匹
hiki
If you can pick it up, it's 一匹
The picture A creature small enough to hold in your arms or your palm, wriggling along under its own power.
Where the picture shows up in 匹
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the one you hold
猫を二匹飼っています。
neko o nihiki katte imasu
I have two cats.
Animals bigger than a person — horses, cows, elephants — take 頭 (とう); birds take 羽 (わ).
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the one running at you
公園で犬が一匹走ってきました。
kōen de inu ga ippiki hashitte kimashita
A dog came running up in the park.
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the one you reel in
川で魚を三匹釣りました。
kawa de sakana o sanbiki tsurimashita
I caught three fish in the river.
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the small crawling one
部屋に虫が一匹います。
heya ni mushi ga ippiki imasu
There's a bug in the room.
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asking how many
この水そうにメダカは何匹いますか。
kono suisō ni medaka wa nanbiki imasu ka
How many killifish are in this tank?
The sound shifts: 一匹 ippiki, 三匹 sanbiki, 六匹 roppiki.