🚫🍖

How to Say ‘I can't eat meat.’ in Japanese

肉が食べられません。

niku ga tabe rare mase n

[niku ga tah-beh rah-reh mah-seh n]

💬 Usage Tip: Swap in any food before が. For example, 卵が食べられません means "I can't eat eggs."

Phrase Breakdown

肉

niku

[niku]

meat

Animal flesh consumed as food.

Example

私は肉が好きです。

I like meat.

が

[ga]

subject marker

A particle marking the subject of the sentence.

Example

興味がある分野を教えてください。

Please tell me the field you are interested in.

食べ

tabe

[tah-beh]

eat (stem of 食べる)

Verb stem of 食べる (to eat). Used before て-form: 食べて.

Example

今度食べてみたいです。まずは少し食べてみます。

I want to try it next time. For now, I’ll try a little.

られ

rare

[rah-reh]

can be / able to

Part of the potential form showing ability, as in being able to eat.

Example

辛いものは食べられません。

I cannot eat spicy things.

ませ

mase

[mah-seh]

polite negative (part of ません)

「ませ」 is part of 「ません」, the polite negative form.

Example

はいていません。

I haven’t vomited.

ん

[n]

negative ending

The final sound completing the negative polite form.

Example

一人は魚が食べられません。

One person cannot eat fish.

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