This post is also available in: Indonesia
Updated April 2023
Identify Japan’s Halal/Muslim-Friendly Products
Looking for halal/Muslim-friendly products in Japanese stores and supermarkets may be a challenge, as we need to read carefully the ingredients, which mostly are written in kanji, of each item.
The alcoholic drink has 「酒」(sake) kanji in the package
[Alcohol 0%] means it does not has alcohol (alcohol-free), a complete soda drink with a juice taste
Note
Please note that the ingredients listed below are for reference. We do and strongly recommend to do purchase/consuming at your own discretion.
Considered Haram Ingredients
| No. | Japanese | Alphabet | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 豚 or 豚肉 | buta / ton / butaniku | pork |
| 2 | ポーク | pooku | pork |
| 3 | 豚脂 | buta abura | pork fat |
| 4 | 豚エキス or
ポークエキス |
buta ekisu / pork ekisu | pork extract |
| 5 | 鶏 or 鶏肉 | tori / toriniku | chicken meat (except if there is a halal logo pasted on the packages) |
| 6 | 鶏エキス or チキンエキス | tori ekisu /chikin ekisu | chicken extract |
| 7 | 鶏ガラ | tori gara | chicken carcass |
| 8 | 牛 or 牛肉 | gyuu / gyuuniku | beef (except if any halal logo is pasted on the packages) |
| 9 | 牛エキス or ビーフエキス | gyuu ekisu / beef ekisu | beef extract |
| 10 | 肉 | niku | meat (except if any halal logo is pasted on the packages) |
| 11 | ベーコン | beekon | bacon |
| 12 | ハム | hamu | ham |
| 13 | ラード | raado | lard |
| 14 | ゼラチン | zerachin | gelatin (usually made of lard) |
| 15 | 酒 | sake | Japanese traditional liquor (refer to as “alcohol beverage”) |
| 16 | 料理酒 | ryourizake | cooking liquor |
| 17 | みりん | mirin | sweet cooking rice wine |
| 18 | リカー | rikaa | liquor |
| 19 | アルコール | alkooru | alcohol |
| 20 | ワイン | wain | wine (liquor) |
| 21 | ビール | biiru | beer |
| 22 | 酒精 | shusei | alcohol |
| 23 | 洋酒 | youshu | western liquor |
| 24 | リキュール | rikyuuru | liqueur |
See Also
Get Halal Food in Japan (Tips and Tricks)
Considered Grey Ingredients (Still in Controversy)
| No. | Japanese | Alphabet | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 乳化剤 | nyuukazai | emulsifier.
For emulsifiers with explanation 大豆由来 daizu yurai (soybean-derived) or 植物由来 (plant-derived) may be permissible. |
| 2 | ショートニング | shootoningu | shortening (derived from both animal and plant) |
| 3 | マーガリン | maagarin | margarine (derived from both animals and plants) |
| 4 | 醤油 | shooyu | soy sauce |
| 5 | 味噌 | miso | miso (Japanese fermented soybean paste) |
| 6 | 醸造酢 | jouzouzu | brewed vinegar |
| 7 | 酢 | su | vinegar |
| 8 | チーズ | chiizu | cheese |
| 9 | 発酵調味料 | hakkou choumiryou | fermented seasoning |
| 10 | アミノ酸 | amino san | amino acid |
| 11 | 生クリーム | nama kuriimu | fresh cream |
| 12 | ブイヨン | buiyon | bouillon |
See Also
Are Shortening and Emulsifier Consumable?
Clearing Misconceptions in Food Ingredients
Supermarket Selling Halal Foods
Some Japanese supermarkets are started to sell halal foods. One of the pioneers is Gyomu Super which expands halal foods to almost all of its branches across Japan.
Besides, there is also one of the large discount supermarkets, Rogers, which started to sell halal foods and sweets. The supermarket is popular with its super reasonable price.
See Also
Halal Food at Gyomu Super
Samurai Ramen at Gyomu Super
Halal Food at Rogers Supermarket
Selections of Halal Online Shops in Japan
Guidance Sheet
If you happen to have a meal at a restaurant but you want to confirm the halalness of the menu/dish there, you can use this guidance sheet (free download) on the link below to communicate with the restaurant staff. This sheet also can be used by the restaurant to confirm customers’ food restrictions.
The sheet is available for Halal, Vegetarian, and Allergies, both in English and Japanese.
See Also
Guidance Sheet Download (Halal, Vegetarian, Allergies)
Notice
We were developing a camera feature on the Halal Gourmet Japan mobile application, to help user to find Muslim-friendly products by taking a picture of the target product. However, the service is currently being stopped after the pandemic hit.
Please check the link below for details https://tinyurl.com/y4a32f2k
Halal Gourmet Japan App download
App Store (iOS)
Google Play (Android)
