How to Say “I have a food allergy” in Chinese
Emergencies and health · HSK 3
"I have a food allergy" in Chinese is 我对食物过敏 (wǒ duì shí wù guò mǐn). The grammar pattern 对…过敏 (duì … guòmǐn) means 'to be allergic to …'; you fill in what you're allergic to between 对 and 过敏. So 我对花生过敏 is 'I'm allergic to peanuts.
Primary translation
我对食物过敏
wǒ duì shí wù guò mǐn
Traditional: 我對食物過敏
Variants by register
Formal
我有食物过敏史
wǒ yǒu shí wù guò mǐn shǐ
When to use it
The grammar pattern 对…过敏 (duì … guòmǐn) means 'to be allergic to …'; you fill in what you're allergic to between 对 and 过敏. So 我对花生过敏 is 'I'm allergic to peanuts.' The concept of food allergies is less culturally embedded in China than in the West, so servers may not immediately grasp severity. Be specific (我对海鲜严重过敏; 'I'm severely allergic to seafood') and, if it's life-threatening, show the written characters on your phone to the kitchen.
Example sentences
我对花生过敏，请不要放。
Wǒ duì huā shēng guò mǐn, qǐng bú yào fàng.
I'm allergic to peanuts, please don't add any.
他对海鲜过敏，会起疹子。
Tā duì hǎi xiān guò mǐn, huì qǐ zhěn zi.
He's allergic to seafood; he'll break out in a rash.
菜里有没有鸡蛋？我过敏。
Cài lǐ yǒu méi yǒu jī dàn? Wǒ guò mǐn.
Is there egg in the dish? I'm allergic.