1.
sesame salt; gomashio
A condiment made by mixing roasted sesame seeds with salt. Commonly sprinkled on rice, onigiri, and other Japanese dishes.
ごはんにごま塩をかける。
To sprinkle sesame salt on rice.
おにぎりにはごま塩が一番合う。
Sesame salt goes best with onigiri.
手作りのごま塩は市販のものより風味がいい。
Homemade sesame salt has better flavor than store-bought.
2.
salt-and-pepper; grizzled (hair)
Used to describe hair that is a mixture of black and white, resembling the appearance of sesame salt. Refers to greying hair that has not yet turned fully white.
ごま塩頭のおじいさん。
An old man with salt-and-pepper hair.
父は五十代でごま塩頭になった。
My father's hair turned salt-and-pepper in his fifties.
ごま塩頭が似合う渋い俳優だ。
He's a distinguished actor who looks good with salt-and-pepper hair.
Written in full kanji as 胡麻塩, but the ごま part is most commonly written in hiragana. The condiment is a staple of Japanese home cooking, especially associated with rice balls and bento boxes.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ごま塩をかける: to sprinkle sesame salt
- ごま塩頭: salt-and-pepper hair
- ごま塩おにぎり: sesame salt rice ball
- 手作りごま塩: homemade sesame salt
SIMILAR WORDS:
- ふりかけ: rice seasoning — broader category that includes gomashio as one type
- 白髪交じり: grey-streaked hair — more neutral description of greying hair
CULTURAL NOTE:
Gomashio is also used in shojin ryori (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine) and macrobiotic cooking. At celebrations like Sekihan (red rice), gomashio is the traditional accompaniment.