グルテンフリー

A direct loan from English 'gluten-free'. It is used both as a noun and as a modifier; the most natural pattern is グルテンフリー (の) + noun.

Usage

Unlike English, where 'gluten-free' is purely an adjective, the Japanese form is treated grammatically as a noun. To use it before another noun, insert の: グルテンフリーの食品(しょくひん) ('gluten-free foods'). It can also stand alone as a predicate after です: 'このパンはグルテンフリーです' ('This bread is gluten-free').

The term entered Japanese mainly in the 2010s as Western-style health and fitness trends spread, and it is now common on supermarket labels, restaurant menus, and health blogs. Japan still has a much smaller market for gluten-free foods than the US or Europe, but specialty bakeries and online shops are growing.

Common collocations

• グルテンフリーの食品(しょくひん): gluten-free foods
• グルテンフリーの食事(しょくじ): a gluten-free meal
• グルテンフリーの食生活(しょくせいかつ): a gluten-free diet (overall eating habits)
• グルテンフリー食(しょく): gluten-free food
• グルテンフリー食品(しょくひん): gluten-free foods
• グルテンフリーパン: gluten-free bread
• グルテンフリーパスタ: gluten-free pasta
• グルテンフリーのケーキ: a gluten-free cake
• グルテンフリーを選(えら)ぶ: to choose gluten-free (options)
• グルテンフリーを試(ため)す: to try a gluten-free (diet)
• グルテンフリー表示(ひょうじ): gluten-free labelling

Similar words

• 小麦(こむぎ)アレルギー: wheat allergy — refers to the medical condition itself, not the diet.
• セリアック病(びょう): celiac disease — the autoimmune disorder that requires a strictly gluten-free diet.
• 小麦(こむぎ)不使用(ふしよう): 'no wheat used' — a label found on Japanese products to indicate that wheat is not an ingredient. Not exactly the same as グルテンフリー (since barley and rye also contain gluten), but often used for the same audience.
• 米粉(こめこ)パン: rice-flour bread — a typical Japanese gluten-free product, made from rice flour instead of wheat flour.
• ヴィーガン: vegan — a different dietary category, sometimes mentioned alongside グルテンフリー in health-food contexts.

Cultural note

Wheat-based foods (bread, ramen, udon, gyoza wrappers, soy sauce, tempura batter) are central to Japanese cuisine, so following a strict gluten-free diet in Japan can be challenging. Travellers with celiac disease often carry written cards explaining their condition. The Japanese soy-sauce industry has begun offering tamari (たまり) — a traditional wheat-free soy sauce — as a gluten-free option.