岩塩

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: The spelling is 岩塩, read がんえん, and it combines 岩, meaning rock, with 塩, meaning salt.
• Basic usage: 岩塩 means rock salt, crystalline salt extracted from mineral deposits.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Particles used in cooking and a crystal examined as an object
  • Both examples use the form 岩塩. It can be crushed finely and sprinkled as seasoning or appear as a large crystal observed in a museum.
• Salt over a finished dish and a large museum crystal
  • 料理の仕上げに細かく砕いた岩塩を振った。 — I sprinkled finely crushed rock salt over the finished dish.
  • 博物館で大きな岩塩の結晶を観察した。 — We observed a large rock-salt crystal at the museum.