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I'm looking for a translation of the word kosher in it's most strict sense: a food that is apt according to the jewish law.

Google translates kosher as 犹太, but if I'm not mistaken, that just means "jewish". And you can certainly make non-kosher jewish food.

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Depending on the context, there are different strategies for translating this word. In the most strict sense, leaving nothing unsaid, it is （符）合犹太教规的 when it comes to food preparation. If reference to 犹太教 isn't essential to the context, it can simply be 合礼法的, because the notion of doing things according to 礼法 is prevalent in Chinese culture.

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The 2010 book "Jews and Judaism in Modern China", by M. Avrum Ehrlich, translates kosher as jieshi.

Both the Pleco and KTdict iOS apps also offer 洁食（＊jieshi*) as a translation for kosher.

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Since there are few Jews living in China, I don't think there's a term for "kosher". The official translation is highly likely to be "犹太认证的", and "犹太食品" for kosher foods. However, for Islamic food, they do have terms like 清真的, 清真食品 to refer to.

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    This Hudong entry backs up your answer.
    – Krazer
    Jun 20, 2012 at 0:40
  • cf. halal( حَلَال) iciba，dict.cn 按伊斯兰教律法屠宰牲畜 网络：清真；清真认证；清真食品；清真食品认证 e.g. 1. It's just that it also caters to people who eat halal.除了穆斯林,我们也接待其他喜欢清真肉食的人们.
    – user6065
    Sep 11, 2015 at 11:51
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In China, native Jewish people are not recognised as an ethnic group, but are categorised as Han and Hui people. Few of them believe Judaism. Thus there is no short word for Kosher in Chinese. Food produced in China seems to have no interest in Kosher certification, so it does not have an official name. The translation "符合犹太教规的" is the only proper translation I heard ever.
However, Islam is quite common in China for centuries, and the word 清真 for halal is widely used. You can search Wikipedia for "中国犹太人" to know more.
Edit: I have searched Wikipedia and found there ARE short words for Kosher, but not quite widely spread.
可食(literally "edible")/洁食(literally "clean food")
Although it may seem a bit offensive to Chinese people (mostly non-Jewish) as it implies that non-Kosher foods are dirty or not edible, you can use them if there is no other alternatives.

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I think 犹太的 is a proper word reflect to kosher.

I don't know what is the restriction of kosher, but I believe it's something similar to halal. Halal is translated to 清真的, which emphasize the religion specific. Because Islam is translated to 清真教 at the time it was just introduced to China, although nowadays we use 伊斯兰教 to refer the religion, and 清真 to reflect to halal.

Compare halal and kosher, I believe 犹太的 make sense since it emphasize the religion specific. Regarding 洁食 mentioned by food_lover, I think it's not a proper translation to Chinese people. Because 洁食 means clean food in Chinese, it implies food which are not kosher is dirty. This may acceptable to Jewish, but definitely kind of offensive to people who don't believe in the religion. So I think a neutral word like 犹太食品 would be the best for kosher food.

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  • Down voted because 犹太食品 means Jewish food, which has a different meaning to kosher food. (This was mentioned by the OP.) So the term suggested isn't appropriate. // However this answer does make the valid point that another existing term, 结实, could be offensive. So perhaps my down voting is a little harsh! Sorry..
    – goPlayerJuggler
    Sep 13, 2020 at 22:28

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