Japanese counter word
In Japanese, counter words or counters are measure words used with numbers to count things, actions, and events. Counters are added directly after numbers.[1] There are numerous counters, and different counters are used depending on the kind or shape of nouns that are being described.[1] The Japanese term, josūshi (助数詞, lit. 'helping number word'), appears to have been literally calqued from the English term auxiliary numeral used by Basil Hall Chamberlain in A Handbook of Colloquial Japanese.[2][3]
In Japanese, as in Chinese and Korean, numerals cannot quantify nouns by themselves (except, in certain cases, for the numbers from one to ten; see below).[4] For example, to express the idea "two dogs" in Japanese one could say either:
二
ni
two
匹
hiki
small-animal-MW
の
no
POSS
犬
inu
dog
犬
inu
dog
二
ni
two
匹
hiki
small-animal-MW
but just pasting 二 and 犬 together in either order is ungrammatical. Here 二 ni is the number "two", 匹 hiki is the counter for small animals, の no is the possessive particle (a reversed "of", similar to the " 's" in "John's dog"), and 犬 inu is the word "dog".
Counters are not independent words; they must appear with a numeric prefix. The number can be imprecise: 何 nan or, less commonly, 幾 iku, can both be used to mean "some/several/many", and, in questions, "what/how many/how much". For example:
何
nan
some
名
mei
people-MW
様
sama
honored-ones
"some guests"
何
nan
what
名
mei
people-MW
様
sama
honored-ones
？
?
Q
"how many guests?"
Some nouns prefer 幾 iku, as in:
- 幾晩？ iku-ban? "how many nights?"
- 幾日も行っていた iku-nichi mo itte ita "I was gone for many days."
Counters are similar in function to the word "pieces" in "two pieces of paper" or "cups" in "two cups of coffee". However, they cannot take non-numerical modifiers. So while "two pieces of paper" translates fairly directly as:
紙
kami
paper
二
ni
two
枚
mai
flat-MW
"two pieces of paper"
"two green pieces of paper" must be rendered as 緑の紙二枚 midori no kami ni-mai, akin to "two pieces of green paper".
Just as in English, different counters can be used to convey different types of quantity.
パン
pan
bread
一斤
ikkin
one-loaf
"one loaf of bread"
パン
pan
bread
一枚
ichimai
one-flat-MW
"one slice of bread"
There are numerous counters, and depending on the kind or shape of nouns the number is describing, different counters are used.[1]
Grammatically, counter words can appear either before or after the noun they count. They generally occur after the noun (following particles), and if used before the noun, they emphasize the quantity; this is a common mistake for English learners of Japanese. For example:
ビール
bīru
beer
を
o
OBJ
二本
nihon
two-long-thin-MW
飲んだ
nonda
drank
In contrast:
二本
nihon
two-long-thin-MW
の
no
POSS
ビール
bīru
beer
を
o
OBJ
飲んだ
nonda
drank
would only be appropriate when emphasizing the number as in responding with "[I] drank two bottles of beer" to "How many beers did you drink?".
Phrase structure involving numerals and counters
[edit]
In generative grammar, one proposed structure of Japanese nominal phrases includes three layers of functional projections: #P, CaseP, and QuantifierP.[5] Here, #P is placed above NP to explain Japanese's lack of plural morphology, and to make clear the # head is the stem of such morphology.[5] This structure relies on movement in order to satisfy agreement via extended projection principle features.[clarification needed][5]
Substitution of counters
[edit]In Japanese, virtually all nouns must use a counter to express number because Japanese lacks singular/plural morphology.[6][5] In this sense, virtually all Japanese nouns are mass nouns. This grammatical feature can result in situations where one is unable to express the number of a particular object in a syntactically correct way because one does not know, or cannot remember, the appropriate counting word. With quantities from one to ten, this problem can often be sidestepped by using the traditional numerals (see below), which can quantify many nouns without help. For example, "four apples" is りんご四個 ringo yonko where 個 ko is the counter, but can also be expressed, using the traditional numeral four, as りんご四つ ringo yottsu. These traditional numerals cannot be used to count all nouns, however; some, including nouns for people and animals, require a proper counter (except for 1 and 2 people, which virtually always use variants of the traditional numerals; see exceptions).
Some of the more common counters may substitute for less common ones. For example, 匹 hiki (see below) is often used for all animals, regardless of size. However, many speakers will prefer to use the traditionally correct counter, 頭 tō, when speaking of larger animals such as horses. This yields a range of possible counters, with differing degrees of usage and acceptability – for example, when ordering kushikatsu (fried skewers), one may order them as 二串 futa-kushi (two skewers), 二本 ni-hon (two sticks), or 二つ futa-tsu (two items), in decreasing order of precision.
Counters may be intentionally misused for humorous, stupid, or insulting effects. For example, the phrase 男一匹 otoko ippiki ("one man [like an animal]"), uses 匹 hiki, the counter for animals, instead of the typical counters for people.[7]
Table of traditional numerals
[edit]| Numeral | Japanese | Pronunciation (romaji) | Writing (hiragana) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一つ | hitotsu | ひとつ |
| 2 | 二つ | futatsu | ふたつ |
| 3 | 三つ | mittsu | みっつ |
| 4 | 四つ | yottsu | よっつ |
| 5 | 五つ | itsutsu | いつつ |
| 6 | 六つ | muttsu | むっつ |
| 7 | 七つ | nanatsu | ななつ |
| 8 | 八つ | yattsu | やっつ |
| 9 | 九つ | kokonotsu | ここのつ |
| 10 | 十 | tō | とお |
Common counters by category
[edit]This is a selective list of some of the more commonly used counting words.
| Pronunciation | Japanese | Use |
|---|---|---|
| People and Things | ||
| ぶ bu | 部 | Copies of a magazine or newspaper, or other packets of papers |
| だい dai | 台 | Cars, bicycles, machines, mechanical devices, household appliances |
| はい hai, ぱい pai, ばい bai | 杯 | Cups and glasses of drink, spoonsful; cuttlefish, octopuses, crabs, squid, abalone, boats (slang) |
| ひき hiki, ぴき piki, びき biki | 匹 | Small animals, insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians, oni (demons/ogres) |
| ほん hon, ぽん pon, ぼん bon | 本 | frequently used word Long, thin objects: rivers, roads, train tracks, ties, pencils, bottles, guitars; also, metaphorically, telephone calls, train or bus routes, movies (see also: tsūwa), points or bounds in sports events. Although 本 also means "book", the counter for books is satsu. |
| かい kai, がい gai | 階 | Number of floors, stories |
| こ ko | 個, 箇, 个, or ヶ | frequently used word Implies that the item is small and/or round.[8] 個 is also used for military units. |
| まい mai | 枚 | frequently used word Thin, flat objects: sheets of paper, photographs, plates, articles of clothing (see also: chaku) |
| めい mei | 名 | People (polite) (名 means "name") |
| めん men | 面 | Broad, flat objects: mirrors, boards for board games (chess, igo, shogi), stages of computer games, walls of a room, tennis courts |
| にん nin | 人 | People (but see table of exceptions below) |
| り ri | り or 人 | People, used in the words 一人 (ひとり) and 二人 (ふたり) |
| さつ satsu | 冊 | Books |
| つ tsu | つ | frequently used word General-purpose counter, used as part of the indigenous Japanese numbers 一つ ("one thing"), 二つ ("two things"), 三つ ("three things"), etc. |
| わ wa | 話 | Stories, episodes of TV series, etc. |
| Time, Calendar, etc. | ||
| びょう byō | 秒 | Seconds |
| ふん fun, ぷん pun | 分 | Minutes |
| がつ gatsu, also つき tsuki | 月 | Months of the year. Month-long periods when read tsuki (see also: kagetsu) |
| はく haku, ぱく paku | 泊 | Nights of a stay |
| じ ji | 時 | Hours of the day |
| じかん jikan | 時間 | Hour-long periods |
| か ka | 日 | Day of the month |
| かげつ kagetsu | ヶ月, 箇月 | Month-long periods (see also: gatsu). 箇 is normally abbreviated using a small katakana ヶ in modern Japanese. Alternatively 個, hiragana か, small katakana ヵ and full-size katakana カ & ケ can also be seen, although only か is similarly frequent. |
| ねん nen | 年 | Years, school years (grades); not years of age |
| にち nichi | 日 | Days of the month (but see table of exceptions below) |
| さい sai | 歳 (or 才) | Years of age (才 is used informally as a ryakuji) |
| しゅう shū | 週 | Weeks |
| Extent, Frequency, etc. | ||
| ばい bai | 倍 | Multiples, -fold as in "twofold" |
| ばん ban | 番 | Position, turn, sports matches |
| ど do, also たび tabi | 度 | frequently used word Occurrences, number of times, degrees of temperature or angle (see also: kai). |
| じょう jō | 畳 | Tatami mats. The kanji 畳 is also read tatami and is the same one used for the mats. The room size of a washitsu in Japan is given as a number of mats, for example 4½ jō |
| かい kai | 回 | frequently used word Occurrences, number of times (see also: do) |
Extended list of counters
[edit]This list also includes some counters and usages that are rarely used or not widely known; other words can also be used as counters more sporadically.
| Pronunciation | Japanese | Use |
|---|---|---|
| ば ba | 場 | Scene of a play |
| ばい bai | 倍 | Multiples, -fold as in "twofold" |
| ばん ban | 晩 | Nights (see also: ya) |
| ばん ban | 番 | Position, platform for a train line, turn, sports matches |
| び bi | 尾 | Small fish and shrimps (used in the fish trade; most people say hiki instead) |
| ぶ bu | 部 | Copies of a magazine or newspaper, or other packets of papers |
| ぶん bun | 文 | Sentences |
| びょう byō | 秒 | Seconds |
| ちゃく chaku | 着 | Suits of clothing (see also: mai) |
| ちょう chō | 挺 | Long, narrow things such as guns, sticks of ink, palanquins, rickshaws, violins |
| ちょう chō | 丁 | Sheets, pages, leaves, tools, scissors, saws, trousers, pistols, cakes of tofu, town blocks, servings at a restaurant |
| ちょう chō | 町 | Town blocks |
| だい dai | 代 | Generations, historical periods, reigns |
| だい dai | 台 | Cars, bicycles, machines, mechanical devices, household appliances |
| だん dan | 段 | levels, ranks, steps (of stairs). |
| だんらく danraku | 段落 | Paragraphs |
| ど do, also たび tabi | 度 | Occurrences, number of times, degrees of temperature or angle (see also: kai). |
| ふで fude | 筆 | Sequences of letters or drawings that you write or draw without removing your pen off the paper. Not to be confused with hitsu (筆) below. |
| ふく fuku, ぷく puku | 服 | Bowls of matcha (powdered green tea); packets or doses of powdered medicine; puffs (of, e.g., a cigarette); rests or breaks |
| ふく fuku, ぷく puku | 幅 | Hanging scrolls ( kakejiku) |
| ふん fun, ぷん pun | 分 | Minutes |
| ふり furi | 振 | Swords |
| がっきゅう gakkyū | 学級 | Classes (in pre-university education) |
| がつ gatsu, also つき tsuki | 月 | Months of the year. Month-long periods when read tsuki (see also: kagetsu) |
| ご go | 語 | Words |
| ごう gō | 合 | small container (e.g. rice cup, sake cup) |
| ごん gon, also こと koto | 言 | Words |
| ぐ gu | 具 | Suits of armour, sets of furniture |
| ぎょう gyō | 行 | Lines of text |
| はく haku | 泊 | Nights of a stay |
| はい hai, ぱい pai, ばい bai | 杯 | Cups and glasses of drink, spoonfuls, cuttlefish, octopuses, crabs, squid, abalone, boats (slang) |
| はい hai | 敗 | Losses (sports bouts) |
| はこ hako | 箱 | Boxes |
| はり hari | 張 | Umbrellas, parasols, tents |
| はしら hashira | 柱 | gods, memorial tablets |
| はつ hatsu, ぱつ patsu | 発 | Gunshots, bullets, aerial fireworks; orgasms, sex acts |
| ひき hiki, ぴき piki | 匹 | Small animals, insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians, oni (ogres) |
| ひん hin, ぴん pin | 品 | Parts of a meal, courses (see also: shina) |
| ひつ hitsu, ぴつ pitsu | 筆 | pieces of land and number of people |
| ほ ho, ぽ po | 歩 | Number of (foot)steps |
| ほん hon, ぽん pon, ぼん bon | 本 | Long, thin objects: rivers, roads, train tracks, ties, pencils, bottles, guitars; also, metaphorically, telephone calls (see also: tsūwa), train or bus routes, movies, home runs, points or bounds[clarification needed] in sports events. Although 本 also means "book", the counter for books is satsu. |
| ひょう hyō, ぴょう pyō | 票 | Votes |
| ひょうし hyōshi, びょうし byōshi | 拍子 | Musical beats |
| じ ji | 字 | Letters, kanji, kana |
| じ ji | 児 | Children. As in "father of two (children)", etc. |
| じ ji | 時 | Hours of the day |
| じかん jikan | 時間 | Hour-long periods |
| じょう jō | 畳 | Tatami mats. The kanji 畳 is also read tatami and is the same one used for the mats. The room size of a washitsu in Japan is given as a number of mats, for example 4½ yo jō han |
| じょう jō | 錠 | Pills/capsules |
| じょう jō | 条 | Articles of law, thin objects, rays or streams of light, streaks of smoke or lightning |
| か ka | 日 | Day of the month |
| か ka | 架 | Frames |
| か ka | 課 | Lessons |
| かぶ kabu | 株 | Stocks; nursery trees |
| かげつ kagetsu | ヶ月, 箇月 | Month-long periods (see also: gatsu). 箇 is normally abbreviated using a small katakana ヶ in modern Japanese. Alternatively 個, hiragana か, small katakana ヵ and full-size katakana カ & ケ can also be seen, although only か is similarly frequent. |
| かい kai | 回 | Occurrences, number of times (see also: do) |
| かい kai, がい gai | 階 | Number of floors, storeys |
| かこく kakoku | ヶ国, 箇国 | Countries |
| かこくご kakokugo | ヶ国語, 箇国語 | (National) languages |
| かく kaku | 画 | Strokes in kanji |
| かん kan | 貫 | Pieces of nigiri-zushi |
| かん kan | 艦 | Warships |
| けいとう keitou | 系統 | Bus routes |
| けん ken | 件 | Abstract matters and cases |
| けん ken, げん gen | 軒 | Houses |
| き ki | 機 | Aircraft, machines |
| き ki | 基 | Graves, wreaths, CPUs, reactors, elevators, dams |
| きん kin | 斤 | Loaves of bread |
| きれ kire | 切れ | Slices (of bread, cake, sashimi etc.) |
| こ ko | 個, 箇, 个, or ヶ | General measure word, used when there is no specific counter. 個 is also used for military units. |
| こ ko | 戸 | Houses (戸 means "door") |
| こう kō | 校 | Schools |
| こう kō | 稿 | Drafts of a manuscript |
| こう kō | 行 | Banks |
| こま koma | 齣, コマ | Frames, panels. 齣 is virtually unused nowadays. |
| こん kon | 献 | shots (of drink) |
| く ku | 区 | Sections, city districts |
| く ku | 句 | Haiku, senryū |
| くち kuchi | 口 | (Bank) accounts, donations (口 means "opening" or "entrance") |
| くみ kumi | 組 | Groups, a pair of people (twins, a husband and a wife, dancers, etc.) |
| くらす kurasu | クラス | School classes |
| きゃく kyaku | 脚 | Desks, chairs, long-stemmed glasses |
| きゃく kyaku | 客 | Pairs of cup and saucer |
| きょく kyoku | 曲 | Pieces of music |
| きょく kyoku | 局 | Board game matches (chess, igo, shogi, mahjong); radio stations, television stations |
| まい mai | 枚 | Thin, flat objects, sheets of paper, photographs, plates, articles of clothing (see also: chaku) |
| まき maki or かん kan | 巻 | Rolls, scrolls, kan for volumes of book |
| まく maku | 幕 | Theatrical acts |
| めい mei | 名 | People (polite) (名 means "name") |
| めん men | 面 | Mirrors, boards for board games (chess, igo, shogi), stages of computer games, walls of a room, tennis courts |
| もん mon | 門 | Cannons |
| もん mon | 問 | Questions |
| ねん nen | 年 | Years, school years (grades); not years of age |
| にち nichi | 日 | Days of the month (but see table of exceptions below) |
| にん nin | 人 | People (but see table of exceptions below) |
| にんまえ ninmae | 人前 | Food portions (without exceptions, unlike nin above) |
| おり ori | 折 | Boxes made of folded paper (compare to hako above, which refers to boxes in general) |
| ぺーじ pēji | ページ, 頁 | Pages |
| れい rei | 例 | Cases, examples |
| れい rei | 礼 | Bows during worship at a shrine |
| れん ren | 連 | finger rings or necklace loops |
| り ri | り or 人 | People, used in the words 一人 (ひとり) and 二人 (ふたり). |
| りん rin | 輪 | Wheels, flowers |
| りょう Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Railway cars |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang or Template:Wikt-lang | Years of age |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Chests of drawers, flags |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Books |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Seats, rakugo shows, (drinking) parties |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Ships, half of a pair (e.g., half of a folding screen), item carried in a bundle (fish, birds, arrows etc.) |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Parts of a meal, courses (see also: Template:Transl) |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | used for businesses, i.e. Template:Lang |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Sets of things, such as documents or furniture |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Wins (sports bouts) |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Tanka |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Weeks |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl or Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang or Template:Wikt-lang | Kinds, species |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Pairs of footwear, pairs of socks, stockings, tabi |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Pairs |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | bundles (of banknotes), bunches (of flowers, vegetables), sheaves |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Images, statues, person's remains, dolls, androids, humanoid robots |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Bags of rice |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Drops of liquid |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Points, dots, pieces of a set |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Large animals, cattle, elephants, whales, dolphins, butterflies (Template:Lang means "head") |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Time periods, a sixth of either day or night (in the traditional, obsolete way of telling time). See also: Template:Transl |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Combinations, puzzle solutions |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Lang | Used as part of the indigenous Japanese numbers Template:Lang, Template:Lang, Template:Lang etc. |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Letters |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Commonly used unit of area equal to 3.3 square metres. |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Almonds, grain |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Telephone calls (see also: Template:Transl) |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl, Template:Lang Template:Transl, Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Birds, rabbits. Template:Lang means "feather" or "wing." |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Bundles |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Stories, episodes of TV series, etc. |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Nights (see also: Template:Transl) |
| Template:Lang Template:Transl | Template:Wikt-lang | Pairs of chopsticks; bowls of rice |
Euphonic changes
[edit]Systematic changes occur when particular numbers precede counters that begin with certain phonemes. For example, Template:Lang Template:Transl + Template:Lang Template:Transl → Template:Lang Template:Transl. The details are listed in the table below.
This can be the result of the morpho-phonological phenomenon of historical sound changes,[9] as shown by the voicing of Template:Lang Template:Transl:
change from glottal Template:IPA to bilabial Template:IPA.
It may also be that some counters carry features which are responsible for Template:What? for singular, dual, and plural nouns, where singular carries [+singular, −augmented] features, dual carries [−singular, −augmented] features, and plural carries [−singular, +augmented] features.[10]
These changes are followed fairly consistently but exceptions and variations between speakers do exist. Where variations are common, more than one alternative is listed.
Template:Transl is replaced by either Template:Transl or Template:Transl (Template:Lang) followed by a doubled consonant before the voiceless consonants as shown in the table. Template:Transl is the older form, but it has been replaced by Template:Transl in the speech of recent generations.
Exceptions
[edit]The traditional numbers are used by and for young children to give their ages, instead of using the age counter Template:Lang (or Template:Lang) Template:Transl.
Some counters, notably Template:Lang Template:Transl and Template:Lang Template:Transl, use the traditional numerals for some numbers as shown in the table below. Other uses of traditional numbers are usually restricted to certain phrases, such as Template:Lang Template:Transl and Template:Lang Template:Transl (one and two months respectively), Template:Lang Template:Transl (a single word) and Template:Lang Template:Transl (once).
Sometimes common numbers that have a derived meaning are written using different kanji. For example, Template:Transl (alone) is written Template:Lang, and Template:Transl (once more, another time) is normally written Template:Lang instead of Template:Lang. The counter for months Template:Transl (derived from kanji Template:Lang) is commonly written Template:Lang.
Template:Transl and Template:Transl are alternatives for 7, Template:Transl and Template:Transl are alternatives for 4, and Template:Transl and Template:Transl are alternatives for 9. In those three pairs of options, Template:Transl, Template:Transl and Template:Transl respectively are more commonly used. Some counters, however, notably Template:Lang Template:Transl (people), Template:Lang Template:Transl (month of the year), Template:Lang Template:Transl (day of the month, days), Template:Lang Template:Transl (time of day) and Template:Lang Template:Transl (hours) take certain alternatives only. These are shown in the table below.
While Template:Lang Template:Transl (occurrences) and Template:Lang Template:Transl (0.01 yen, now rarely used) follow the euphonic changes listed above, homophones Template:Lang Template:Transl (stories/floors of a building) and Template:Lang Template:Transl (1000) are slightly different as shown below, although these differences are not followed by all speakers. Thus Template:Lang ("third floor") can be read either Template:Transl or Template:Transl, while Template:Lang ("three times") can only be read Template:Transl.
Ordinal numbers
[edit]In general, the counter words mentioned above are cardinal numbers, in that they indicate quantity. To transform a counter word into an ordinal number that denotes position in a sequence, Template:Lang Template:Transl is added to the end of the counter. Thus "one time" would be translated as Template:Lang Template:Transl, whereas "the first time" would be translated as Template:Lang Template:Transl.
This rule is inconsistent, however, as counters without the Template:Transl suffix are often used interchangeably with cardinal and ordinal meanings. For example, Template:Lang Template:Transl can mean both "three floors" and "third floor."
Periods of time
[edit]To express a period of time one may add Template:Lang Template:Transl to the following words: Template:Lang Template:Transl, Template:Lang Template:Transl, Template:Lang Template:Transl, Template:Lang Template:Transl (and its irregular readings aside from Template:Transl), Template:Lang Template:Transl, Template:Lang Template:Transl and Template:Lang Template:Transl. Usage varies depending on the word, though. For example, omitting Template:Transl in the case of Template:Lang Template:Transl would be a mistake, whereas Template:Transl and Template:Transl are both in frequent use. In addition, Template:Transl is rarely heard due to essentially being superfluous, the Template:Transl already functioning to express the length.
Counter for rabbits
[edit]The counter for rabbits is Template:Transl (Template:Lang), which is the same as the counter for birds. Usually, Template:Transl (Template:Lang) is used for "small-to-medium-size animals",[12] therefore, the counter for rabbits is an exception. There are many theories about why Template:Transl (Template:Lang) is used for rabbits instead of Template:Transl (Template:Lang).
One of the theories is that in Edo-era, eating four-legged animals was strictly forbidden by the government, and people were not allowed to consume rabbit meat.[13][14] Then, people started to categorize rabbits as birds so that they can consume rabbit meat, and the counter was also changed from Template:Transl (Template:Lang) to Template:Transl (Template:Lang).[13][14] Another theory is that taste of rabbit meat is similar to bird meat, and in addition, the rabbits were captured using a net just like birds so Template:Transl (Template:Lang) is used instead of Template:Transl (Template:Lang).[15] Takemitsu says that the origin of the word rabbit, Template:Lang Template:Transl, is Template:Lang Template:Transl which describes birds feather: therefore, the counter, Template:Transl (Template:Lang), is used for rabbits.[16]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]External links
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