Ingredients A–ZDashi and umamiChecked 2026-09-30
Kombu (kelp) 昆布
Food ingredientUsed in 9 products on this site
Kombu is a type of seaweed. It is dried and used to make dashi. It is used as an ingredient in dashi packs and flavor seasonings.
How it appears on labels
| On the label (Japanese) | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 昆布 | kombu (kelp) |
| こんぶ | kombu (kelp, written in hiragana) |
| 羅臼昆布 | Rausu kombu (kelp from Rausu) |
Labeling rules
- Kombu that is dried and sold as it is belongs to a group of processed foods for which the country of origin of the raw material must be written (Food Labeling Standards Appended Table 15; the same group as dried boiled seafood and dried nori; cut pieces and powders are excluded).
- For flavor seasonings (dashi stock granules), kombu powder and extract are one kind of “風味原料” (flavor ingredients) (Appended Table 3). The type name under the naming rules (Appended Table 4) is “こんぶ” (kombu).
Good to know
- In the food composition table, ma-kombu (sun-dried, raw) has 200,000 µg of iodine per 100 g. In the Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2025 edition), the recommended dietary allowance of iodine for adults is 140 µg per day and the tolerable upper intake level is 3,000 µg.
- Even kombu left over after making dashi (boiled in water) has 19,000 µg of iodine per 100 g.
- Labels often do not give the type or origin of the kombu. For the products on this site, the notes on each product page give the description from the official website (such as kombu from Hokkaido or Rausu kombu).
Food composition data
| Kombu (per 100 g edible portion) | Energy (kcal) | Dietary fiber (g) | Potassium (mg) | Iodine (µg) | Salt equivalent (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ma-kombu, sun-dried, dryFood No. 09017 | 170 | 32.1 | 6100 | 200,000 | 6.6 |
| Ma-kombu, sun-dried, boiled in waterFood No. 09056 | 28 | 8.7 | 890 | 19,000 | 0.9 |
Per 100 g of the edible portion. Source: MEXT, Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan (8th revised edition, 2023 supplement).
Products on this site that contain it
| Product | As written on the label |
|---|---|
| お好みソースオタフクソース | 昆布 |
| ゆずぽん酢（センザン）センザン醤油（秦組本店） | こんぶ |
| 国産有機野菜・果実使用 やきそばソース光食品 | こんぶ |
| 料亭仕込み 天然だしの素パックかね七 | 昆布 |
| 有機トウバンジャン風と光 | 昆布 |
| 元祖の本造りなめ茸小林農園 | 昆布だし |
| ゆずポン酢黒滝森物語村 | 昆布 |
| 匠味パック京風まぐろだしカネソ22 | 昆布 |
| だしパック 十二単（じゅうにひとえ）マエカワテイスト | 昆布 |
Product pages are in Japanese for now; each one reads every ingredient on the label.
Related pages
Sources
- Food Labeling Standards (Cabinet Office Ordinance No. 10 of 2015) — e-Gov Japanese Law Search
- Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan (8th revised edition, 2023 supplement) — MEXT
Sources are in Japanese unless noted otherwise. This page is a translation of our Japanese page; if they differ, the Japanese page is the reference.
This page lists facts stated in laws and in standards of public bodies and industry associations. It does not judge whether an ingredient or product is good or bad. If you have a food allergy, always check the label on the package.