How to: Talk about food allergies in Japanese

This article will save your life (if you have allergies). Traveling in a foreign country like Japan when you have an allergy or two can be difficult, especially when you can’t speak Japanese fluently. But, don’t worry. We got your back.

In this article, I will give you a save-and-show allergy card graphic, as well as a list of phrases you can use before trying to enjoy any food you encounter in Japan. 

Travel Note: for any emergencies requiring immediate medical help or an ambulance, call 119. 

Table of Contents:

• 1. List of Foods in Japanese with common allergic reactions

• 2. “I cannot eat _______” in Japanese

• 3. “Does it contain ______?” in Japanese

• 4. Can you make it without ______? in Japanese

• 5. Other dietary restrictions

• 6. Quiz Time

VIDEO LINK: Click Here

Start Here: List of Foods in Japanese with common allergic reactions

Below is a list of 28 recognized allergenic foods in Japan. Make sure to remember the name of the food item you are allergic to in Japanese since you will need them to fill in the blanks in all the phrases I will teach you below!

shrimpえび ebiwheatこむぎ（小麦）komugicrabかに kanibuckwheatそば sobadairy products乳製品（にゅうせいひん） nyuu seihin*eggsたまご（卵）tamagopeanutsピーナッツ pi-natssuwalnutsくるみ kurumialmondsアーモンド a-mondoabaloneあわび awabisquidいか ikasalmon roeいくら ikuraorangesオレンジ orenjicashew nutsカシューナッツ cashu-nattsukiwi fruitsキウイフルーツ
kiui furu-tsubeef牛肉 gyunikusesameごま gomasalmon さけ sakemackerelさば sabasoybeans大豆 daizuchicken鶏肉 torinikubananaバナナ bananapork豚肉 butanikuMatsutake mushroomsまつたけ matsutakepeachもも momoJapanese yamやまいも yamaimoappleりんご ringogelatinゼラチン zerachin

(table: list of 28 recognized allergenic foods in Japan)

*milk (cow milk) is called ぎゅうにゅう (gyunyu) in Japanese

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1. “I cannot eat _______” in Japanese

Phrase #1: ナッツ、たべれないんですが… (Nattsu taberenaindesu ga…)

At first, Sayaka gives this phrase which means “I cannot eat nuts, but….”

By saying this, you are giving the server a heads up about how you are not able to eat certain foods. Since people in Japan tend to avoid being direct, they instead imply a bigger message by explaining the situation. Therefore, this phrase is used to evoke the server to inform whether a certain menu may contain the items you are allergic to.

Giving Reason to Refuse Certain Foods:

Here’s another phrase for you:
 ______ がたべられないです

(ga taberarenai desu)

This phrase meaning “I can’t eat” is useful, when you want to respond to a question, or give reason to refuse a certain food item.

2. “I have a ______ allergy” in Japanese

The second phrase Sayaka gives is this:

Phrase #1: ナッツアレルギーなんですが… (nattsu arerugii nandesuga…)

“I’m allergic to nuts, but…”

Likewise, this is said to give a heads up to the server. 

In addition, these are some other useful phrases Japanese people use to convey the same message:

• ＿＿＿アレルギーです (arerugii desu)

• 私は______アレルギーがあります。　(Watashi wa _____ arerugii ga arimasu.)

Talk about a Severe Allergy

For more serious allergies you can say:

重度の_____アレルギーです

(Jūdo no ________ arerugii desu)

which means, “I have a severe allergy for…”

3. “Does it contain ______?” in Japanese

Another useful phrase covered by Sayaka is this:

これ、_______ はいっていますか？

(kore, ______ haitte imasu ka?)

“Does this contain…?”

To explain further, you can point at a menu item while using this phrase, to check if it contains any ingredients you may have an allergy or have dietary restrictions to.

For instance, with nuts, you can say: 

これ、ナッツはいっていますか。

(Kore, nattsu haitte imasu ka?)

What’s more, the word これ can be replaced with the name of the dish. Let’s see it used in a dialogue.

Talking about a Food Allergy: Sample Dialogue

Sam: すみません。(sumimasen)

Sam: 私、貝（かい）アレルギーなんですが… (watashi, kai arerugii desu.)
おこのみやきに貝はいっていますか？ (okonomiyaki ni kai wa haitteimasu ka?)

Server: いえ、貝ははいっていないですよ。 (ie, kai wa haitteinai desu yo)

Sam: じゃあ、おこのみやきをください。(jaa, okonomiyaki wo kudasai)

Server: かしこまりました。(kashikomarimashita)

Click for Translation

Sam: Excuse me.

Sam: I have shellfish allergy. Does the okonomiyaki contain any shellfish?

Server: No. There’s no shellfish in it.

Sam: Then, I’ll have the okonomiyaki please.

Server: Got it.

In the dialogue, Sam, who is allergic to shellfish, checks with the server if the dish, Okonomiyaki, has any shellfish.

(Okonomiyaki can often contain lots of seafood, including shellfish and calamari)

4. “Can you make it without ______?” in Japanese

Lastly, Sayaka asks this question:

これ、ナッツぬきにできますか？(kore, nattsu nuki ni dekimasuka?)

By replacing ナッツ with a food you have an allergy to, you can ask if a menu item you want can be made without that item. 

これ、_____ぬきにできますか？

Author’s note:

A popular thing to say at a handmade sushi restaurant is this phrase. Can you guess what it means? I say this a lot.

さびぬき、おねがいします (sabi nuki, onegaishimasu)

The common phrase おねがいします means please. ___ ぬき means “without X”. Does “sabi” sound like anything? Yes, wasabi.

This is a phrase Japanese people use to ask for sushi without wasabi. Why is it called “sabi”? Well, we like to shorten a lot of things, that’s why!

(Sorry if you are a wasabi lover, you won’t find this phrase useful)

5. Other dietary restrictions

Similarly, for people with dietary restrictions like gluten-free or dietary choices like vegetarian/vegan, these phrases will be useful:

グルテンフリーのメニューはありますか？

(guruten furi- no menyu wa arimasuka?)

Meaning, “Do you have a gluten-free menu?”

Replace gluten-free with the word ベジタリアン (bejitarian)  or ヴィーガン (vi-gan) to check if they have a vegetarian or vegan menu. Likewise, you could also ask:

これ、グルテンフリーですか？

(kore, guruten furi- desuka?)

meaning, “Is this gluten-free?”

Having allergies while traveling can be an obstacle, but by learning phrases to bypass that will make your Japan trip worthwhile. If anything, your brain will be happy to be able to use these phrases like a native speaker! Yet, if you are still shy to use them, make use of our allergy info cards. Let us know if you were able to use them and drop some recommendations for Japanese food for people with dietary restrictions – many of us will appreciate them!

Ready to learn more?

Today you learned how to talk about Food Allergies in Japanese. Now you can enjoy eating out in Japan without worrying about allergy reactions or using your epipen. However, have you…

• Ever thought of learning Japanese, but have no access to classes?

• Learned Japanese, but want to speak more?

• Given up on speaking Japanese before?

• Been tired of your unmotivated classmates?

• OR are you UNMOTIVATED to study Japanese?

Then you should check out Sayaka’s Beginners Japanese lessons! With engaging weekly lessons covering task-based conversation practice, kanji, grammar for different situations, and useful phrases, you will for sure fall in love with all the fun and warmth you will experience in Sayaka’s class. Check her 101/102/103 and 104 classes out here!