20 Essential Japanese Restaurant Menu, Meat & Pharmacy Kanji for Travelers
In Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, traditional ramen ticket machines (食券機), izakaya chalkboard menus, and Matsumoto Kiyoshi drugstore packages rely heavily on Kanji without English subtitles. Knowing just 20 high-frequency food and pharmacy Kanji lets you spot Beef (牛), Pork (豚), Chicken (鶏), Raw/Draft (生), Big Portion (大盛), and Cold/Fever Medicine (風邪薬 / 解熱鎮痛剤) in under a second. Pair this visual Kanji guide with live 2-way voice translation and digital allergy cards on https://www.f2f-translator.com.
Complete List of 20 Kanji, Readings & Example Vocabulary
Click the ✍️ Practice button on any row to launch interactive stroke-order handwriting practice on the canvas.
| No | Kanji | Onyomi / Kunyomi | Meaning | Example Vocabulary | Strokes | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 牛 | 音: ギュウ 訓: うし | Beef, cattle (Look for the horn poking through the top stroke!) | 牛丼 / 牛肉 ぎゅうどん (Gyūdon) / ぎゅうにく (Gyūniku) Beef bowl / Beef | 4 | ✍️ Practice |
| 2 | 豚 | 音: トン 訓: ぶた | Pork, pig (Essential for spotting pork broth 豚骨 or pork cutlets 豚カツ) | 豚骨ラーメン / 豚肉 とんこつ (Tonkotsu) / ぶたにく (Butaniku) Pork-bone ramen / Pork meat | 11 | ✍️ Practice |
| 3 | 鶏 | 音: ケイ 訓: にわとり, とり | Chicken, poultry | 鶏肉 / 唐揚げ とりにく (Toriniku) Chicken meat | 19 | ✍️ Practice |
| 4 | 魚 | 音: ギョ 訓: さかな, うお | Fish, seafood | 焼き魚 / 魚介 やきざかな (Yakizakana) / ぎょかい (Gyokai) Grilled fish / Seafood | 11 | ✍️ Practice |
| 5 | 野 | 音: ヤ 訓: の | Field, vegetables (Paired in 野菜 Yasai = Vegetables) | 野菜炒め やさいいため (Yasai Itame) Stir-fried vegetables | 11 | ✍️ Practice |
| 6 | 菜 | 音: サイ 訓: な | Vegetable, side dish, greens (Grass radical 艹 at the top) | 野菜 やさい (Yasai) Vegetables | 11 | ✍️ Practice |
| 7 | 卵 | 音: ラン 訓: たまご | Egg (Two dots inside look like egg yolks!) | 半熟卵 はんじゅくたまご (Hanjuku Tamago) Soft-boiled ramen egg | 7 | ✍️ Practice |
| 8 | 乳 | 音: ニュウ 訓: ちち | Milk, dairy (Critical on food allergen labels: 乳成分) | 牛乳 / 豆乳 ぎゅうにゅう (Gyūnyū) / とうにゅう (Tōnyū) Cow's milk / Soy milk | 8 | ✍️ Practice |
| 9 | 麦 | 音: バク 訓: むぎ | Wheat, barley (Critical on gluten/celiac allergy labels: 小麦 Komugi) | 小麦 / 麦茶 こむぎ (Komugi) / むぎちゃ (Mugicha) Wheat (Gluten) / Barley tea | 7 | ✍️ Practice |
| 10 | 生 | 音: セイ, ショウ 訓: なま | Raw, fresh, draft beer (On menus: 生ビール = Draft Beer, 生卵 = Raw Egg) | 生ビール / 生魚 なまビール (Nama Bīru) Draft beer / Raw fish | 5 | ✍️ Practice |
| 11 | 焼 | 音: ショウ 訓: や.く, や.ける | Grilled, pan-fried, roasted (Fire radical 火 on the left) | 焼肉 / お好み焼き やきにく (Yakiniku) / おこのみやき (Okonomiyaki) Grilled meat / Savory pancake | 12 | ✍️ Practice |
| 12 | 揚 | 音: ヨウ 訓: あ.げる, あ.がる | Deep-fried,crispy (Seen in 唐揚げ Karaage and 揚げ物 Agemono) | 唐揚げ からあげ (Karaage) Japanese fried chicken | 12 | ✍️ Practice |
| 13 | 辛 | 音: シン 訓: から.い | Spicy, hot (ピリ辛 = mildly spicy, 激辛 = cực spicy) | 辛い / 辛口 からい (Karai) / からくち (Karakuchi) Spicy / Dry (for sake or curry) | 7 | ✍️ Practice |
| 14 | 甘 | 音: カン 訓: あま.い | Sweet, mild curry | 甘口 あまくち (Amakuchi) Mild / Sweet curry | 5 | ✍️ Practice |
| 15 | 盛 | 音: セイ, ジョウ 訓: も.る | Serving size (並盛 Regular, 大盛 Large, 特盛 Extra Large on ticket machines) | 大盛り / 並盛り おおもり (Ōmori) / なみもり (Namimori) Large portion / Regular portion | 11 | ✍️ Practice |
| 16 | 替 | 音: タイ 訓: か.える, か.わる | Refill, exchange (替玉 Kaedama = Extra noodle refill at ramen shops) | 替え玉 かえだま (Kaedama) Extra ramen noodle refill | 12 | ✍️ Practice |
| 17 | 薬 | 音: ヤク 訓: くすり | Medicine, pharmacy (Look for the big 薬 sign outside Japanese drugstores) | 薬局 / 目薬 やっきょく (Yakkyoku) / めぐすり (Megusuri) Pharmacy / Eye drops | 16 | ✍️ Practice |
| 18 | 熱 | 音: ネツ 訓: あつ.い | Fever, heat (解熱剤 Genetsuzai = Fever reducer at pharmacies) | 解熱鎮痛剤 げねつちんつうざい (Genetsu Chintsūzai) Fever reducer & pain reliever | 15 | ✍️ Practice |
| 19 | 痛 | 音: ツウ 訓: いた.い | Pain, ache (頭痛 Headache, 腹痛 Stomachache, 痛み止め Painkiller) | 痛み止め いたみどめ (Itamidome) Painkiller medication | 12 | ✍️ Practice |
| 20 | 胃 | 音: イ 訓: — | Stomach, digestion (胃腸薬 Ichōyaku = Stomach & digestive medicine) | 胃腸薬 いちょうやく (Ichōyaku) Gastrointestinal / Stomach medicine | 9 | ✍️ Practice |
💡 Study Tips & Exam Strategy
- At Japanese ramen vending machines (食券機), scan the top row for broth type: 豚骨 (Pork bone), 鶏白湯 (Chicken), 醤油 (Soy sauce), or 味噌 (Miso), and the bottom row for 並盛 (Regular), 大盛 (Large), and 替玉 (Extra noodles).
- When checking convenience store (konbini) food labels for dietary restrictions, look at the boxed allergen grid on the back for 豚肉 (Pork), 牛肉 (Beef), 鶏肉 (Chicken), 卵 (Egg), 乳 (Dairy), and 小麦 (Wheat/Gluten).
- Need to explain a strict allergy or medical symptom out loud to a Japanese chef or pharmacist? Open F2F Translator's Japan Food Allergy & PharmacyPhrasebooks at https://www.f2f-translator.com/phrasebook/severe-food-allergy-gluten-free-card-japan-china/.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How do I tell Beef (牛), Pork (豚), and Chicken (鶏) apart on a Japanese menu?
牛 (Gyū = Beef) is a simple 4-stroke character with a horn poking out the top; 豚 (Buta/Ton = Pork) has 11 strokes combining the meat radical 月 on the left with a pig 豕 on the right; 鶏 (Tori = Chicken) is a 19-stroke character ending with the bird radical 鳥 on the right.
What Kanji should gluten-free or halal travelers look for on Japanese food labels?
Halal and kosher travelers should scan ingredient labels for 豚肉 (pork), 豚脂 (lard), ゼラチン (gelatin), and 酒精 / 酒 (alcohol). Gluten-free travelers should check for 小麦 (wheat) and 大麦 (barley), which are mandatory labeled allergens in Japan.
How do I find painkillers or cold medicine in a Japanese drugstore?
Look for 痛み止め (Itamidome = painkiller) or 解熱鎮痛剤 (Genetsu Chintsūzai = fever & pain relief), 風邪薬 (Kazegusuri = cold medicine), and 胃腸薬 (Ichōyaku = stomach medicine).
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