Baby Ledger AIPeanut is one of the easier allergens to spot on an imported label once you know its shapes: 花生 on Chinese packaging, 땅콩 on Korean packaging, and 落花生 or ピーナッツ on Japanese packaging. This page collects the peanut terms actually printed on Chinese, Korean, and Japanese labels - the core words plus the butter, oil, and powder forms they turn into.
It is a single-allergen companion to our three label guides: the foreign food labels hub, the Japanese labels guide, and the Chinese and Korean labels guide.
The words for peanut, language by language
| Language | Core word (native script) | Read as | Derivatives and packaging aliases |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese (simplified / traditional) | 花生 | huāshēng | 花生酱 / trad. 花生醬 (peanut butter or paste), 花生油 (peanut oil), 花生仁 (peanut kernels), 花生粉 (peanut powder), 落花生 (formal or botanical name, seen on some Taiwan labels) |
| Korean | 땅콩 | ttangkong | 땅콩버터 (peanut butter), 땅콩기름 (peanut oil), 땅콩가루 (peanut powder), 피넛 (loanword in product names, e.g. 피넛버터) |
| Japanese | 落花生 / ピーナッツ | rakkasei / pīnattsu | ピーナッツバター (peanut butter), ピーナッツクリーム (peanut cream), 落花生油 / ピーナッツオイル (peanut oil), ピーナツ (alternate katakana spelling) |
A few notes that matter at the shelf:
- One shape covers all Chinese labels. 花生 is written identically in simplified and traditional Chinese, so the same two characters work on mainland, Taiwan, and Hong Kong packaging.
- Peanut vs. tree nut. 落花生 (rakkasei) is the formal word for peanut; ピーナッツ (pīnattsu) is the everyday loanword. Both mean peanut. Tree nuts are usually named individually (walnut, almond, cashew) rather than grouped, so know the specific nut on your child's list.
- Japanese labels have one official spelling and one accepted alias. The regulation writes the allergen as 落花生, and ピーナッツ is accepted as an alternative notation - the same ingredient either way.
- Peanut is a legume, and these labels treat it that way. Chinese lists it separately from 坚果 / trad. 堅果 (tree nuts), and the Korean and Japanese designated lists make peanut its own item apart from tree nuts.
Where to look on the package
First, find the ingredient list. On mainland Chinese labels the header is 配料 or 配料表 (pèiliào / pèiliàobiǎo). Products from Taiwan or Hong Kong usually print traditional characters and often head the list with 成分 or 成份 (chéngfèn) instead. On Korean labels the header is 원재료명 (wonjaeryomyeong, "raw material names"), with the allergen box nearby.
Japanese packaged foods usually carry the allergen information in one of two places, and often both:
- Inside the ingredient list (原材料名, "genzairyō-mei"). Allergens appear as part of the ingredients, sometimes with the allergen name in parentheses right after an ingredient, for example "マヨネーズ（卵を含む）" meaning "mayonnaise (contains egg)."
- In a separate allergen summary line, often introduced by a phrase like "アレルギー物質" (allergy substances) or "特定原材料" (specified raw materials). This is the closest thing to the US "Contains:" line.
Look for the heading 原材料名 to find the ingredient list, and scan both the list itself and any nearby summary line.
Is peanut a mandatory callout in each market?
- Japan: peanut (落花生) is on the mandatory allergen list, so a package must declare it when it is an ingredient.
- Korea: peanut (땅콩) is a designated allergen. On a Korean package, also check the allergen callout box, where peanut must be declared if it is an ingredient.
- Mainland China: allergen labeling is voluntary under the current standard (GB 7718-2011); the revised standard GB 7718-2025 makes peanuts one of the mandatory categories when it takes effect on March 16, 2027.
Frequently asked questions
How do I say peanut on a Chinese or Korean label?
Peanut is 花生 (huāshēng) on Chinese labels and 땅콩 (ttangkong) on Korean ones. On a Korean package, also check the allergen callout box, where peanut must be declared if it is an ingredient.
How do I say peanut on a Japanese label?
Peanut appears as 落花生 (rakkasei, the formal term) or ピーナッツ (pīnattsu, the loanword). Both mean peanut.
What is peanut butter called on these labels?
Peanut butter is 花生酱 (trad. 花生醬) on Chinese labels, 땅콩버터 on Korean labels, and ピーナッツバター on Japanese labels. Japanese products also use ピーナッツクリーム (peanut cream) for a sweetened spread.