匹

• 読み: ひき
• ローマ字: hiki
• 漢字の分解: 匹 (hiki) — originally a unit of cloth; now counter for small animals
• 発音: /çi.ki/

意味

Counter for small and medium-sized animals such as cats, dogs, fish, and insects.

Used for animals roughly smaller than a person: cats, dogs, fish, insects, rabbits, and more. Larger animals like horses and elephants use 頭 (とう) instead. Has notable sound changes: 一匹 (いっぴき), 二匹 (にひき), 三匹 (さんびき), 六匹 (ろっぴき), 八匹 (はっぴき), 十匹 (じゅっぴき).

例文

1. 猫を二匹飼っています。
2. 池に魚が何匹いますか。
3. 庭で犬が一匹遊んでいます。

使い方ガイド

場面: pets, nature, daily life

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

The kanji 匹 originally meant a roll of cloth, a standard unit of measurement. Its use as an animal counter developed separately in Japanese, possibly because animals were counted alongside goods in trade.

文化的背景

時代: Ancient

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal