Dietary & Allergies

1. He kanaka ʻai meaʻai lāʻau wau.

   I am a vegetarian.

   Usage

   Basic vegetarian declaration

   Grammar Note

   Hawaiian lacks direct "vegetarian" word; described as "plant eater"

2. He kanaka vegan wau, ʻaʻole au ʻai i nā meaʻai holoholona.

   I'm vegan; I don't eat animal foods.

   Usage

   Vegan declaration

   Grammar Note

   "ʻaʻole" negates at sentence start

3. Ua loaʻa wau i ka pāheu i ke kukui a me ka niu.

   I have a nut allergy.

   Usage

   Hawaiian has no umbrella word for tree nuts, so the individual nut names are listed. Macadamia — the commonest nut in Hawaiʻi — has no Hawaiian name, so add the English word "macadamia" aloud. Peanut is pīneki

   Grammar Note

   Same pattern as "Ua loaʻa wau i ka pāheu i kekahi mau ʻano pua." ("I have an allergy to certain kinds of flowers"), where the allergen follows a second i. Do NOT use "maʻi alalaʻe" — it is meaningless to a Hawaiian speaker. Articles follow the ke/ka rule: ke kukui, ka niu

4. Aia anei he meaʻai me ka ʻole o ka gluten?

   Is there food without gluten?

   Usage

   Gluten-free inquiry

   Grammar Note

   "me ka ʻole o" = "without"

5. He Mukulima wau, ʻaʻole au ʻai i ka ʻiʻo puaʻa.

   I'm Muslim and don't eat pork.

   Usage

   Halal observance

   Grammar Note

   "ʻiʻo" = "flesh/meat"

6. ʻAʻole hiki iaʻu ke inu i ka waiū.

   I cannot drink milk.

   Usage

   Lactose intolerance

   Grammar Note

   "hiki iaʻu" expresses ability

7. Ua loaʻa wau i ka pāheu i nā ʻōpae a me nā pāpaʻi.

   I'm allergic to shrimp and crab.

   Usage

   Shellfish allergy

   Grammar Note

   "a me" = "and". Do NOT use "maʻi alalaʻe". "Allergy" is pāheu, in the pattern "Ua loaʻa wau i ka pāheu i …"

8. He aha nā mea ʻai i loko o kēia meaʻai?

   What ingredients are in this dish?

   Usage

   Ingredient inquiry

   Grammar Note

   "kēia" = "this"

9. Hiki iā ʻoe ke hana me ka ʻole o ka ʻakaʻakai?

   Could you make it without onion?

   Usage

   Request to omit ingredient

   Grammar Note

   "Hiki iā ʻoe ke" = polite "can you"

10. Ua loaʻa wau i ka pāheu i ka hua moa.

    I'm allergic to eggs.

    Usage

    Egg allergy

    Grammar Note

    "hua" (fruit/egg) + "moa" (fowl) = "egg". Do NOT use "maʻi alalaʻe". "Allergy" is pāheu

11. Aia anei kekahi papa o nā mea pāheu?

    Is there an allergen list?

    Usage

    Allergen menu request

    Grammar Note

    "kekahi" functions like "a/some". Do NOT use "mea alalaʻe". There is no headword for "allergen", so this uses a transparent compound of mea ("thing") with pāheu

12. Hiki i koʻu pāheu ke pepehi iaʻu.

    My allergy can kill me.

    Usage

    Severe allergy warning

    Grammar Note

    "Hiki i … ke" = "can". Do NOT use "maʻi alalaʻe" — it would leave a life-threatening warning unintelligible. "Allergy" is pāheu

13. Aia anei ka ʻaila a i ʻole ka mea ʻōʻiliʻili?

    Is there oil or spicy ingredients?

    Usage

    Asks about oil/spice

    Grammar Note

    "a i ʻole" = "or"

14. Hiki anei ke huiʻia me nā meaʻai ʻē aʻe?

    Is there a chance it gets mixed with other foods?

    Usage

    Cross-contamination check

    Grammar Note

    "-ʻia" passive suffix

15. Mahalo nui no kou mālama ʻana.

    Thank you very much for your care.

    Usage

    Formal thanks

    Grammar Note

    "-ʻana" nominalizes verb

16. ʻAʻole hiki iaʻu ke ʻai i ka ʻiʻo pipi.

    I cannot eat beef.

    Usage

    Specific food restriction

    Grammar Note

    "pipi" = "cow"

17. Ka ʻiʻo puaʻa

    Pork

    Usage

    To check whether a dish contains pork

18. Ka ʻiʻo pipi

    Beef

    Usage

    To check whether a dish contains beef

19. Ka ʻiʻo moa

    Chicken

    Usage

    To check whether a dish contains chicken

20. Ka iʻa

    Fish

    Usage

    To check whether a dish contains fish

21. Ka hua moa

    Egg

    Usage

    To check whether a dish contains egg

22. Ka waiū

    Milk / dairy

    Usage

    To check whether a dish contains dairy

23. Ka pīneki

    Peanut

    Usage

    For a peanut allergy check

24. Ka ʻōpae

    Shrimp / prawn

    Usage

    For a shellfish allergy check

25. Ka pāpaʻi

    Crab

    Usage

    For a shellfish allergy check

26. Ka palaoa

    Wheat

    Usage

    For a wheat check; palaoa covers both flour and bread

27. Ka waiʻona

    Alcohol

    Usage

    To check whether alcohol was used in a dish

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