つめ
爪
　
の
あか
垢

expression, noun

  1. dirt under one's fingernails.
  2. shred (of decency, etc.), scrap, bit, smidgen. Idiomatic expression.

Variations

Pronunciation Kanji Kana Is Common
つめ
爪
　
の
あか
垢
 爪の垢 つめのあか

Contained Kanji Breakdown

claw, nail, talon
つめ　つま-　ソウ (Late High School)
dirt, grime, earwax
ク　あか　コウ (Kentei Pre-1)
soil, earth, ground
ド　つち　は (1st, N5)
empress, queen, after
きさき　コウ　ゴ (6th, N1)
corpse, (尸 variant)
one, one radical (no.1)
イチ　いっ　ひと- (1st, N5)
mouth
くち　コウ　ク (1st, N4)