Hello, I’m Kodak.
In Japanese anime, family conversations, and casual speech, you may hear expressions such as:
Give me that. / Can I have that?
ちょっと見せてちょうだい。
Let me see it. / Show it to me, please.
お願い、もう一回ちょうだい！
Please, give me one more!
In casual conversation, ちょうだい usually means “give me…” or “please do…”.
It is much more casual than ください and お願いします.
ちょうだい (chōdai / choudai) is a casual request expression.
[noun] + ちょうだい
Give me [noun]. / Can I have [noun]?
[verb て-form] + ちょうだい
Please do [action]. / Do [action] for me.
It is natural with family, close friends, partners, or children, but it may sound too casual, childish, overly familiar, or bossy with strangers, staff, teachers, and supervisors.
① what choudai means
② why the kanji is 頂戴
③ how to pronounce and write it
④ how to use noun + choudai
⑤ how to use te-form + choudai
⑥ how casual, childish, feminine, or commanding it can sound
⑦ the differences between choudai, kudasai, onegai, and kure
⑧ anime usage, common mistakes, and natural examples
What Does Choudai Mean in Japanese?
Kanji: 頂戴
Romaji: chōdai / choudai
Casual meaning: give me; can I have; please do
Formal/humble meaning: to receive; to partake of
There are two major uses of 頂戴.
1. Casual Request: “Give Me…” or “Please Do…”
そのペン、ちょうだい。
Sono pen, chōdai.
Give me that pen. / Can I have that pen?
ちょっと手伝ってちょうだい。
Chotto tetsudatte chōdai.
Help me for a moment, please.
2. Humble “Receive” in Formal Japanese
結構なお品を頂戴しました。
Kekkō na oshina o chōdai shimashita.
I gratefully received a wonderful gift.
ご意見を頂戴したく存じます。
Goiken o chōdai shitaku zonjimasu.
We would like to receive your opinion.
In formal Japanese, the speaker humbly says they receive something.
In casual Japanese, the speaker asks the listener to let them receive something.
The Core Image and Origin of 頂戴
The kanji expression 頂戴 originally refers to respectfully receiving or holding something above the head.
The top of the head; to place or receive something above the head
戴 (dai / itadaku)
To respectfully receive or bear something on the head
↓
Humbly receive something from a respected person
↓
Receive or partake of something
↓
In casual requests: “Let me receive it” → “Give it to me”
The same historical word can therefore sound formal in one grammar pattern and very casual in another.
Choudai Pronunciation
Romaji: chōdai / choudai
Mora: ちょ・う・だ・い (4 morae)
Slow rhythm: cho – o – da – i
The first vowel is long. ちょう contains two morae: ちょ + う.
Hold the first o for two beats, then keep da and i separate:
cho-o-da-i
Chōdai or Choudai?
Both romanizations represent ちょうだい.
Uses a macron to show the long vowel.
choudai
Writes the hiragana sequence ちょ + う directly as “chou.”
chodai
Common online, but it hides the long vowel and is less precise.
How Do You Write Choudai?
Kanji: 頂戴
Katakana: チョウダイ
Romaji: chōdai / choudai
In casual dialogue, ちょうだい is often written in hiragana because it feels conversational and soft.
The kanji 頂戴 is especially common in the formal verb 頂戴する, meaning “to humbly receive.” It can also represent the casual request, but hiragana is easier and more natural for beginner dialogue.
Katakana チョウダイ may be used for emphasis, a strong voice, a stylized character, or manga dialogue.
How to Use Noun + Choudai
To casually ask for an item, use:
Give me [noun].
Can I have [noun]?
水ちょうだい。
Mizu chōdai.
Give me some water. / Can I have some water?
そのお菓子、ちょうだい。
Sono okashi, chōdai.
Give me that snack. / Can I have that snack?
一口ちょうだい。
Hitokuchi chōdai.
Let me have a bite.
もう少し時間ちょうだい。
Mō sukoshi jikan chōdai.
Give me a little more time.
The particle を can be included:
水をちょうだい。
Mizu o chōdai.
Give me some water.
However, casual speech often omits it.
水をちょうだい is grammatically complete.
水ちょうだい sounds more conversational and relaxed.
Using Choudai with Quantities
Give me one of those.
クッキー二枚ちょうだい。
Give me two cookies.
ジュース、もう一杯ちょうだい。
Give me another glass of juice.
五分だけちょうだい。
Give me just five minutes.
How to Use Te-form + Choudai
To casually ask someone to perform an action, use:
Please do [action].
Do [action] for me.
ちょっと待ってちょうだい。
Chotto matte chōdai.
Wait a moment, please.
これを見てちょうだい。
Kore o mite chōdai.
Look at this for me.
ドアを閉めてちょうだい。
Doa o shimete chōdai.
Close the door, please.
あとで電話してちょうだい。
Ato de denwa shite chōdai.
Call me later, please.
Depending on voice and relationship, ～てちょうだい can also sound like a parent’s instruction, a theatrical command, or a person speaking down to someone.
Negative Requests: ～ないでちょうだい
You may also hear:
Please don’t [action].
ここでは騒がないでちょうだい。
Koko de wa sawaganaide chōdai.
Please don’t make noise here.
私の物に触らないでちょうだい。
Watashi no mono ni sawaranaide chōdai.
Please don’t touch my things.
For a neutral polite request, use ～ないでください.
How Casual Is Choudai?
ちょうだい assumes familiarity. It is most natural when the social distance is small.
・family members
・close friends
・romantic partners
・children
・someone much younger
・playful or affectionate conversation
Usually avoid with:
・strangers
・restaurant or store staff
・teachers
・supervisors
・customers
・formal business contacts
Use コーヒーをください or コーヒーをお願いします.
Is Choudai Feminine or Childish?
Traditional dictionary descriptions often note that the casual request use is especially associated with women and children.
For modern learners, however, it is more useful to think about speaker style and relationship rather than treating it as a word that only one gender can use.
・soft and affectionate
・casual and intimate
・childlike or needy
・playful or cute
・parental or commanding
・feminine or theatrical in certain voices
・deliberately old-fashioned or character-like
Still, the phrase may sound softer or more childlike than alternatives such as くれる？ or くれ, depending on the speaker.
When speaking, use it after you are comfortable judging closeness and tone. ください and お願いします are safer with people you do not know well.
Choudai vs Kudasai
Casual and familiar
“Give me…” / “Do this for me.”
ください (kudasai)
Polite standard
“Please give me…” / “Please do…”
Give me some water.
⇒ Family, friend, partner, or childlike speech.
水をください。
Water, please.
⇒ Polite and suitable with strangers or staff.
ちょっと待ってちょうだい。
Wait a moment, please.
⇒ Familiar, parental, soft, or commanding depending on tone.
ちょっと待ってください。
Please wait a moment.
⇒ Neutral polite request.
ちょうだい often carries intimacy, coaxing, cuteness, or a parental tone. A neutral casual request may instead use the て-form alone or ～てくれる？.
Learn more: Kudasai Meaning and Kudasai vs Onegaishimasu
Choudai vs Onegaishimasu
Casual request to someone close
May sound childlike, affectionate, demanding, or playful
お願いします
Polite request, order, service, choice, accepted offer, or entrusted matter
Suitable for strangers and service interactions
Give me some juice.
⇒ Casual home conversation.
ジュースをお願いします。
I’d like a juice, please.
⇒ Natural order at a restaurant.
これ、やってちょうだい。
Do this for me.
⇒ Casual and possibly commanding.
この作業をお願いします。
Please take care of this task.
⇒ Polite request entrusting the task.
For example:
「もう一個いる？」「うん、ちょうだい。」
“Want another one?” “Yeah, give me one.”
With a stranger or staff member, お願いします is safer.
Learn more: Onegaishimasu Meaning, Pronunciation, and Usage
Choudai vs Onegai
Both are casual, but they focus on different things.
Names the thing or action the speaker wants to receive.
“Give me…” / “Do this for me.”
お願い
Emphasizes the appeal itself.
“Please!” / “I’m asking you!” / “I’m begging you!”
その写真ちょうだい。
Sono shashin chōdai.
Give me that photo.
お願い、その写真を消して！
Onegai, sono shashin o keshite!
Please, delete that photo!
お願い、もう一個ちょうだい。
Onegai, mō ikko chōdai.
Please, give me one more.
Choudai vs Kure and Kureru?
Give me… / Do this for me.
Can sound soft, childlike, affectionate, parental, or demanding.
くれる？
Will you give/do it for me?
A common casual question among friends and family.
くれ
Give me… / Do it for me.
Direct and rough; often masculine or forceful in fictional dialogue.
Give me that.
⇒ Familiar, possibly cute or childlike.
それ、くれる？
Will you give me that?
⇒ Casual question; often neutral among close people.
それをくれ。
Give me that.
⇒ Strong and direct.
Use ちょうだい when the relationship and playful or intimate tone fit.
Can You Use Choudai at a Restaurant or Store?
Technically, a customer could say これちょうだい, and staff would understand. However, it can sound too familiar toward someone serving you.
これちょうだい。
Polite standard:
これをください。
Please give me this.
Soft order/service request:
これをお願いします。
I’ll have this, please.
That does not make it the best default for a learner. Start with ください or お願いします.
Choudai in Family and Romantic Conversation
Family
お母さん、水ちょうだい。
Okāsan, mizu chōdai.
Mom, give me some water.
宿題を見せてちょうだい。
Shukudai o misete chōdai.
Show me your homework.
Partners
もう少しこっちに来てちょうだい。
Mō sukoshi kocchi ni kite chōdai.
Come a little closer, please.
一口ちょうだい。
Hitokuchi chōdai.
Let me have a bite.
Close Friends
その写真、あとで送ってちょうだい。
Sono shashin, ato de okutte chōdai.
Send me that photo later.
A light, playful voice may sound friendly. A flat or sharp voice may sound like an order.
送ってくれる？ is often a safer casual request.
Choudai in Anime and Manga
Anime and manga use ちょうだい to reveal a character’s age, closeness, personality, or social role.
Give that to me!
⇒ Excited, childish, or playful.
お願い、助けてちょうだい！
Please, help me!
⇒ Emotional pleading.
少し静かにしてちょうだい。
Please be quiet for a moment.
⇒ May sound parental, refined, feminine, or irritated.
その力、私にちょうだい。
Give me that power.
⇒ Dramatic fictional request.
二度と私の前に現れないでちょうだい。
Please never appear before me again.
⇒ Dramatic, cold, or theatrical command.
Real-life usage is more varied, so do not copy every anime line without considering the character.
Formal Chōdai Suru: “To Humbly Receive”
The formal expression 頂戴する is not casual. It is a humble way to say that the speaker receives something.
I received a souvenir.
お時間を頂戴してもよろしいでしょうか。
May I have some of your time?
ご意見を頂戴できれば幸いです。
We would appreciate receiving your opinion.
ありがたく頂戴します。
I will gratefully accept it.
ちょうだい is a casual request.
頂戴する is a humble verb meaning “to receive.”
Common Beginner Mistakes
Mistake 1: Using Choudai with Strangers
Understandable, but overly familiar.
○ 水をください。
Water, please.
○ 水をお願いします。
Water, please.
Mistake 2: Assuming Choudai Is Always Cute
The same phrase can sound affectionate, childish, commanding, irritated, or patronizing depending on the voice and relationship.
Mistake 3: Assuming Only Women Can Use It
Speaker gender can affect the impression, but relationship and speaking style are also important. Men can use ちょうだい, especially playfully or intimately.
Mistake 4: Confusing Casual Choudai with Formal Chōdai Suru
Give me the photo.
⇒ Casual request.
写真を頂戴しました。
I received the photo.
⇒ Humble/formal statement.
Mistake 5: Pronouncing the First Vowel Too Short
Remember four morae: ちょ・う・だ・い.
Mistake 6: Using Choudai as a Universal Casual “Please”
ちょうだい is connected to receiving an item or action. It cannot replace every English use of “please.”
Give me water.
○ 見せてちょうだい。
Show it to me.
× ちょうだい、ありがとう。
Not a general-purpose politeness marker.
Natural Example Sentences with Choudai
水ちょうだい。
Mizu chōdai.
Give me some water.
そのペン、ちょうだい。
Sono pen, chōdai.
Give me that pen.
一口だけちょうだい。
Hitokuchi dake chōdai.
Let me have just one bite.
もう少し時間ちょうだい。
Mō sukoshi jikan chōdai.
Give me a little more time.
お小遣いちょうだい。
Okozukai chōdai.
Give me some allowance money.
ちょっと待ってちょうだい。
Chotto matte chōdai.
Wait a moment, please.
その箱を取ってちょうだい。
Sono hako o totte chōdai.
Get that box for me.
あとで写真を送ってちょうだい。
Ato de shashin o okutte chōdai.
Send me the photo later.
私にも見せてちょうだい。
Watashi ni mo misete chōdai.
Show me too.
今は話しかけないでちょうだい。
Ima wa hanashikakenaide chōdai.
Please don’t talk to me right now.
もう一度チャンスをちょうだい。
Mō ichido chansu o chōdai.
Give me one more chance.
お願いだから、信じてちょうだい。
Onegai dakara, shinjite chōdai.
Please, believe me.
そのケーキ、半分ちょうだい。
Sono kēki, hanbun chōdai.
Give me half of that cake.
少し一人にしてちょうだい。
Sukoshi hitori ni shite chōdai.
Please leave me alone for a while.
FAQ About Choudai
What does choudai mean in English?
In casual Japanese, ちょうだい means “give me,” “can I have,” or “please do.” In formal Japanese, 頂戴する means “to humbly receive.”
Is choudai casual?
Yes. The request form ちょうだい is casual and familiar. It is most natural with family, close friends, partners, or children.
Is choudai rude?
It is not automatically rude, but it can sound overly familiar, childish, demanding, or patronizing when used with strangers or people of higher status.
Can men use choudai?
Yes. Men may use it playfully or intimately, although it can sound softer or more childlike than alternatives such as くれる？ or くれ.
Is choudai feminine?
Some uses, especially ～てちょうだい, can sound feminine, parental, or theatrical. However, the word is not restricted to women; the impression depends on the speaker, tone, and relationship.
What is the difference between choudai and kudasai?
ちょうだい is casual and familiar. ください is the standard polite form for asking for an item or action.
What is the difference between choudai and onegaishimasu?
ちょうだい is used casually with close people. お願いします is a polite request used for orders, services, choices, offers, and entrusted tasks.
How do you use choudai after a verb?
Attach it to the verb’s て-form: 見てちょうだい, “Show me,” or 待ってちょうだい, “Wait, please.”
How do you say “please don’t” with choudai?
Use ～ないでちょうだい, as in 触らないでちょうだい, “Please don’t touch it.” This form has a noticeable familiar, parental, feminine, or dramatic tone.
How do you pronounce choudai?
Pronounce it in four morae: ちょ・う・だ・い. The first vowel is long, and だ・い should remain two beats.
Should I write choudai in hiragana or kanji?
For a casual request, hiragana ちょうだい is common and beginner-friendly. The kanji 頂戴 is especially common in the formal verb 頂戴する.
Can I use choudai in a restaurant?
Staff will understand it, but it may sound too casual or familiar. Use ください or お願いします instead.
Summary: Choudai Meaning and Casual Usage
ちょうだい means “give me,” “can I have,” or “please do.”
● Asking for an item
[noun] + ちょうだい
水ちょうだい。
● Asking for an action
[verb て-form] + ちょうだい
見せてちょうだい。
● Negative request
[verb ない-form] + でちょうだい
触らないでちょうだい。
● Politeness
Casual and intimate; avoid as a default with strangers, staff, teachers, or supervisors.
● Possible impressions
Affectionate, childlike, playful, feminine, parental, theatrical, or commanding depending on tone.
● Choudai vs kudasai
ちょうだい = casual
ください = polite standard
● Formal meaning
頂戴する means “to humbly receive.”
When you are speaking to someone you do not know well, switch to ください or お願いします.
Related Article
If you want to compare all the common ways to make a request in Japanese in one place, see How to Ask for Something in Japanese: Polite and Casual Request Phrases.
References
- Digital Daijisen via goo Dictionary: 頂戴 — explains the humble meaning “to receive,” the casual request for an item, and the pattern ～てちょうだい.
- Kotobank: 頂戴 — gives the historical sense of respectfully raising something above the head and the later humble and request uses.
- Digital Daijisen via goo Dictionary: ください — explains ください as the request form used for objects and actions.