くさ
腐
　
っ
　
て
　
も
たい
鯛

expression

Proverb.
  1. a diamond on a dunghill is still a diamond, quality is quality, an old eagle is better than a young crow, even if it's rotten, it's still sea bream.

Variations

Pronunciation Kanji Kana Is Common
くさ
腐
　
っ
　
て
　
も
たい
鯛
 腐っても鯛 くさってもたい

Contained Kanji Breakdown

rot, decay, sour
くさ.る　フ (7th, N1)
borough, urban prefecture, govt office
フ　い　う (4th, N2)
dotted cliff radical (no. 53)
ゲン (Kentei 1)
wild goose, trailing cliff radical (no. 27)
カン　かりがね (Kentei 1)
adhere, attach, refer to
つ.ける　フ　-づけ (4th, N3)
human radical (no. 9)
measurement, tenth of a shaku, a little
スン　す　みき (6th, N1)
meat
ニク　しし (2nd, N4)
inside, within, between
ナイ　うち　ダイ (2nd, N3)
upside-down box radical (no. 13)
キョウ　ケイ (Kentei 1)
person
ひと　ニン　ジン (1st, N5)
sea bream, red snapper
たい　チョウ (Kentei Pre-1, N1)
fish
さかな　ギョ　うお (2nd, N4)
knife, wrapping enclosure(勹) variant
rice field, rice paddy
た　デン　たん (1st, N4)
fire, fire radical (no. 86)
ヒョウ　カ
circumference, circuit, lap
シュウ　まわ.り　あまね (4th, N2)
upside-down box radical (no. 13)
キョウ　ケイ (Kentei 1)
good luck(吉) variant
soil, earth, ground
ド　つち　は (1st, N5)
mouth
くち　コウ　ク (1st, N4)