Explaining Allergies and Dietary Needs in Japanese
By SHOKU NOREN Team · Facts last verified August 2026 · How we check
In shortThe key sentence pattern is X arerugii ga arimasu — I have an X allergy — and X wa tabemasen / taberaremasen — I don't / can't eat X. Learn your ingredient words (ebi shrimp, kani crab, rakkasei peanuts, komugi wheat, tamago egg, gyuunyuu dairy), say them at booking time, not at the table, and carry a written allergy card in Japanese — the single most effective tool. Beware the hidden layer: dashi contains fish, most sauces contain wheat and soy, and 'vegetable' dishes are routinely seasoned with bonito. For serious allergies, advance notice through a booking or concierge is the only reliable path.
Japan takes stated dietary needs seriously — kitchens treat them as commitments, not preferences. The catch is that the cuisine hides ingredients in places visitors never suspect, so success depends on saying the right words at the right time: booking time, not table time.
The core grammar
[X] arerugii ga arimasu (ah-reh-roo-ghee gah ah-ree-mass) — I have an [X] allergy.
Hidoi arerugii desu — it is a severe allergy.
[X] wa tabemasen — I don't eat X. / Taberaremasen — I cannot eat X.
[X] nuki de dekimasu ka? — can you make it without X?
Japan's real difficulty is not refusal — it is invisibility:
Dashi — the fish-based stock — seasons miso soup, simmered vegetables, dressings, tamagoyaki and countless dishes that look vegetarian. The sentence that changes what arrives: dashi mo dame desu — dashi is also not possible.
Soy sauce contains wheat; mirin and cooking sake are everywhere (relevant for alcohol avoidance: osake wa dame desu, ryouri ni mo — no alcohol, including in cooking).
Fried items share oil; kamaboko and processed items hide egg and wheat.
For vegetarians and vegans this layer is the whole game — our dedicated vegetarian and vegan Japan guide maps it, shojin ryori included.
The tools that actually work
Say it at booking. Small kitchens plan courses days ahead; they can build around an allergy with notice and often cannot at the table. This is standard practice at every serious house — and the request field on our booking form exists precisely for it.
Carry a written card. One or two sentences in Japanese, shown at seating, outperforms every spoken exchange: 私は〇〇アレルギーです。出汁・調味料に含まれる場合も食べられません。 (I have an X allergy; I cannot eat it even within stocks or seasonings.)
Confirm the scope.Kore wa haitteimasu ka? — is it in this? — pointed at the dish, closes the loop.
Honesty about the edges
A hard truth we tell our own guests: certain houses — classical kaiseki above all, where dashi is the architecture — cannot meaningfully serve a no-fish-products diet, and the honest ones say so. The craft is choosing kitchens whose cuisine can flex without collapsing, then giving them time. That matching — condition to counter — is what our desk does daily; the full landscape is in our dietary restrictions guide.
Frequently asked
How do you say you have a food allergy in Japanese?
[Ingredient] arerugii ga arimasu — I have an allergy to [ingredient]. Key words: ebi (shrimp), kani (crab), rakkasei/piinattsu (peanuts), soba (buckwheat), komugi (wheat), tamago (egg), gyuunyuu (milk/dairy), sakana (fish). For severity, add hidoi arerugii desu — it is a severe allergy. For serious allergies, always inform the restaurant at booking time, not on arrival — small kitchens cannot re-engineer courses on the spot.
How do you say vegetarian or vegan in Japanese?
Bejitarian desu / biigan desu are understood in cities, but the words alone fail against Japan's hidden-ingredient layer — so specify: niku to sakana wa tabemasen — I don't eat meat or fish — and crucially, dashi mo dame desu — dashi (fish stock) is also not possible. Katsuobushi and dashi season most 'vegetable' dishes, so the stock sentence is the one that actually changes what arrives.
What is the biggest hidden-ingredient trap in Japan?
Dashi — the fish-based stock in miso soup, simmered vegetables, tamagoyaki, dressings and countless dishes that look vegetarian. Behind it: soy sauce contains wheat (relevant for gluten and soy allergies), many sauces hide egg, and fried items share oil. Because these are invisible at the table, written cards and advance notice outperform table-side conversation every time.
Can restaurants in Japan accommodate halal or other religious diets?
Increasingly, with notice. Butaniku wa tabemasen (I don't eat pork) and osake wa dame desu (no alcohol, including in cooking — mirin and sake are ubiquitous seasonings) are the key phrases. Dedicated halal and halal-friendly restaurants exist in major cities, and fine-dining houses can often adapt courses given days of notice. The reliable route for any strict requirement is arranging it at booking time — exactly the kind of mediation a concierge exists for.
Want us to handle it? Our Tokyo team books phone-only restaurants daily — Japanese phone lines, house relationships, and the release-day races no app will run for you. No seat, no fee. Request a table
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