Thin metal sheet, especially gold or silver leaf used in decoration, crafts, or food.
A folding screen covered with gold leaf.
Figurative use: the added value, dignity, or credibility that something or someone gains from an association, title, or appearance. Often in phrases like 箔が付く or 箔を付ける.
Garnish the dish with foil.
Graduating from a prestigious university adds to one's prestige.
He is trying to gain prestige through his title.
foil stamping; hot stamping · gold tooling; gilt tooling
silver foil; silver leaf; beaten silver
impressed gold or silver foil on fabric · type of Noh costume
embroidery and foiling; traditional Japanese embroidery with gold/silver foil
Standard kanji spelling for both literal foil/leaf and figurative prestige.
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially for the figurative sense.
The kanji 箔 originally referred to a bamboo screen or mat, and later came to denote thin metal sheets. The figurative sense of 'prestige' likely derives from the idea of adding a valuable outer layer.