Here is a compilation of sources of food allergens, which provides their Korean names as well as their most common spelling on Korean food labels. It is sorted by type of allergen and its origin in food – rather than being in alphabetical order. In addition to that, it distinguishes between animal-based and 🌱plant-based foods, so that vegetarians and 🌱vegans can use this page for reference more easily.

Please note, that there exists NO globally accepted, standardized group of food allergens. For each country, there are varying foods which are considered to contain “critical” substances. In the US🇺🇸, for example, only 8 foods are officially declared as allergens, while Canada🇨🇦 lists 10 foods. As opposed to that, the EU🇪🇺 acknowledges 14 foods to cause allergies or food intolerance and requires those to be specifically marked on food labels. [see EU Food Information for Consumers Regulation (EU FIC), page L 304/43.]

Regarding South Korea🇰🇷, a new legislation requires substances which may incite allergic reactions to be mentioned separately on the packaging of foods. Correspondingly, Korean food producers are required to declare at least the following substances:

• pork 돼지고기
• beef 쇠고기
• chicken 닭고기
• mackerel 고등어
• squid 오징어
• clams 조개류
• crab 게
• shrimp 새우
• eggs 난류
• milk 우유
• peanuts 땅콩
• soy 대두
• wheat 밀
• buck wheat 메밀
• walnuts 호두
• tomato 토마토
• peach 복숭아
• sulfites 아황산류 (if SO₂ content in the final product is higher than 10mg/kg)

On the lists below, those substances, which are officially declared on Korean food labels are highlighted in bold letters. You can find tips on how to easily understand such food labels (even though they are written in Korean) in a previous post.

Aiming to share more comprehensive information, this page features foods that may not be standard allergens in Korea but in various other countries. Hence, there are foods which are not explicitly declared in the allergen section of Korean food labels. For people with a high sensitivity to allergens: Potential allergens, which are not distinctly marked, I have added an exclamation mark in front of the respective food source. After all, consulting the entire list of ingredients (and possessing adequate language skills) may remain the safest way to confirm the contents of a given food item.

🐷 Meat and flesh-derived products 🍗🥩

• 🐖 돼지고기 doeji gogi – pork (pig)
• 🐄 쇠고기 / 소고기 so gogi – beef (cow)
• 🐑 양고기 yang gogi – mutton (sheep)
• 🐕 개고기 gae gogi – dog meat
• 🐓 닭고기 tak gogi – chicken (poultry)
• 🦆 오리고기 ori gogi – duck meat (waterfowl)

🐟 Fish from fresh water and sea water🐠🐡

🌱Attention for vegans and vegetarians: Not all types of fish are declared as allergens on the packaging!!!

• 🐟 생선 saengseon – fish
• 🐟 고등어 godeung-eo – mackerel
• ! 멸치 myeolchi – anchovy (not explicitly marked)
• ! 참치 chamchi / 다랑어 darang-eo / 가다랑어 gadarang-eo etc. – tuna (not explicitly marked)
• ! 꽁치 gongchi – mackerel pike (not explicitly marked)
• 정어 jeongeo – sardine
• … The amount of edible fish in Korea and their corresponding names is too diverse to list all here…

🐚 Seafood – shellfish and cuttlefish 🦀🐙

• 🐚 조개류 jogaeryu – mussels, clams (mollusks) ➡️ the respective specie may be additionally listed in brackets
• !🐚 소라 sora / 고둥 godung – sea snail (mollusks) (not explicitly marked)
• 🦐 새우 sae-u – shrimp (crustacean)
• 🦞 랍스터 rabseuteo – lobster (crustacean)
• 🦀 게 ge – crab (crustacean)
• 🦑 오징어 ojingeo – squid, sepia (cuttlefish)
• 🐙 문어 muneo – octopus (cuttlefish)
• 🐙 낙지 nakji – small octopus (cuttlefish)
• … The amount of edible seafood in Korea and their corresponding names is too diverse to list all here…

🐝 Insect-related products 🐛🦋

• ! 🍯 꿀 kkul / 벌꿀 beol-kkul – honey (not explicitly marked) ➡️ 사양꿀 sayang-kkul – industrially produced honey (bees fed with sugar water) / 천연꿀 cheonyeon-kkul – naturally produced honey (bees fed on flowers)
• 🐛 번데기 beondegi – silk worm pupa
• ! 🐝 밀랍 milap – bee’s wax (not explicitly marked)
• ! 🐞 쉘락 swelak – shellac (not explicitly marked) ➡️ food glaze based on secretion of lac bug ➡️ used in e.g. jelly beans, confectionary sprinkles or chocolate-coated snacks
• ! 🐞 카민 kamin [old: 카르민 kareumin] – carmine, cochineal, 🇺🇸natural red 4, 🇪🇺E120 (food coloring) (not explicitly marked) ➡️ red food colorant made from cochineals (scale insects) ➡️ used in e.g. cosmetics, red syrups, alcoholic beverages with red color

🐔 Eggs and albumen 🥚🍳

• 🥚 난류 nanryu – eggs (from various birds)
• 🥚 계란 gyeran / 달걀 dalgyal – chicken egg
• 🥚 메추리알 mechuri-al – quail eggs

🐮 Dairy, milk protein and milk sugar (lactose) 🥛🧀

• 🥛 우유 uyu – milk

🌱 Legumes, peanuts and soy 🥜

• 대두 daedu – soy
• 🥜 땅콩 ddangkong – peanut
• 콩 kong – beans
• 완두콩 wandu kong – green pea
• 병아리콩 byeongari kong – chick peas

🌱 Tree nuts and seeds 🌰

• 🌰 견과류 gyeon-gwaryu – nuts
• 헤이즐넛 heijeulneot – hazelnut
• ! 아몬드 amondeu – almond (not explicitly marked)
• 호두 hodu – walnut
• 피칸 pikan – pecan nut
• 잣 jat – pine nut
• ! 캐슈넛 / 캐슈너트 kaeshju neot / kaeshju neoteu – cashew nut (not explicitly marked)
• 브라질너트 brajil neoteu – Brazil nut
• 피스타치오 piseutachi-o – pistachio
• ! 마카다미아 makadami-a – macadamia nuts (not explicitly marked)
• 🌰 밤 bam – chestnut
• ! 참깨 chamkkae / 흑임자 heuk imja – sesame / black sesame (not explicitly marked)
• ! 겨자 gyeoja – mustard (not explicitly marked)

🌱 Gluten-containing cereals and other grains 🥨🍺

• 🌾 밀 mil / 소맥 somaek – wheat
• 🌾 호밀 homil – rye
• 🌾 귀리 gwiri – oat
• 🌾 보리 bori – barley
• … Other gluten-containing cereals, namely spelt, kamut or their hybridised strains are not common in Korea.
• ! 🌽 옥수수 oksusu – corn, maize (not explicitly marked)
• ! 🍚 쌀 ssal – rice (not explicitly marked) ➡️ 백미 baekmi – white rice / 흑미 heukmi black rice / 현미 hyeonmi – brown rice)
• 메밀 memil – buckwheat
• 조 jo – millet
• 수수 susu – sorghum

🌱 Fruit and vegetables 🍍🍎

• 🍅 토마토 tomato – tomato
• 🍑 복숭아 boksung-a – peach
• 🍑 살구 salgu – apricot
• 🍑 자두 jadu – plum
• 🍌 바나나 banana – banana
• 🍒 체리 cheri – cherry
• 🍓 딸기 ttalgi – strawberry
• !🍏 사과 sagwa – apple (not explicitly marked)
• 🍐 배 bae – pear
• 🥝 키위 kiwi – kiwi
• 🍈 멜론 melon – melon
• 🍍 파인애플 painaepeul – pineapple
• 🥑 아보카도 abokado – avocado
• 🍆 가지 gaji – eggplant
• 🥦 셀러리 seleori – celery
• 🎃 (단)호박 (dan) hobak – (sweet) pumpkin

🍄 Others 🧪💊

• 타트라진 tateurajin – tartrazine, 🇪🇺E102 (food coloring)
• 아황산염 ahwang sanyeom / 아황산류 ahwang sanryu / 이산화항 isan hwahang – various types of sulfites (food preservative)

✍️ Work is still in progress! This list will be expanded gradually! ✍️

📝 Any questions, comments, vocabulary suggestions and language feedback are welcome! 🤗