purifying salt
Only when written 塩花 / 鹽花
Archaic term for salt used in purification rituals, such as scattering at a shrine entrance or after a funeral.
pile of salt placed by a shop entrance
Only when written 塩花 / 鹽花
A small mound of salt placed at the entrance of a shop or restaurant, traditionally believed to bring good luck and ward off evil.
whitecap; white-crested wave
Refers to the white foam on the crest of a wave, likened to a flower of salt. The kanji 潮花 is sometimes used for this sense.
Whitecaps are forming out at sea.
In the old days, after a funeral, people would scatter purifying salt in front of the house.
You can see a pile of salt placed at the entrance of a traditional Japanese restaurant.
Standard kanji form for all senses. The 鹽花 variant uses an outdated kanji.
Used specifically for the whitecap sense, emphasizing the connection to the sea (潮).
Archaic kanji form; 鹽 is the old character for 塩.
Compound of 塩 (shio, 'salt') and 花 (hana, 'flower'), with rendaku voicing to bana. The whitecap sense is a metaphorical extension, comparing the white foam to a flower of salt.