庭つ鳥

First attested in the Kojiki (712 CE).

Derived from 庭 (niwa, “garden”) + つ (tsu, “Old Japanese possessive particle”) + 鳥 (tori, “bird”).

庭つ鳥 (hiragana にわつとり, rōmaji niwa tsu tori, historical hiragana にはつとり)

1. a garden bird, alludes to 鶏 (kake, “chicken”)
   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 7, poem 1413), text here

     庭 (には)津 (つ)鳥 (とり)可 (か)鷄 (け)乃 (の)垂 (たり)尾 (を)乃 (の)乱 (みだれ)尾 (を)乃 (の)長 (ながき)心 (こころ)毛 (も)不所念 (おもほえぬ)鴨 (かも) [Man'yōgana]

     庭 (には)つ鳥 (とり)鶏 (かけ)の垂 (た)り尾 (を)の乱 (みだ)れ尾 (を)の長 (なが)き心 (こころ)も思 (おも)ほえぬかも [Modern spelling]

     niwa tsu tori kake no tari-o no midare-o no nagaki kokoro mo omōenu ka mo

     (please add an English translation of this example)

2. (archaic) a chicken (domestic fowl)
   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 12, poem 3094), text here

     物念 (ものもふ)常 (と)不宿 (いねず)起有 (おきたる)旦開 (あさけに)者 (は)和 (わ)備 (び)弖 (て)鳴成 (なくなり)鶏 (にはつとり)左 (さ)倍 (へ) [Man'yōgana]

     物 (もの)思 (も)ふと寐 (い)ねず起 (お)きたる朝明 (あさけ)にはわびて鳴 (な)くなり庭 (には)つ鳥 (とり)さへ [Modern spelling]

     mono 'mou to inezu okitaru asake ni wa wabite naku nari niwa tsu tori sae

     (please add an English translation of this example)

• 鶏 (にわとり) (niwatori, “chicken”)

• 家 (いえ)つ鳥 (とり) (ie tsu tori)
• 沖 (おき)つ鳥 (とり) (oki tsu tori)
• 野 (の)つ鳥 (とり) (no tsu tori), さ野 (の)つ鳥 (とり) (sano tsu tori)