What does そば mean?
そば is a Japanese noun meaning “near, close, beside; Japanese traditional buckwheat noodle” in English. It can also be translated as “soba, Chinese-style wheat noodles” depending on context. It is written as そば in hiragana, and soba in romaji. This word is part of JLPT N5 vocabulary.
Example sentence
長野にいる友人を訪問した際、おいしいそばをごちそうになった。
When I visited my friend in Nagano, I was treated to delicious soba.