Sift through this blog post and create a list of all the kana words written in katakana in the format of ・{kanji} | {katakana}
If the kana word does not have a kanji then use the format ・✕ | {katakana} to list that word


Beginner’s Guide to Supermarket Shopping in Japan
Common kanji terms that you will find in supermarkets in Japan.

By GaijinPot Blog Jun 30, 2021  3 min read 29

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
Photo: iStock
The seven ingredients manufacturers are legally obligated to list.
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.

allergy

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.

food-labels-japan

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.
・南瓜｜カボチャ
・✕｜ブロッコリー
・蕃茄｜トマト
・拉麺｜ラーメン
・✕｜ピーナッツ