匹 (hiki/piki/biki): Counting Small Animals
Quick Answer: 匹 counts small to medium animals (cats, dogs, fish, insects, etc.). Sound changes: 1 = いっぴき, 3 = さんびき, 6 = ろっぴき, 8 = はっぴき, 10 = じゅっぴき. Other numbers: regular ひき.
For fish, cats, dogs, insects, and other small creatures
Category: Counters
The Rule
匹 counts small to medium animals (cats, dogs, fish, insects, etc.). Sound changes: 1 = いっぴき, 3 = さんびき, 6 = ろっぴき, 8 = はっぴき, 10 = じゅっぴき. Other numbers: regular ひき. Large animals (horses, elephants) use 頭 (とう) instead.
Why This Matters
The sound changes (ひき→ぴき→びき) follow a pattern called 連濁 (rendaku) and are one of the trickiest parts of counters for English speakers. The changes follow the pattern of the preceding sound: after つ/く sounds → っぴき, after ん → びき, others → ひき.
Examples
• 猫を二匹飼っています。 — "I have two cats." [にひき = 2 (regular reading)] • 金魚が三匹泳いでいます。 — "Three goldfish are swimming." [さんびき = 3 (ん + ひき → びき)] • 犬を一匹見つけました。 — "I found one dog." [いっぴき = 1 (sound change: いち + ひき → いっぴき)] • この箱に虫が何匹いますか？ — "How many bugs are in this box?" [何匹 = なんびき (how many animals)]
Common Mistakes
❌ いちひき ✅ いっぴき → 1 animal: いち + ひき undergoes sound change to いっぴき. The double consonant and ぴ are mandatory ❌ 象を三匹見ました。 ✅ 象を三頭見ました。 → Large animals like elephants, horses, and whales use 頭 (とう), not 匹. 匹 is for small/medium animals
Quick Tip
Sound change cheat sheet for 匹: 1 いっ-ぴき, 3 さん-びき, 6 ろっ-ぴき, 8 はっ-ぴき, 10 じゅっ-ぴき. The numbers 2, 4, 5, 7, 9 use regular ひき. Practice: にひき, よんひき, ごひき, ななひき, きゅうひき.
Sound change cheat sheet for 匹: 1 いっ-ぴき, 3 さん-びき, 6 ろっ-ぴき, 8 はっ-ぴき, 10 じゅっ-ぴき. The numbers 2, 4, 5, 7, 9 use regular ひき. Practice: にひき, よんひき, ごひき, ななひき, きゅうひき.
Examples
Common Mistakes
Incorrect: いちひき → Correct: いっぴき. 1 animal: いち + ひき undergoes sound change to いっぴき. The double consonant and ぴ are mandatory
Incorrect: 象を三匹見ました。 → Correct: 象を三頭見ました。. Large animals like elephants, horses, and whales use 頭 (とう), not 匹. 匹 is for small/medium animals
Quiz
How do you say 'six cats'?