乳製品不使用
nyūseihin fushiyō
The English phrase "dairy-free" is translated into Japanese as 乳製品不使用 (nyūseihin fushiyō).
乳製品不使用 is used to indicate that a product is dairy-free. This specific phrasing is the standard terminology found on food packaging and ingredient labels in Japan to indicate that a product is dairy-free.
Meaning: without dairy ingredients (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The term 乳製品不使用 is composed of 乳製品 (dairy products), 不 (non-/not) and 使用 (use), literally meaning "dairy products not used".
Which one should you use?
While 乳製品不使用 is the standard term for packaging, the phrase 乳製品を含まない can also be used to mean "does not contain dairy products".
How do you pronounce it?
nyūseihin fushiyō
Did you know?
- The word 乳 (nyū) used in 乳製品 is the same character used in the word for 'breast' in biological contexts, though it is used purely for 'milk' in food terminology.
- Japanese lacks a single, casual adjective like 'dairy-free'. Instead, it uses noun-heavy phrases like 乳製品不使用 or 乳製品なし, meaning the language describes the state of the product rather than attributing a quality to it.
- If you are looking for 'dairy-free' in a Japanese restaurant, asking for 'dairy-free' using English might be less effective than specifying the absence of ミルク (milk) or バター (butter) specifically.
Examples in context
- このケーキは乳製品不使用です。Kono kēki wa nyūseihin fushiyō desu.This cake is dairy-free.
- 乳製品不使用のメニューはありますか？Nyūseihin fushiyō no menyū wa arimasu ka?Do you have any dairy-free menu items?
- 乳製品不使用のチョコレートが大好きです。Nyūseihin fushiyō no chokorēto ga daisuki desu.I love dairy-free chocolate.
Example conversation
Misaki and Hiroto are looking at a menu in a cafe.
- 美咲 Misakiこのパンは乳製品不使用かな？Kono pan wa nyūseihin fushiyō kana?I wonder if this bread is dairy-free?
- 大翔 Hiroto袋に乳製品不使用と書いてあるよ。Fukuro ni nyūseihin fushiyō to kaite aru yo.It says dairy-free on the bag.
- 美咲 Misaki良かった、それなら安心だね。Yokatta, sore nara anshin da ne.That's good, then I can feel safe eating it.
- 大翔 Hiroto美咲、一緒に食べよう。Misaki, issho ni tabeyō.Misaki, let's eat it together.
