Japanese Words to Find on Food Labels
Pork, lard, gelatin, bonito, egg, milk, wheat, barley, alcohol, mirin: Japanese words to look for in ingredients lists, with readings, English meanings and the diets they matter for.
How to use this list
On Japanese packaged food, additives are separated from the ingredients (原材料名) by a "/", a line break or a separate field. Look for these words in both parts.
"Relevant diets" shows who may want to check each word. Whether to eat something is your own decision, and for allergies, your doctor's.
Meat and pork-derived
| Japanese | Reading | English | Relevant diets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 豚肉 | butaniku | Pork | Halal, vegan, vegetarian, allergy (recommended) |
| ポークエキス・チキンエキス | pooku ekisu / chikin ekisu | Pork / chicken extract | Halal, vegan, vegetarian |
| ラード・豚脂 | raado / tonshi | Lard / pork fat | Halal, vegan, vegetarian |
| ゼラチン | zerachin | Gelatin | Halal, vegan, vegetarian, allergy (recommended) |
| 牛肉 | gyuniku | Beef | Halal, vegan, vegetarian, allergy (recommended) |
| 鶏肉 | toriniku | Chicken | Halal, vegan, vegetarian, allergy (recommended) |
| 動物性油脂 | dobutsusei yushi | Animal fat | Halal, vegan, vegetarian |
The Japan Tourism Agency's guide lists pork extract, lard, gelatin, collagen, emulsifiers and shortening as possible pork-derived ingredients that Muslims avoid. It adds that ingredients from meat not slaughtered according to halal rules are also avoided. Whether beef or chicken is halal can't be told from the label alone.
Fish and seafood
| Japanese | Reading | English | Relevant diets |
|---|---|---|---|
| かつお・かつお節・かつおエキス | katsuo / katsuobushi / katsuo ekisu | Bonito / flakes / extract | Vegan, vegetarian |
| 煮干し | niboshi | Dried sardines | Vegan, vegetarian |
| 魚介エキス | gyokai ekisu | Seafood extract | Vegan, vegetarian |
| えび | ebi | Shrimp / prawn | Vegan, vegetarian, allergy (mandatory) |
| かに | kani | Crab | Vegan, vegetarian, allergy (mandatory) |
| さけ | sake | Salmon (not rice wine) | Vegan, vegetarian, allergy (recommended) |
Egg, dairy and honey
| Japanese | Reading | English | Relevant diets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 卵・玉子・たまご・卵黄・卵白 | tamago / ran-o / ranpaku | Egg / yolk / white | Vegan, allergy (mandatory) |
| 乳・乳成分・牛乳 | nyu / nyu seibun / gyunyu | Milk / milk ingredients | Vegan, allergy (mandatory) |
| バター・生クリーム | bataa / nama kuriimu | Butter / cream | Vegan, allergy (mandatory) |
| はちみつ | hachimitsu | Honey | Vegan |
The Japan Tourism Agency's guide explains that whether vegetarians eat eggs and dairy varies by person, and that vegans also avoid honey and gelatin.
Wheat and other grains
| Japanese | Reading | English | Relevant diets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 小麦・小麦粉・小麦グルテン | komugi / komugiko / komugi guruten | Wheat / flour / gluten | Gluten-free, allergy (mandatory) |
| 大麦 | omugi | Barley | Gluten-free |
| しょうゆ | shoyu | Soy sauce | Gluten-free, halal |
Barley is on neither the mandatory nor the recommended allergen list. If you avoid gluten, look for 大麦 (barley) in the ingredients. Most soy sauce is brewed with wheat, and some has added alcohol.
Alcohol
| Japanese | Reading | English | Relevant diets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 酒精・アルコール | shusei / arukooru | Ethyl alcohol | Halal |
| みりん | mirin | Mirin | Halal |
| 清酒・酒・洋酒 | seishu / sake / yoshu | Sake / liquor | Halal |
| 料理酒 | ryorishu | Cooking sake | Halal |
Words that don't show the source
| Japanese | Reading | English | Relevant diets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 乳化剤・ショートニング | nyuka-zai / shootoningu | Emulsifier / shortening | Halal, vegan |
| 香料 | koryo | Flavoring | Halal, vegan |
| 調味料(アミノ酸等) | chomiryo (aminosan to) | Seasoning (amino acids etc.) | Halal, vegan |
| たん白加水分解物 | tanpaku kasui bunkai-butsu | Hydrolyzed protein | Halal, vegan, allergy |
According to the Consumer Affairs Agency, additives such as emulsifiers (乳化剤), flavorings (香料) and seasonings (調味料) may be listed under a collective name covering several substances. These names don't show whether the source is animal-based. One of the agency's example labels reads "たんぱく加水分解物(牛肉・さけ・さば・ゼラチンを含む)" (hydrolyzed protein, contains beef, salmon, mackerel, gelatin), showing that such ingredients can come from animals.
Sources
Details can change. Please check with the restaurant before you go. If you have allergies or a medical condition, follow your doctor's advice. Religious rulings are left to certification bodies and to you.
