Chinese Allergy Card — Free & Printable
Tick what you're allergic to, print or screenshot the card, and hand it to your server. Big Chinese characters work even when pronunciation doesn't.
食物过敏告示
FOOD ALLERGY ALERT
请不要在我的食物中使用以下食材：
Please do not use these ingredients in my food:
- 花生huāshēngPeanuts
- 海鲜 / 虾hǎixiān / xiāShellfish / shrimp
这是严重的过敏（会进医院）This is a severe allergy — a hospital matter
This example card (peanut + shellfish, severe) is pre-filled — change the tick boxes to make it yours. Screenshot it if printing isn't convenient.
The ingredient traps hiding in Chinese dishes
The card handles communication; these are the ambushes to watch for on the menu. All of these come from our full food allergies in China guide:
Peanut oil (花生油) is a default cooking oil
Across large parts of China, peanut oil is the standard frying oil — so peanut contact isn't confined to obvious dishes. Severe peanut allergies carry ambient risk in restaurant and street food that no card fully removes.
Peanuts as garnish and sauce
Chopped peanuts land on noodles and salads; peanut paste (花生酱/麻酱) is a default cold-dish and hotpot dip.
Shrimp hides inside things
Minced shrimp fills dumplings and wontons; dried shrimp (虾皮) seasons soups; oyster sauce (蚝油) slips into vegetable dishes that look safe.
Soy sauce is soy AND wheat
Most Chinese soy sauce is brewed with wheat — a double hit for soy-allergic and gluten-free travelers alike. The phrase that works for gluten is 不含小麦 (no wheat).
Sesame finishes everything
Sesame oil (香油) finishes soups and cold dishes; sesame paste and seeds show up on breads and snacks.
Cross-contamination is the norm
Shared woks, shared fryers, shared prep surfaces. For severe allergies, high-volume street stalls are the highest-risk end of the spectrum.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I tell a restaurant about my food allergy in China?
In writing, with the word "hospital" in the sentence. Spoken 过敏 alone can register as a mild preference; written characters handed to a server — ideally on a card that goes to the kitchen — actually change what gets cooked. The card generator above produces exactly that, and the phrase behind it is 我对___过敏 (wǒ duì ___ guòmǐn), "I am allergic to ___."
Is peanut oil common in Chinese cooking?
Yes — in much of China it's the default cooking oil, which is why peanut allergies need more than avoiding kung pao chicken. The practical mitigation for severe peanut allergies is choosing venues where you can verify the cooking oil, and treating street food as the high-risk end.
Does soy sauce contain gluten?
Most Chinese soy sauce is brewed with wheat, so assume sauced dishes are out unless the kitchen confirms otherwise. English "gluten-free" gets you nowhere in China — work with wheat: 不含小麦 (bù hán xiǎomài, "no wheat") is the phrase cooks recognize. The card above carries 小麦 / 麸质 for the same reason.
Can I order food delivery in China with an allergy?
Delivery is actually the easiest channel, because you type instead of speak: every Meituan and Ele.me order has a remarks field (备注), and pasting your allergy sentence there means the kitchen reads it with the ticket. See our Meituan for foreigners guide for app setup.
What happens if I have a severe allergic reaction in China?
It's a 120-level emergency — call 120 or get to the nearest hospital ER immediately, and use your own epinephrine auto-injector first if you carry one (bring it from home; Chinese pharmacies don't reliably stock foreign auto-injectors). Antihistamines from a Chinese pharmacy are backup, not a substitute. Our getting sick in China guide walks through the emergency-room process.
Does the allergy card work offline?
Yes. Print it before you go, or take a screenshot and show the image from your phone — the characters are what matter, not the webpage. Hotels can also help: front desk staff will often write a custom card for you if you ask; this generator just means you don't have to rely on that.