Korean for Telling Your Host About Dietary Restrictions Before a Home Meal
Learn polite Korean phrases to tell a host in advance about food allergies, dietary rules, and preferences before eating at their home.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
When you eat at someone's home in Korea, the host often plans and cooks the meal personally, so telling them about dietary restrictions in advance is both practical and polite. This lesson teaches elementary-level Korean phrases for that situation. You will learn how to state an allergy or restriction, ask whether a dish contains a certain ingredient, and offer a simple alternative. The focus is on the home setting, where the host may have already bought ingredients or started cooking. Because of that, timing matters: say something as soon as you receive the invitation, not at the table. You will practice polite endings such as -아요/어요 and the negative form 못 먹어요, and you will learn how to soften a restriction with 조금 or 괜찮아요.
By the end, you can…
- tell my host in advance that I have a food allergy or dietary restriction.
- ask politely whether a home-cooked dish contains a specific ingredient.
- explain what I can eat and suggest a simple alternative without sounding demanding.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
저는 견과류 알레르기가 있어요.
I have a nut allergy.
jeo-neun gyeon-gwaryu allyeoreugi-ga isseoyo
Use this to state an allergy clearly. 견과류 means nuts; replace it with other foods as needed.
저는 돼지고기를 못 먹어요.
I can't eat pork.
jeo-neun dwaejigogireul mot meogeoyo
못 먹어요 means 'cannot eat.' Use it for religious, health, or personal restrictions.
이 음식에 땅콩이 들어가요?
Does this food contain peanuts?
i eumsige ttangkongi deureogayo
A direct but polite way to ask about an ingredient in a home-cooked dish.
채식만 먹어도 괜찮아요?
Is it okay if I only eat vegetarian food?
chaesingman meogeodo gwaenchanayo
괜찮아요 softens the request and shows you do not want to burden the host.
미리 말씀드려서 죄송해요.
I'm sorry for telling you in advance.
miri malsseumdeuryeoseo joesonghaeyo
Use this when you feel awkward about giving the host extra work. 말씀드리다 is the humble form of 'to tell.'
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To state a restriction, use 저는 + food + 못 먹어요 or 알레르기가 있어요. For example, 저는 유제품을 못 먹어요 means 'I can't eat dairy products,' and 저는 새우 알레르기가 있어요 means 'I have a shrimp allergy.' The particle 을/를 marks the food as the object. If the food ends in a consonant, use 을, as in 밀을 못 먹어요 ('I can't eat wheat'). If it ends in a vowel, use 를, as in 계란을 못 먹어요 ('I can't eat eggs'). Adding 미리 ('in advance') makes the timing clear: 미리 말씀드릴게요.
When to use it
Use these phrases as soon as you accept a home invitation, not when the food is already on the table. A good opening is 초대해 주셔서 감사해요. 그런데 미리 말씀드릴 게 있어요 ('Thank you for inviting me. But I have something to tell you in advance'). Then state the restriction and offer a solution: 저는 채식만 먹어요. 고기 없이 만들어 주셔도 괜찮아요 ('I only eat vegetarian food. It's okay if you make it without meat'). This shows respect for the host's effort while keeping you safe.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
어머니, 초대해 주셔서 감사해요. 그런데 미리 말씀드릴 게 있어요.
Mother, thank you for inviting me. But I have something to tell you in advance.eomeoni, chodaehae jusyeoseo gamsahaeyo. geureonde miri malsseumdeuril ge isseoyo그래요? 무슨 일이에요?
Really? What is it?geuraeyo? museun irieyo?저는 견과류 알레르기가 있어요. 그래서 땅콩이나 호두를 못 먹어요.
I have a nut allergy. So I can't eat peanuts or walnuts.jeo-neun gyeon-gwaryu allyeoreugi-ga isseoyo. geuraeseo ttangkongina hodureul mot meogeoyo알려줘서 고마워요. 그럼 견과류 없이 만들게요.
Thank you for telling me. Then I'll make it without nuts.allyeojwoseo gomawoyo. geureom gyeon-gwaryu eopsi mandeulgeyoA little context goes a long way
In Korean homes, the host often prepares several dishes and may feel responsible if a guest cannot eat. Saying 미리 말씀드려서 죄송해요 shows awareness of that effort, while 괜찮아요 keeps the tone light. Direct refusals like 안 먹어요 can sound blunt at the table, so use 못 먹어요 for restrictions and offer a simple alternative. If the host is an elder, use humble verbs such as 말씀드리다 and 드시다.
One thing to watch for
Saying 저는 채식주의자예요 and leaving it at that, without explaining what you can eat.
Try this instead: Add a concrete alternative so the host knows what to prepare: 저는 채식만 먹어요. 고기 없이 만들어 주셔도 괜찮아요. This turns a restriction into a workable plan and avoids awkward silence at the table.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How would you tell your host that you cannot eat shrimp?
Show a sample answer
저는 새우를 못 먹어요.
This uses 저는 + food + 을/를 + 못 먹어요. You could also say 저는 새우 알레르기가 있어요 if it is an allergy. Both are correct; the first is more general.
2Ask politely whether a home-cooked soup contains milk.
Show a sample answer
이 국에 우유가 들어가요?
이 음식에 ... 들어가요? asks about an ingredient. Replacing 음식 with 국 makes it specific. You can also ask 우유가 들어갔어요? for a dish already cooked.
3Your host says 견과류 없이 만들게요. What does this mean?
Show a sample answer
It means 'I will make it without nuts.'
없이 means 'without,' and -게요 expresses a promise or intention based on the host's decision. This confirms your restriction was understood.
Tell your host about dietary restrictions as soon as you accept a home invitation, use 못 먹어요 or 알레르기가 있어요, and always offer a simple alternative so the host can plan with confidence.
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