1Salt (table salt); sodium chloride used as a seasoning.
料理に塩を少々入れて味を調えた。
I added a little salt to the dish to adjust the flavor.
塩は食卓に置いてありますか。
Is there salt on the table?
傷口に塩を塗ると本当にしみるらしい。
I hear that putting salt on a wound really stings.
台風の後は玄関に塩を盛る習慣がある地域もある。
In some regions, there's a custom of placing a small mound of salt at the entrance after a typhoon.
2An old, literary sense meaning hardship or suffering. It is essentially unused in modern conversational Japanese and survives only in classical texts or set phrases.
3The saltiness or salt level of food, as in 塩が強い (the salt is too strong) or 塩を控える (cut back on salt).
このスープは塩が強すぎてしょっぱく感じる。
This soup has too much salt and tastes too salty.
健康のために塩を控えるよう医者に言われた。
The doctor told me to cut back on salt for my health.
4A colloquial prefix meaning cold or unfriendly, most often seen in the set phrase 塩対応 (a cold, unenthusiastic response).
最近、あの店員の塩対応が話題になっている。
That store clerk's cold customer service has been a hot topic lately.
彼女は塩対応だけど、本当は優しい人だ。
She comes across as cold, but she's actually a kind person.