What is 匹 (ひき/びき/ぴき)?
匹 is the counter for small to medium-sized animals. It has three pronunciations (ひき、びき、ぴき) that change depending on the number.
犬を2匹飼っています
"I have 2 dogs"
金魚が5匹います
"There are 5 goldfish"
Complete 匹 Counter Chart
| Number | Reading | Romaji | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | いっぴき | ippiki | ぴき |
| 2 | にひき | ni-hiki | ひき |
| 3 | さんびき | san-biki | びき |
| 4 | よんひき | yon-hiki | ひき |
| 5 | ごひき | go-hiki | ひき |
| 6 | ろっぴき | roppiki | ぴき |
| 7 | ななひき | nana-hiki | ひき |
| 8 | はっぴき | happiki | ぴき |
| 9 | きゅうひき | kyuu-hiki | ひき |
| 10 | じゅっぴき | juppiki | ぴき |
Larger Numbers
11匹 = じゅういっぴき
20匹 = にじゅっぴき
100匹 = ひゃっぴき
Sound Change Pattern
ひき (hiki) - Default
2匹 (にひき)
4匹 (よんひき)
5匹 (ごひき)
7匹 (ななひき)
9匹 (きゅうひき)
びき (biki) - After ん sound
3匹 (さんびき) - after さん
ぴき (piki) - After っ sound
1匹 (いっぴき) - いち becomes いっ
6匹 (ろっぴき) - ろく becomes ろっ
8匹 (はっぴき) - はち becomes はっ
10匹 (じゅっぴき) - じゅう becomes じゅっ
Same pattern as 本 (hon/bon/pon)!
What Animals to Count with 匹
Pets
犬 (いぬ) - dogs
猫 (ねこ) - cats
ハムスター - hamsters
うさぎ - rabbits
インコ - parakeets
犬を1匹飼っています
"I have 1 dog"
猫が2匹います
"There are 2 cats"
Fish and Aquatic Animals
金魚 (きんぎょ) - goldfish
魚 (さかな) - fish
かえる - frogs
かめ - turtles
金魚を5匹買いました
"I bought 5 goldfish"
Insects
蝶 (ちょう) - butterflies
蜂 (はち) - bees
蚊 (か) - mosquitoes
虫 (むし) - insects/bugs
蝶が3匹飛んでいます
"3 butterflies are flying"
Small to Medium Wild Animals
リス - squirrels
きつね - foxes
たぬき - raccoon dogs
ねずみ - mice/rats
へび - snakes
General Rule
Use 匹 for animals smaller than a human or about human-sized.
Asking "How Many?"
何匹 (なんびき)
何匹いますか？
"How many are there?"
ペットを何匹飼っていますか？
"How many pets do you have?"
犬が何匹いますか？
"How many dogs are there?"
金魚を何匹買いますか？
"How many goldfish will you buy?"
Common Patterns
Animal + を + 匹 Counter
犬を2匹飼っています
"I have 2 dogs"
金魚を5匹買いました
"I bought 5 goldfish"
猫を1匹見ました
"I saw 1 cat"
Animal + が + 匹 Counter + Verb
猫が3匹います
"There are 3 cats"
犬が2匹走っています
"2 dogs are running"
魚が10匹泳いでいます
"10 fish are swimming"
匹 Counter + の + Animal
2匹の犬
"2 dogs"
5匹の金魚
"5 goldfish"
3匹の猫
"3 cats"
Common Conversations
Example 1: Pet Shop
A: ペットを何匹飼っていますか？
"How many pets do you have?"
B: 犬を2匹と猫を1匹飼っています
"I have 2 dogs and 1 cat"
A: 大変ですね
"That must be a lot of work"
B: でも、とても可愛いです
"But they're very cute"
Example 2: Aquarium
A: 金魚を何匹買いますか？
"How many goldfish will you buy?"
B: 5匹ください
"5, please"
A: 水槽は大きいですか？
"Is your tank big?"
B: はい、10匹ぐらい入ります
"Yes, about 10 can fit"
Example 3: Park
A: 公園に犬が何匹いますか？
"How many dogs are in the park?"
B: 3匹います
"There are 3"
A: 大きい犬ですか？
"Are they big dogs?"
B: いいえ、小さい犬です
"No, they're small dogs"
When NOT to Use 匹
Large Animals - Use 頭 (とう)
Wrong: 象を2匹 ❌
Right: 象を2頭 ✓
"2 elephants"
Wrong: 馬を3匹 ❌
Right: 馬を3頭 ✓
"3 horses"
Large animals (cows, horses, elephants, etc.) use 頭.
Birds (Sometimes) - Use 羽 (わ)
Can use: 鳥を3匹 (acceptable)
Better: 鳥を3羽 ✓
"3 birds"
For birds, 羽 is more specific, but 匹 is also used.
Rabbits - Use 羽 (わ)
Wrong: うさぎを2匹 ⚠️
Traditional: うさぎを2羽 ✓
"2 rabbits"
Historically, rabbits were counted with 羽 (like birds), but 匹 is now common in casual speech.
Special Expressions
〜匹ずつ
一匹ずつ見てください
"Please look at each one"
2匹ずつケージに入れます
"Put 2 in each cage"
〜匹目
1匹目 (いっぴきめ) - the first one
2匹目 (にひきめ) - the second one
3匹目 (さんびきめ) - the third one
3匹目の猫が一番可愛い
"The third cat is the cutest"
〜匹も
10匹も飼っている
"I have as many as 10"
5匹も捕まえた
"I caught as many as 5"
〜匹しか
1匹しかいない
"There's only 1"
2匹しか残っていない
"Only 2 remain"
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Wrong sound changes
Wrong: いちひき (1) ❌
Right: いっぴき ✓
Wrong: さんひき (3) ❌
Right: さんびき ✓
Wrong: ろくひき (6) ❌
Right: ろっぴき ✓
Mistake 2: Using 匹 for large animals
Wrong: 象が2匹 ❌
Right: 象が2頭 ✓
"2 elephants"
Mistake 3: Using 匹 for people
Wrong: 子供が3匹 ❌
Right: 子供が3人 ✓
"3 children"
Mistake 4: Confusing 何匹 reading
Wrong: なにひき ❌
Right: なんびき ✓
"How many (animals)?"
Pronunciation Practice
Tricky Ones
1匹 = いっぴき (not いちひき)
3匹 = さんびき (not さんひき)
6匹 = ろっぴき (not ろくひき)
8匹 = はっぴき (not はちひき)
10匹 = じゅっぴき (not じゅうひき)
Practice Sentences
Basic
猫が3匹います
"There are 3 cats"
犬を2匹飼っています
"I have 2 dogs"
金魚を5匹買いました
"I bought 5 goldfish"
Intermediate
ペットを何匹飼っていますか？
"How many pets do you have?"
公園に犬が何匹いますか？
"How many dogs are in the park?"
この水槽には魚が10匹入ります
"10 fish can fit in this tank"
Advanced
うちには猫が3匹、犬が2匹、金魚が10匹います
"We have 3 cats, 2 dogs, and 10 goldfish"
一匹ずつ丁寧に世話をしています
"I take care of each one carefully"
子供の頃、ハムスターを5匹飼っていました
"When I was a child, I had 5 hamsters"
Related Grammar Points
- Counter System Basics - How counters work
- 頭 (tou) - Large animals counter
- 羽 (wa) - Birds counter
- 飼う (kau) - To keep/raise pets
- いる vs ある - Existence verbs
- Sound changes - Phonetic variations