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How to Say ‘I can't eat seafood.’ in Traditional Chinese

我不能吃海鮮。

wǒ bù néng chī hǎi xiān

[waw boo nung chir high shyen]

💬 Usage Tip: [不能吃] means "can't eat," whether because of allergy, religion, or diet. You can plug in other foods easily: [我不能吃雞蛋] or [我不能吃牛肉].

🇹🇼 In Taiwan: For allergies or serious restrictions, this is useful but may sound broader than "I'm allergic." In a real risk situation, many travelers add a clearer warning if they know one, because cross-contact is not always assumed from this sentence alone.

Phrase Breakdown

[waw]

I; me

The first-person pronoun used to refer to yourself.

Example

我不能吃海鮮,所以我先問一下。

I can't eat seafood, so I'll ask first.

不能

bù néng

[boo nung]

cannot; not able to

Used to express inability or restriction, often for allergies or dietary limits.

Example

我不能吃太辣的東西。

I can't eat very spicy food.

chī

[chir]

eat

A basic verb used for eating food.

Example

我今天不想吃海鮮。

I don't want to eat seafood today.

海鮮

hǎi xiān

[high shyen]

seafood

Includes fish, shrimp, shellfish, and other food from the sea.

Example

這道菜有海鮮嗎?

Does this dish have seafood?

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