How to Talk About Culturally Forbidden Foods in Japanese
Learn to describe cultural food taboos in Japanese using 〜は食べません, 〜を避けます, and 〜はタブーです, and explain why certain foods are avoided in your culture.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
Every culture has foods that are perfectly edible but rarely eaten for cultural rather than religious reasons. In this lesson you will learn how to explain these cultural food taboos in natural intermediate Japanese. You will practise three core patterns: 〜は食べません (I don't eat ~), 〜を避けます (I avoid ~), and 〜はタブーです (~ is a taboo). You will also learn how to give a reason with 〜ので and 〜から, and how to soften a statement with 〜かもしれません. By the end you should be able to describe your own culture's food avoidances clearly and politely, without sounding as if you are criticising another culture's diet.
By the end, you can…
- name foods that are culturally avoided in my country and explain why.
- use 〜は食べません, 〜を避けます, and 〜はタブーです accurately.
- ask a Japanese speaker about food customs politely using 〜ますか and 〜のですか.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
私は馬肉を食べません。
I don't eat horse meat.
Watashi wa baniku o tabemasen.
A neutral, factual way to state a personal food avoidance. 馬肉 (baniku) means horse meat. Use を with 食べません; は would make the meat the topic and sound more contrastive.
うちの文化では、犬肉を避けます。
In our culture, we avoid dog meat.
Uchi no bunka de wa, inuniku o sakemasu.
避けます (sakemasu) is softer and more deliberate than 食べません. うちの文化では means 'in our culture' and frames the statement as cultural, not personal.
牛乳は大人にとってタブーではありませんが、あまり飲みません。
Milk is not a taboo for adults, but we don't drink it much.
Gyūnyū wa otona ni totte tabū de wa arimasen ga, amari nomimasen.
〜にとって means 'for (someone)'. あまり〜ません means 'not very much'. This pattern lets you distinguish a true taboo from a mild preference.
なぜその食べ物を避けるのですか。
Why do you avoid that food?
Naze sono tabemono o sakeru no desu ka.
〜のですか asks for an explanation rather than a simple yes or no. It is polite and shows genuine interest. なぜ is slightly more formal than どうして.
宗教的な理由ではなく、文化的な理由です。
It's not for religious reasons; it's for cultural reasons.
Shūkyōteki na riyū de wa naku, bunkateki na riyū desu.
〜ではなく means 'not ~ but'. This contrast is essential when explaining cultural taboos, because people often assume food avoidances are religious.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is [food] は食べません or [food] を避けます. Use を避けます when the avoidance is a cultural norm rather than a personal choice: 私たちは鯨肉を避けます (We avoid whale meat). To give a reason, attach ので or から: 臭いが強いので、食べません (Because the smell is strong, I don't eat it). ので is softer and more objective than から, so it works well in polite explanations. To contrast cultural and religious reasons, use 〜ではなく: 宗教的な理由ではなく、文化的な習慣です (It is not a religious reason but a cultural custom).
When to use it
Use these patterns when someone offers you a food you culturally avoid, or when a conversation turns to food customs. If you are a guest, a direct 食べません can sound abrupt, so add a reason: すみません、うちの文化ではあまり食べないので… (Sorry, in our culture we don't eat it much, so…). When asking about another person's culture, use 〜のですか to invite an explanation: 日本では、どんな食べ物を避けるのですか (In Japan, what foods do people avoid?). Avoid saying タブーです about another person's food; it can sound judgmental. Reserve タブー for describing your own culture's rules.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
田中さん、うちの文化ではウサギ肉を食べません。
Tanaka-san, in our culture we don't eat rabbit meat.Tanaka-san, uchi no bunka de wa usagi niku o tabemasen.そうなんですか。宗教的な理由ですか。
Is that so? Is it a religious reason?Sō nan desu ka. Shūkyōteki na riyū desu ka.いいえ、宗教ではなく、文化的な理由です。ウサギはかわいいと思われているので。
No, it's not religious; it's cultural. Because rabbits are considered cute.Iie, shūkyō de wa naku, bunkateki na riyū desu. Usagi wa kawaii to omowarete iru node.なるほど。日本では、特にタブーな食べ物はありませんが、人によって違います。
I see. In Japan there isn't a particular taboo food, but it differs by person.Naruhodo. Nihon de wa, toku ni tabū na tabemono wa arimasen ga, hito ni yotte chigaimasu.A little context goes a long way
In Japanese conversation, stating a food taboo directly can feel strong, so speakers often soften it with あまり〜ません, ちょっと, or a reason clause. The word タブー is a loanword and carries a slightly formal or academic tone; in casual talk, 食べない習慣があります (we have a custom of not eating it) may sound more natural. Also note that food customs vary within a country, so 人によって違います (it differs by person) is a useful, accurate hedge.
One thing to watch for
Saying 私は犬肉が食べません, using が with 食べません.
Try this instead: Use を with 食べません: 私は犬肉を食べません. The particle が marks the subject or, with 好き and わかります, the object of desire or understanding. With a transitive verb like 食べる, the direct object takes を. If you want to make the food the topic, use は: 犬肉は食べません (As for dog meat, I don't eat it).
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Translate: 'In our culture, we avoid horse meat, not for religious reasons but for cultural reasons.'
Show a sample answer
うちの文化では、宗教的な理由ではなく、文化的な理由で馬肉を避けます。
This uses では for 'in our culture', ではなく for the contrast, and を避けます for deliberate avoidance. 食べません would also be acceptable, but 避けます better conveys a cultural norm.
2A friend offers you a food your culture avoids. What is a polite refusal?
Show a sample answer
すみません、うちの文化ではあまり食べないので、遠慮しておきます。
Adding すみません and a reason with ので softens the refusal. 遠慮しておきます means 'I'll refrain'. A simple 食べません is grammatically correct but can sound blunt in this situation.
3Ask a Japanese speaker why they avoid a certain food, using an explanatory question.
Show a sample answer
どうしてその食べ物を避けるのですか。
〜のですか asks for an explanation and is polite. なぜ is also correct and slightly more formal; どうして is common in conversation.
Use を避けます for cultural avoidance, は食べません for personal avoidance, and always add a reason with ので or から to keep the statement polite and non-judgmental.
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