sun. Normally boiled, then splashed with cold water and dipped in sauce before eating. In Japan, noodles with a diameter of 1.3 mm or less are called "somen", and those with a diameter between 1.3 mm and 1.7 mm are called "hiyamugi". However, in the case of hand-pulled noodles, those with a diameter of less than 1.7 mm can also be called "somen".