～て頂戴(ちょうだい)Please do

て頂戴(ちょうだい) is a phrase that is used to make a request of someone, normally someone who has a very close relationship with the speaker or someone who is in a social position below the speaker. It is formed by taking the て form of a verb and then attaching 頂戴(ちょうだい), originally a humble word that can be used to mean 'receiving', 'eating' or 'drinking'.

Although 頂戴(ちょうだい) can be used as a humble word in other contexts, when attached to the て form of a verb, this phrase is most often used informally, such as among family members. It is sometimes considered a more feminine version of てください.

Caution

Sometimes 頂戴(ちょうだい) will be used with nouns or on its own as an informal demand, similar to 'gimme!' in English. This nuance will often be written in hiragana, not kanji, and can sound childish.

Fun Fact

When used as a humble word in more formal contexts, 頂戴(ちょうだい) will normally be used as a する verb. This meaning is more likely to be written in kanji, not hiragana.