one large animal; head (of cattle)
Counter for large animals such as horses, cattle, and elephants. Used as a noun meaning 'one head' of such animals.
See also: 頭 (とう)
There is one cow on the farm.
彼は競走馬を一頭飼っている。
He keeps one racehorse.
一頭 (a counter for large animals) is a homophone of 一等 (first class/rank) but has a completely unrelated meaning.
one-horse carriage; single-horse drawn vehicle
Standard kanji spelling for counting large animals.
Numerical variant; common in horizontal writing and lists.
Compound of 一 (いち, 'one') and 頭 (とう, counter for large animals). The reading いっとう results from a regular sound change.