How do you say "I can't eat meat" in Japanese?

Quick use

Use にくはだめです (niku wa dame desu) at a restaurant when you need to say that meat is not okay for you.

This is useful when you have a dietary rule, allergy concern, or simply cannot eat meat.

Chunk or pattern

• Reusable pattern: 〜 は / だめ です
• Replace 〜 with the food you cannot have.
• Useful swaps: にく, たまご, ぎゅうにゅう.

Core words

• にく: meat.
• だめ: not okay / not allowed / cannot do.

Helper words and endings

• は: marks the topic, like “as for meat.”
• です: makes the sentence polite and complete.

Practical note

This is short and direct, so it works well in a restaurant. If the reason is serious, such as an allergy, also say アレルギーがあります (arerugii ga arimasu).