equal, head, counter for small animals, roll of cloth
On'yomi (音読み)
- ヒツ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- ひき
About this kanji
The kanji 「匹」 primarily means a counter for small animals, like cats or dogs, and can also mean ‘equal’ in a different context. It is often used as a noun, particularly for counting animals, as seen in the compound 一匹 (いっぴき), which means one small animal, and 数匹 (すうひき), meaning several small animals. Another compound is 匹敵 (ひってき), which means to be a match for someone or something, showing its use in comparison. A usage note to keep in mind is that this kanji is typically not used for larger animals like cows or horses, which are counted using different terms.
Example sentences
彼は犬を一匹飼っている。
He has one dog as a pet.
Meanings across languages
- English
- equal, head, counter for small animals, roll of cloth
- Tiếng Việt
- cân bằng
- 日本語
- 匹
- 한국어
- 마리
- 中文
- 匹
- id
- sama, kepala
- th
- เท่ากัน, หัว
- es
- igual, cabeza
- fr
- égal, tête
- de
- gleich, Kopf
- pt
- igual, cabeça
Common compounds
- 匹敵ひってきto be a match for, to rival, to equal
- 一匹いっぴきone (small animal), two-tan bolt of cloth
- 数匹すうひきseveral animals
- 馬匹ばひつhorses
- 匹夫ひっぷman of humble position, commoner, ordinary man
- 匹婦ひっぷcoarse woman, country woman
- 匹儔ひっちゅうequal, match
- 匹偶ひつぐうpair, couple (husband and wife), friend
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