1.
one bird; one rabbit
The counter 羽 is used for birds of all kinds and, by traditional convention, for rabbits. 一羽 counts one such animal. The reading of 羽 changes depending on the number attached to it (e.g., 三羽, 六羽).
鳥が一羽いる。
There is one bird.
庭に雀が一羽とまっていた。
A sparrow was perched in the garden.
空を見上げると、鶴が一羽ゆっくりと飛んでいた。
When I looked up at the sky, a single crane was flying slowly.
Counter for birds and rabbits. Though rabbits are mammals, they have been traditionally counted with 羽 rather than 匹; one common explanation is that Buddhist monks, forbidden from eating four-legged animals, rationalized eating rabbits by classifying them as birds. In modern usage, 匹 is also widely accepted for rabbits.
COUNTING PATTERN (sound changes):
- 一羽 (1)
- 二羽 (2)
- 三羽 / {さんわ} (3) — both readings used
- 四羽 (4)
- 五羽 (5)
- 六羽 (6) — note っ and handakuten
- 七羽 (7)
- 八羽 / {はっぱ} (8)
- 九羽 (9)
- 十羽 / {じっぱ} (10)
- 何羽 / {なんわ}: how many birds?
USAGE:
- Used for all birds: 鶏 (chickens), 雀 (sparrows), 鶴 (cranes), 鳩 (pigeons), 鴨 (ducks), etc.
- Also traditionally used for 兎 (rabbits), though 一匹 is increasingly common in everyday speech.
- Not used for other flying creatures: bats (蝙蝠) take 匹, and insects take 匹.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 一匹: one (small) animal — general counter for mammals, fish, insects, and now often rabbits.
- 一頭: one (large) animal — used for larger mammals like cattle or horses.