noun
one small animal
Counter for one small animal, such as a cat, dog, fish, or insect. Used with the reading いっぴき.
See also: 匹
庭に一匹の猫がいる。
There is one cat in the garden.
金魚を一匹飼っている。
I keep one goldfish.
noun
two-tan bolt of cloth
Only when written 一疋
Specialized counter for a bolt of cloth measuring two tan (about 20 yards). Rare outside traditional textile contexts.
See also: 反 (たん)
この反物は一疋で一反の倍の長さがある。
This roll of cloth is one bolt, which is twice the length of one tan.
Compound of 一 (いち, 'one') and 匹 (ひき, counter for small animals), with regular rendaku voicing producing いっぴき. The cloth-measure sense uses the rare kanji 疋, historically a variant of 匹 used for counting animals and cloth.