Editing Japanese counter word (section)

== Counter for rabbits ==
The counter for rabbits is {{translit|ja|-wa}} ({{lang|ja|羽}}), which is the same as the counter for birds. Usually, {{translit|ja|-hiki}}  ({{lang|ja|匹}}) is used for "small-to-medium-size animals",<ref name=":03">{{Cite journal |last1=Miura |first1=Akira |last2=Tanimori |first2=Masahiro |date=1996 |title=Handbook of Japanese Grammar |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/329477 |journal=The Modern Language Journal |volume=80 |issue=3 |pages=424 |doi=10.2307/329477 |jstor=329477 |issn=0026-7902|url-access=subscription }}</ref> therefore, the counter for rabbits is an exception. There are many theories about why {{translit|ja|-wa}} ({{lang|ja|羽}}) is used for rabbits instead of {{translit|ja|-hiki}} ({{lang|ja|匹}}).

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.<ref name="Tsurumi">{{Cite book |last=Tsurumi |first=Noriaki |script-title=ja:干支ってなぁ～に？ |publisher=Chikuma Shubansha |year=2000 |location=Japan |pages=92 |language=Japanese}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |script-title=ja:Japonica時事百科 : 大日本百科事典編 |publisher=Shogakukan |year=1980 |location=Japan |pages=85–86 |language=Japanese}}</ref> Then, people started to categorize rabbits as birds so that they can consume rabbit meat, and the counter was also changed from {{translit|ja|-hiki}} ({{lang|ja|匹}}) to {{translit|ja|-wa}} ({{lang|ja|羽}}).<ref name="Tsurumi" /><ref name=":2" /> 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 {{translit|ja|-wa}} ({{lang|ja|羽}}) is used instead of {{translit|ja|-hiki}} ({{lang|ja|匹}}).<ref>{{Cite book |script-title=ja:平凡社大百科事典 |publisher=Heibinsya |year=1984 |location=Japan |pages=221–222 |language=Japanese}}</ref> Takemitsu says that the origin of the word rabbit, {{lang|ja|兎}} {{translit|ja|usagi}}, is {{lang|ja|羽}} {{translit|ja|u}} which describes birds feather: therefore, the counter, {{translit|ja|-wa}} ({{lang|ja|羽}}), is used for rabbits.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Takemitsu |first=Makoto |script-title=ja:歴史から生まれた日常語の由来辞典 |publisher=Tokyodo Shuppan. |year=1998 |location=Japan |language=Japanese}}</ref>