Phrasebook
Japanese Phrases for Vegans: A Save-and-Carry Allergen Card
Learn six phrases and carry one card — that handles almost every vegan meal in Japan. Japanese kitchens are full of hidden animal ingredients, but you don't need fluency to eat well. You need two things: a short spoken toolkit for ordering, and a written card staff can read at a glance. Below is the save-and-carry version, plus the one question that catches the trap most travelers miss.
The six phrases worth memorising
Say these slowly, and pointing at the dish while you speak helps. Romaji is written the way it sounds.
| English | 日本語 | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| I'm vegan — I don't eat meat, fish, egg, dairy or honey. | 私はヴィーガンで、肉・魚・卵・乳製品・はちみつを食べません。 | Watashi wa vīgan de, niku, sakana, tamago, nyūseihin, hachimitsu o tabemasen. |
| Does this contain dashi (fish stock)? | これに（魚の）出汁は入っていますか？ | Kore ni (sakana no) dashi wa haitte imasu ka? |
| Does it contain meat, fish, egg, milk or wheat? | 肉・魚・卵・乳・小麦は入っていますか？ | Niku, sakana, tamago, nyū, komugi wa haitte imasu ka? |
| No bonito flakes and no fish stock, please. | 鰹節と魚の出汁は抜きでお願いします。 | Katsuobushi to sakana no dashi wa nuki de onegai shimasu. |
| Is this vegetarian? | これはベジタリアン対応ですか？ | Kore wa bejitarian taiō desu ka? |
| Without egg, please. | 卵抜きでお願いします。 | Tamago nuki de onegai shimasu. |
Two more smooth everything over: 「すみません」 (sumimasen, excuse me) to open, and 「ありがとうございます」 (arigatō gozaimasu, thank you) to close. If "vīgan" draws a blank stare, switch to 完全菜食主義者 (kanzen saishoku shugisha, "complete vegetarian") — the term many older staff recognise.
The card to show staff
Screenshot this or keep it in your notes app. Hand your phone over, or read it aloud:
はじめまして。私はヴィーガン（完全菜食主義者）です。肉・魚介類・魚の出汁（鰹節・煮干し）・卵・乳製品・はちみつ・ゼラチンなど、動物性の食材をすべて食べられません。野菜・豆腐・きのこ・海藻・昆布や椎茸の出汁は大丈夫です。これらを使わない料理はありますか？ご配慮いただけると嬉しいです。ありがとうございます。
In English that reads: "Hello. I'm vegan. I can't eat any animal ingredients — meat, seafood, fish stock (bonito flakes, dried sardines), egg, dairy, honey or gelatin. Vegetables, tofu, mushrooms, seaweed, and kombu or shiitake dashi are fine. Do you have any dishes made without these? I'd be grateful for your help. Thank you." Naming what you can eat matters as much as what you can't — it turns a flat "no" into a "let me check."
Why speaking alone isn't foolproof: the dashi trap
Here's the one line to internalise: dashi, the stock under most Japanese savoury food, is usually made from katsuobushi (bonito/skipjack flakes) or niboshi (dried sardines). It hides in miso soup, noodle broths, simmered vegetables (nimono), tamagoyaki, sauces, and even some rice seasonings — with no fish visible. Plant versions do exist (kombu kelp and shiitake dashi are the vegan ones, per Just One Cookbook), but the default is fish. We break the whole thing down in is dashi vegan in Japan.
The catch: staff often think of "dashi" as a flavour, not a fish product, so a cheerful "no meat" can still arrive over a fish-stock broth. That's why the specific dashi question above matters — and why speaking should be paired with label-reading, not a replacement for it. See hidden animal ingredients in Japanese food and reading Japanese labels for the packaged-food side.
Where phrases work — and where to just read
Phrases shine at small restaurants, izakaya, and cafés where a chef can adapt. They matter less at chain counters and convenience stores, where the answer is fixed and printed — there, scanning the label beats asking. Japan is more navigable than its reputation suggests once you carry these tools; our honest take is in is Japan vegan-friendly, and you can browse vegan-friendly restaurants or the Vegan Japan hub to plan around kitchens that already get it.
One realistic expectation
Even a perfect card won't make every kitchen able to help — and that's okay. Aim for clarity, not confrontation: ask, thank, and move on if it's not workable. Most staff genuinely want to help once they understand, and a calm, specific request works far better than demanding "100% vegan." Carry the card, learn the six lines, always double-check the dashi, and you'll eat surprisingly well.
Sources
FAQ
- How do I ask 'does this contain fish stock (dashi)?' in Japanese?
- Say 'Kore ni sakana no dashi wa haitte imasu ka?' (これに魚の出汁は入っていますか？). Dashi is usually made from bonito flakes or dried sardines, so this is the single most important question for vegans in Japan — ask it even for vegetable dishes and miso soup, where fish stock hides with no fish visible.
- How do you say 'does it contain wheat?' (小麦が入っていますか)?
- 'Komugi wa haitte imasu ka?' (小麦は入っていますか？) means 'does it contain wheat?' To cover more at once, ask 'Niku, sakana, tamago, nyū, komugi wa haitte imasu ka?' (肉・魚・卵・乳・小麦は入っていますか？). Note that staff cannot guarantee celiac-level, trace-free safety — confirm cross-contamination separately.
- Is showing a Japanese card better than speaking?
- Often yes, especially where English is limited. A written card removes pronunciation guesswork and lets staff read exactly what you avoid and what you can eat. Use the paste-able card above — but still ask the spoken dashi question, since fish stock is the most-missed item.
- What's the Japanese word for vegan if 'vegan' isn't understood?
- Use 完全菜食主義者 (kanzen saishoku shugisha), literally 'complete vegetarian.' 'Bejitarian' (ベジタリアン) is understood too, but be aware that many dishes labelled 'vegetarian' in Japan still contain fish dashi, so keep asking about the stock.