What does it mean word for word?
ご飯 (gohan) literally means "cooked rice" but is used more broadly to mean "meal" or "food". ちょうだい (choudai) is a casual way to ask for something to be given to the speaker, meaning "give me".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ご飯ちょうだい is a very casual expression. In polite or formal situations, you should replace it with ご飯をください. For a formal request that can broadly refer to any type of meal or food, you can use ご飯をお願いします, where お願いします means "please". Other informal variations include 飯ちょうだい, often used with friends or family and 飯くれ, which is used among close friends but can sound demanding.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Hiroshima Dialect, you can say ご飯もってきてくれぇ to ask for food.
How does it change in a sentence?
In casual speech, the particle を (o) is often omitted between the noun ご飯 and the verb ちょうだい.
How do you pronounce it?
gohan choudai
Did you know?
- In Japan, it is common to say いただきます (itadakimasu) before eating the food you requested. This phrase literally means 'I humbly receive' and acknowledges the sacrifice of the plants and animals that provided the meal.
- Using the variation 飯くれ (meshi kure) can sound aggressive or masculine. In anime and manga, this specific phrasing is often used to signal that a character is a 'tough guy' or a delinquent.
- The phrase ちょうだい (choudai) has a nuance that can sound particularly 'cute' or 'childlike' depending on the speaker's tone. Because it is a soft, non-assertive way to ask, it is frequently used by children or in an affectionate manner between partners.
Examples in context
- お腹すいた、ご飯ちょうだい。onaka suita, gohan choudai.I'm hungry, give me food.
- ねえ、ご飯ちょうだい！nee, gohan choudai!Hey, give me food!
- 何かご飯ちょうだい。nanika gohan choudai.Give me some food.
Example conversation
A brother is asking his sister for a snack in the living room.
- 大翔 Hiroto美咲、ご飯ちょうだい。Misaki, gohan choudai.Misaki, give me food.
- 美咲 Misaki今はまだ作ってないよ。ima wa mada tsukutte nai yo.I haven't made it yet.
- 大翔 Hirotoじゃあ、お菓子ちょうだい。jaa, okashi choudai.Then, give me some sweets.
- 美咲 Misakiダメだよ、大翔。dame da yo, Hiroto.No, Hiroto.
