It can be scary if it’s your first time shopping in a Japanese supermarket if you don’t have a strong grasp of the language yet. The types of dishes you are used to making may require ingredients that are hard to come by in Japan. Moreover, the majority of produce is seasonal. If you want strawberries in January you are probably going to search a little bit longer, and pay a little bit more for them than you would if you wanted them at other times of the year.
Since the packaging and ingredients list is in Japanese, it may also be risky for those with food allergies or dietary restrictions.
To prepare you for your trip to the supermarket, here is a list of some essential ingredients, their kanji and how to read them in hiragana and English. Hopefully, it will help you avoid mixing up the sugar and the salt!
Produce
Item | Kanji Reading | Kana Reading | Romaji Reading |
---|---|---|---|
Bamboo shoots | 竹の子 | たけのこ | takenoko |
Bean sprout | 萌やし | もやし | moyashi |
Cucumber | 胡瓜 | きゅうり | kyuuri |
Onion | 玉葱 | たまねぎ | tamanegi |
Pumpkin | 南瓜 | カボチャ | kabocha |
Spinach | ほうれん草 | ほうれんそう | horenso |
Broccoli | ブロッコリー | burrokori | |
Tomato | 蕃茄 | トマト | tomato |
Meat
Item | Kanji Reading | Kana Reading | Romaji Reading |
---|---|---|---|
Beef | 牛肉 | ぎゅうにく | gyuuniku |
Chicken | 鶏肉 | とりにく | toriniku |
Chicken Breast | 鶏の胸肉 | にわとりのむねにく | niwatori no muneniku |
Chicken Thigh | 鶏もも肉 | にわとりのももにく | niwatori no momoniku |
Lamb | 羊肉 | ようにく | youniku |
Pork | 豚肉 | ぶたにく | butaniku |
Seafood
Item | Kanji Reading | Kana Reading | Romaji Reading |
---|---|---|---|
Crab | 蟹 | かに | kani |
Fish | 魚 | さかな | sakana |
Shrimp | 海老 | えび | ebi |
Dairy
Item | Kanji Reading | Kana Reading | Romaji Reading |
---|---|---|---|
Dairy products | 乳 | にゅう | nyuu |
Milk | 牛乳 | ぎゅうにゅう | gyuunyuu |
Condiments
Item | Kanji Reading | Kana Reading | Romaji Reading |
---|---|---|---|
Miso Paste | 味噌 | みそ | miso |
Oil | 油 | あぶら | abura |
Pepper | 胡椒 | こしょう | koshou |
Soy Sauce | 醤油 | しょうゆ | shouyu |
Sugar | 砂糖 | さとう | satou |
Tofu | 豆腐 | とうふ | toufu |
Vinegar | 酢 | す | su |
Wasabi | 山葵 | わさび | wasabi |
Rice Wine | お酒 | おさけ | osake |
Salt | 塩 | しお | shio |
Noodles
Item | Kanji Reading | Kana Reading | Romaji Reading |
---|---|---|---|
Buckwheat Noodle | 蕎麦 | そば | soba |
Ramen | 拉麺 | ラーメン | ramen |
Wheat Flour Noodle | 饂飩 | うどん | udon |
Food Allergies
Any vegetarian or person with allergies will tell you that it isn’t enough just to know what something is, you also sometimes need to know what is inside your food. Here is a general breakdown of two common Japanese labels to help you understand more about what you are buying.
Item | Kanji Reading | Kana Reading | Romaji Reading |
---|---|---|---|
Egg | 卵 | たまご | tamago |
Gluten | 麩質 | ふしつ | fushitsu |
Peanuts | ピーナッツ | peanuts | |
Wheat | 小麦 | こむぎ | komugi |
Soy | 大豆 | だいず | daizu |
The label below is used to explain what allergies may be triggered by the product if consumed. The allergies that could be triggered are written in black on the yellow background. Most processed foods will have this sign, or one similar to it, to let you know of the possible dangers for those with allergies. Be aware some products simply don’t have an allergy warning.
Next is the label explaining the origin and important information regarding a supermarket’s fresh produce. A Japanese food label will tell you what a product is, its quantity, its price and, most importantly, its storage instructions and its expiration date.
While this list is by no means a complete guide, it’s still important to familiarize yourself with the most commonly used characters to make your shopping experience much easier. If you need to avoid eating any gluten in your diet you can print this card out here.
If you are a seasoned pro when it comes to food shopping, please feel free to add to this guide by adding in the comment section below. And for those who would rather shop online, check out our list of online shopping resources for groceries, vegan ingredients and halal.
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I need this thanks.
Wow thank you for this , I just arrived in Japan an have a baby it’s so hard to go buy myself coz am frm S.A. and I understand zero Japanese, have to go with my husband all the time coz he learnd the language at work ,so thank you somuch
Card for vegans would be helpful, many don’t know enough Japanese to say so.
Maybe if veganism was actually about health, like allergies are
Pretty Interesting.
Great info✌️
Thank you this is very helpful. I spent many a day feeling hungry in Japan as a celiac.
Me too 🙂
Another good website if you are looking for specialty meats is themeatguy.jp They have lots of other hard to find in your average supermarket items (cheeses, dry goods, sauces) and they have a good range of payment options. Also, if you have one near you, restaurant supply type supermarkets also can offer some imported, hard to find elsewhere things. I love Japanese food, but sometimes a taco night or big roast is in order. Those can help you with that. Happy eating!
Very helpful! Thanks!
「Firstly, most supermarkets in Japan are actually better described as grocery stores, in that they exclusively sell food. Don’t go in expecting to buy bubble bath, a razor and a few cheap t-shirts because most supermarkets just won’t stock these kinds of items.」
Really? I live in one of Japan’s least populated prefectures and other than t-shirts, all the items you wrote about are available at every supermarket in town.
If you are in Tokyo and want access to more “exotic” (read foreign) foodstuffs, go to Kinokiniya, National Azabu or NIssin World Food. Of the three Nissin tends to have the best prices. If you want access to specifically American stuff go to FBCUSA.com. Sony Plaza has some foreign candies and snacks. Kinokuniya and National Az usually have English speaking staff on hand as well.
Thank you this is very helpful. Do you know what the Japanese word is for M.S.G. (monosodium glutamate)? And what the kanji/ hiragana/ katakana is/are? Many people are allergic to MSG and a couple of people I know ended up in hospital in Japan because of a reaction. Apparently they use it also in flavoring sauces for example as well as in cooking. Do you know in which foods or sauces it is used? It is used in Chinese and Asian food extensively but I wasn’t aware that they use it in Japan as well.
MSG=ajinomoto.味の素
My first trip to Japan to meet the in-laws, they gave me the honor of being first to use the bath that evening. I had several soaps to choose from and they all had cats or dogs on the bottle, so I chose one and washed up. Afterwards, my wife kept sniffing my hair and giving me a funny look. Turns out I used the dog shampoo to wash my hair. On the bright side, I was flea and tick free for 30 days.
Many many thanks. Very helpful.
Thank you for this post. Super helpful!
For those who are allergic, gluten is more グルテン than 麩質, and peanuts may also be written as 落花生 🙂
Good post. Maybe you should include the kanji / Japanese for whale and horse for people who would wanna avoid those meats.
whale: 鯨肉 くじらにく kujiraniku
horse: (called two ways)馬肉/桜肉 ばにく/さくらにく baniku/sakuraniku
(I am a native Japanese, have not seen 鯨肉 in any restaurant or izakaya though.)
Or seriously search them..
i have seen the kanji 南京豆 for peanuts before. my main concern when i lived in japan for a semester was my severe allergy to peanuts/nuts. i was relieved when i found out that japan also listed allergens, even ones i was unfamiliar with (bananas, peaches, etc). I also remember looking for this symbol ※ because that is usually where allergens were listed on products.
just little thing ,dairy products and eggs have the same romanji read form, xD egg is tamago if anyone ask
Great post, I recommend people to learn the kanji where the food comes from asap
(pointed out with 産 kanji). Especially since some of the food
comes from 中国産! China or sometimes people are still wary about buying food from Fukushima 福島.
6 years here and still dont know most of the food kanji as there are simply too many, anyway adding this to my studylist 🙂
yup, they were some useful kanjis, kani pls
its like you are narrating my story when i come here in japan it was really frastrating wen i go to supermarket n i am still facing these kind of hurdles as i cant understand kanji yet as a muslim i only eat Halal so Minichi Minich i have to get detail of all main and raw ingredients of products.
your post is really appreciateable
Thanx 🙂
I think you are referring to the guy who posted, not me lol
Check out this website. They have an app that shows Halal certified restaurants in Tokyo. It’s still under development but something to keep an eye on. http://www.halal-navi.com/