手の中の鳥一羽は森の中の十羽に勝る。

Sentence Analyzer

手の中の鳥一羽は森の中の十羽に勝る。

English Translation

Better a fowl in hand than two flying.

Furigana

手(て)の中(なか)の鳥(とり)一(いち)羽(わ)は森(もり)の中(なか)の十(じゅう)羽(わ)に勝(まさ)る。

Romanji

Te no naka no tori ichi wa wa mori no naka no jū wa ni masaru.

Words

手 (て)

hand; arm; forepaw; foreleg; handle; hand; worker; help; trouble; care; effort; means; way; trick; move; technique; workmanship; hand; handwriting; kind; type; sort; one's hands; one's possession; ability to cope; hand (of cards); direction; move (in go, shogi, etc.)

の (の)

indicates possessive; nominalizes verbs and adjectives; substitutes for "ga" in subordinate phrases; (at sentence-end, falling tone) indicates a confident conclusion; (at sentence-end) indicates emotional emphasis; (at sentence-end, rising tone) indicates question

中 (なか)

inside; in; among; within; center (centre); middle; during; while

鳥 (とり)

bird; bird meat (esp. chicken meat); fowl; poultry

一 (いち)

one; best; first; foremost; beginning; start; bottom string (on a shamisen, etc.)

羽 (わ、ば、ぱ)

counter for birds and rabbits

は (は)

topic marker particle; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis

森 (もり)

forest; shrine grove

十 (じゅう、とお、と)

ten

に (に)

at (place, time); in; on; during; to (direction, state); toward; into; for (purpose); because of (reason); for; with; by; from; as (i.e. in the role of); per; in; for; a (e.g. "once a month"); and; in addition to; if; although

勝る (まさる)

to excel; to surpass; to exceed; to have an edge; to be superior; to outrival; to outweigh; to preponderate