Show-to-staff phrasebook
Pick your diet and hold your phone up to the staff. The exact Japanese to say what you can’t eat — plus the hidden traps (dashi, mirin, wheat in the soy) that catch first-timers.
Show this card to staff
Vegan
すみません。食べられないものがあります。
Sumimasen. Taberarenai mono ga arimasu.
I cannot eat
- 肉（牛・豚・鶏）niku · Meat (beef, pork, chicken)
- 魚・魚介sakana・gyokai · Fish & seafood
- 卵tamago · Egg
- 乳製品（牛乳・バター・チーズ）nyūseihin · Dairy (milk, butter, cheese)
- はちみつhachimitsu · Honey
- 魚の出汁（かつお・煮干し）sakana no dashi · Fish stock (bonito / sardine dashi)
これらを使わずに作っていただけますか？よろしくお願いします。
Kore-ra o tsukawazu ni tsukutte itadakemasu ka? Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
Could you prepare my dish without these? Thank you so much.
This is a dietary need, not a certified-allergy menu — please let me know if a dish isn't possible.
Ask at the counter
The card above says what you can’t eat. These are the questions that get you an answer. Show one full screen, or copy the Japanese.
私はヴィーガンです。肉・魚・卵・乳製品は食べられません。
Watashi wa vīgan desu. Niku, sakana, tamago, nyūseihin wa taberaremasen.
I'm vegan. I can't eat meat, fish, eggs or dairy.
出汁に魚やかつおは使っていますか？
Dashi ni sakana ya katsuo wa tsukatte imasu ka?
Is there fish or bonito in the dashi (stock)?
野菜だけで作れますか？
Yasai dake de tsukuremasu ka?
Could you make it with vegetables only?
Have a food allergy, not just a preference? Build an allergy card
What to watch for in Japan
- Dashi (fish stock) — in miso soup, simmered dishes, soba/udon broth, many sauces
- Katsuobushi (bonito flakes) sprinkled on top of vegetables and tofu
- Egg in tempura batter, mayonnaise, and ramen toppings
- Honey and gelatin in desserts; lard or chicken stock in ramen broth