Don’t Count Your Chickens before They Hatch in Japanese 

There is a proverb “don’t count your chickens before they hatch,” and there is a similar expression called “取らぬ狸の皮算用 /toɾanu tanuki no kawa zanyou/ in Japan. 取らぬ狸の皮算用 is a Japanese proverb that literally translates to “Calculating the skins of an uncaught raccoon dog.”

Both “chickens” and “racoon dog” proverbs express that it is pointless to make calculations or predictions based on assumptions or hypothetical situations that may never happen.

Example of “chickens”*

Before committing to make the payment, wait till you receive the money from the bank. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

Though he was leading the race, he had started celebrating even before the finish line, and in the process lost his lead. He had counted his chickens before they hatched.

You may get the job, but don’t count your chickens before they hatch; wait till you get the offer letter before you throw the party.

Why not wait till you get the confirmation? Aren’t you counting your chickens before they have hatched?

*Source: theidioms.com

Examples of “raccoon dogs”

A friend of mine is boasting that “If I update my blog every day, I can become a professional blogger and quit my job in 3 months.” I hope it doesn’t turn out to be “empty talk (取らぬ狸の皮算用）”.

友人が「毎日ブログを更新すれば、3ヶ月後にはプロブロガーになって仕事を辞められる」と息巻いている。取らぬ狸の皮算用にならなければ良いが…。

/juːʒin ga maintʃi buɾoɡu o koːʃin suɾeba sankaɡetsu go niwa puɾo buɾoɡaː ni natte ʃigoto o jameɾaɾeɾu to ikimaite iru. toɾanu tanuki no kawazanjou ni naɾanakeɾeba iːga/

I relied on my bonus and pre-ordered the new iPhone 15 for a lump sum payment. However, my bonus turned out to be unexpectedly small, and I keenly felt that “counting one’s chickens before they hatch （取らぬ狸の皮算用）” is not a good idea.

ボーナスをあてにして新しいiPhone15を一括支払いで予約したが、ボーナスが思いのほか少なく、取らぬ狸の皮算用はダメだと痛感した。

/boːnasu o ateniʃite ataɾaʃiː aifon fiftiːn o ikkatsu baɾai de joyaku ʃitaga ga boːnasu ga omoi no hoka sukunaku toɾanu tanuki no kawazanjou wa dame dato tsuːkan ʃita/

Even though I know it’s just wishful thinking （取らぬ狸の皮算用）, I can’t help but imagine what it would be like if I won 100 million yen in the lottery.

取らぬ狸の皮算用と分かっていても、宝くじが一億円当たったらとついつい考えてしまう。

/toɾanu tanuki no kawazanjou to wakatte itemo takaɾakuʒi ga itʃiokuen atattaɾa to tsuitsui kangaete ʃimau/