How to Say 'I Am Vegetarian' in Japanese and Explain What You Don't Eat
Learn to say you are vegetarian in Japanese, name the foods you avoid, and politely ask whether a dish contains meat, fish, or animal stock.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
If you follow a vegetarian diet, being able to explain it clearly in Japanese is genuinely useful. Japanese meals often include dashi (a stock made from fish), so a simple word like 'vegetarian' may not be enough on its own. In this lesson you will learn how to say 'I am vegetarian', list the foods you do not eat, and ask a server or host whether a dish contains meat, fish, or animal-based stock. You will also learn the polite particle wa, which marks what you are talking about, and the negative verb tabemasen, which means 'I do not eat'.
By the end, you can…
- say 'I am vegetarian' in Japanese.
- name at least four foods I do not eat using tabemasen.
- ask whether a dish contains meat, fish, or animal stock.
- understand a short reply about what a dish contains.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
私はベジタリアンです。
I am vegetarian.
Watashi wa bejitarian desu.
The standard, polite way to state your diet. Use it with servers, hosts, or new acquaintances.
肉は食べません。
I do not eat meat.
Niku wa tabemasen.
Niku means meat. The particle wa marks 'meat' as the topic, and tabemasen is the polite negative of tabemasu (eat).
魚は食べません。
I do not eat fish.
Sakana wa tabemasen.
Sakana means fish. This sentence is useful because many people assume vegetarians still eat fish.
だしは入っていますか。
Does it contain dashi (fish stock)?
Dashi wa haitte imasu ka.
Dashi is a common stock often made from fish. Haitte imasu means 'is contained'. Adding ka makes it a polite question.
卵と乳製品は大丈夫です。
Eggs and dairy products are fine.
Tamago to nyūseihin wa daijōbu desu.
Use this if you eat eggs and dairy. Tamago means egg, nyūseihin means dairy products, and daijōbu means 'all right' or 'no problem'.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The pattern [food] wa tabemasen lets you list anything you do not eat. For example, 肉は食べません (niku wa tabemasen) means 'I do not eat meat', and 魚は食べません (sakana wa tabemasen) means 'I do not eat fish'. You can also say 肉も魚も食べません (niku mo sakana mo tabemasen), meaning 'I do not eat meat or fish'. The particle mo replaces wa when you add a second item to a negative list. To ask about a dish, use [ingredient] wa haitte imasu ka, as in 肉は入っていますか (niku wa haitte imasu ka), 'Does it contain meat?'
When to use it
Use 私はベジタリアンです (watashi wa bejitarian desu) at the start of a conversation, then add specific foods with wa tabemasen. In a restaurant, ask だしは入っていますか (dashi wa haitte imasu ka) before ordering soup or simmered dishes, because dashi often contains fish. If you eat eggs and dairy, say 卵と乳製品は大丈夫です (tamago to nyūseihin wa daijōbu desu). If you avoid all animal products, say ヴィーガンです (vīgan desu) instead, and add 肉も魚も卵も乳製品も食べません (niku mo sakana mo tamago mo nyūseihin mo tabemasen).
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
すみません、私はベジタリアンです。肉と魚は食べません。
Excuse me, I am vegetarian. I do not eat meat or fish.Sumimasen, watashi wa bejitarian desu. Niku to sakana wa tabemasen.かしこまりました。だしは入っていますか。
Understood. Does it contain dashi?Kashikomarimashita. Dashi wa haitte imasu ka.はい、だしは入っています。卵と乳製品は大丈夫です。
Yes, it contains dashi. Eggs and dairy products are fine.Hai, dashi wa haitte imasu. Tamago to nyūseihin wa daijōbu desu.わかりました。野菜の料理をご用意します。
I understand. We will prepare a vegetable dish for you.Wakarimashita. Yasai no ryōri o goyōi shimasu.A little context goes a long way
Politeness matters in Japanese service situations. Adding すみません (sumimasen, 'excuse me') before your request sounds considerate. The word ベジタリアン (bejitarian) is widely understood, but it is not a legal or medical term, so staff may still ask about specific ingredients. Dashi is central to Japanese cooking and often contains fish, so asking about it is practical rather than rude. If you are a guest at someone's home, explain your diet in advance when possible, and thank your host for their effort.
One thing to watch for
Saying 私は肉を食べません and assuming it covers all meat, fish, and animal stock.
Try this instead: Be specific. 肉を食べません (niku o tabemasen) only states that you do not eat meat. Add 魚は食べません (sakana wa tabemasen) for fish and ask だしは入っていますか (dashi wa haitte imasu ka) for stock. Using wa instead of o in these negative statements is also common and natural: 肉は食べません.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I am vegetarian' politely in Japanese?
Show a sample answer
私はベジタリアンです。 (Watashi wa bejitarian desu.)
This uses the topic marker wa and the polite copula desu. You can also say ベジタリアンです without watashi when the context is clear.
2How do you say 'I do not eat fish'?
Show a sample answer
魚は食べません。 (Sakana wa tabemasen.)
Sakana means fish, wa marks the topic, and tabemasen is the polite negative of tabemasu. 魚を食べません is also grammatically possible, but wa is more natural in this contrastive context.
3How do you ask whether a dish contains dashi?
Show a sample answer
だしは入っていますか。 (Dashi wa haitte imasu ka.)
Haitte imasu means 'is contained', and ka makes it a question. You can replace dashi with 肉 (niku) or 魚 (sakana) to ask about other ingredients.
Start with 私はベジタリアンです, then list what you avoid with [food] wa tabemasen, and always ask だしは入っていますか before ordering soup or simmered dishes.
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