Toki Pona

Toki Pona is a constructed language created by Canadian linguist and translator Sonja Lang in 2001. It's an experiment to see how minimalist a language can get.

Learn more on the official Toki Pona website.

This page is based on the cheat sheet created by blinry, CC0.

Alphabet

Toki Pona uses nine consonants (j k l m n p s t w) and five vowels (a e i o u). Pronounciation doesn't really matter.

Basic sentences

The particle li separates the subject and the verb:

soweli li moku. = The cat is eating.

jan li lape. = The person is sleeping.

There is no verb "to be"; the part after li can also be a noun or an adjective.

kili li moku. = Fruits are food.

telo li pona. = Water is good.

telo li moku. = Water is a drink.

If the subject is mi or sina, the li is always omitted:

mi moku. = I eat.

sina pona. = You are good.

Ambiguity

Toki Pona has a lot of ambiguity. You'll often need to know the context to decide what things mean. For example, verbs have no tense:

mi moku. = I am eating. / I was eating. / I will be eating.

Many words have multiple or general meanings:

soweli = cat / dog / (any land mammal)

kili = (any fruit or vegetable)

Many words can play the role of a noun, adjective, or verb:

telo = water / wet / to wash

pona = good, simple / to fix, to repair

Nouns have no singular / plural, and no definite / indefinite article:

kili = a fruit / the fruit / some fruits / the fruits

Direct objects

The particle e separates a direct object from the rest of the sentence:

soweli li moku e telo. = The cat drinks the water.

mi telo e soweli. = I'm washing the cat.

Modifying words

Words can be modified by appending other words:

jan lili = small human = child

tomo mi = my house

pilin pona = to feel good = to be happy

Negation

To negate a word, append ala:

mi lape ala. = I'm not sleeping.

jan ala li toki. = Nobody is talking.

Questions

To ask yes-or-no questions, replace the verb with "(verb) ala (verb)":

sina ken ala ken lape? = Are you able to sleep?

soweli li wile ala wile moku? = Is the cat hungry?

Alternatively, append anu seme ("or what") to the sentence:

sina wile uta e mi anu seme? = Do you want to kiss me?

To answer these questions, reply with either "(verb)" or "(verb) ala".

To ask questions that can't be answered with yes or no, write a normal sentence and replace the word in question with seme:

sina moku e seme? = What are you eating?

seme li moku e kili mi? = Who/what ate my fruit?

Modifying words using pi

To modify an expression with a group of words, separate them with the particle pi. It can often be thought of as "of". Note the difference:

tomo telo nasa = crazy water house = strange bathroom

tomo pi telo nasa = house of the crazy water = pub

jan wawa ala = no strong people

jan pi wawa ala = people of not- strong = weak people

Providing context using la

To add a context to a sentence, prepend another sentence or expression, followed by la. This often results in a structure like "If (part 1), then (part 2)" or "In the context of (part 1), (part2)."

mi lape la ali li pona. = When I'm asleep, everything is okay.

Time

You can use a la-clause to add a temporal context to a sentence:

tenpo ni la mi lape. = I am sleeping right now.

tenpo kama la mi lape. = I will be sleeping in the future.

tenpo pini la mi lape. = I slept in the past.

Compound sentences

Separate multiple subjects in a sentence using en:

lape en moku li suli. = Sleep and food are important.

To say that the subject does more than one thing, you can use multiple li-clauses:

pipi li moku li pakala. = The bug eats and destroys.

If there are several direct objects of the same verb, you can use multiple e-clauses:

mimokuekilietelo.=I consume fruit and water.

Unofficial words

Unofficial words (like names of countries, languages, or people) are capitalized and treated like adjectives. They are attached to a noun, and often simplified to Toki Pona's limited alphabet:

mi jan Kapile. = I'm Gabriele.

ma Kanata li pona lukin. = Canada is pretty.

mi toki ala e toki Inli. = I don't speak English.

ma tomo Nujoka li suli. = New York is big.

Prepositions

lon, kepeken, tawa, and tan can be used as prepositions at the end of a sentence:

mi moku lon tomo. = I eat in the house.

mi moku kepeken ilo moku. = I eat using a fork.

sina pona tawa mi. = You are good for me. = I like you.

sina tawa weka tan seme? = Why are you leaving?

Commands

To state a command, use o and then what you want the person to do:

o lukin e ni! = Look at this!

To address someone, start a sentence with "(person) o,":

jan Malin o, sina pona lukin. = Malin, you are pretty.

You can also use this together with a command, merging the two o's:

jan San o tawa tomo sina. = Sam, go home.

Numbers

Combine number words to add them up:

wan=1 tu=2 luka=5 luka luka tu wan = 13

And... that's it!

SORTED BY ALPHA

a
a PARTICLE (emphasis, emotion or confirmation)
akesi NOUN non-cute animal; reptile, amphibian
ala ADJECTIVE no, not
ala NUMBER zero
alasa VERB to hunt, forage
ali ADJECTIVE all; abundant, countless, bountiful, every, plentiful
ali NOUN abundance, everything, life, universe
ali NUMBER 100
anpa ADJECTIVE bowing down, downward, humble, lowly, dependent
ante ADJECTIVE different, altered, changed, other
anu PARTICLE or
awen ADJECTIVE enduring, kept, protected, safe, waiting, staying
awen PRE-VERB to continue to
e
e PARTICLE (before the direct object)
en PARTICLE (between multiple subjects)
esun NOUN market, shop, fair, bazaar, business transaction
i
ijo NOUN thing, phenomenon, object, matter
ike ADJECTIVE bad, negative; non-essential, irrelevant
ilo NOUN tool, implement, machine, device
insa NOUN centre, content, inside, between; internal organ, stomach
j
jaki ADJECTIVE disgusting, obscene, sickly, toxic, unclean, unsanitary
jan NOUN human being, person, somebody
jelo ADJECTIVE yellow, yellowish
jo VERB to have, carry, contain, hold
k
kala NOUN fish, marine animal, sea creature
kalama VERB to produce a sound; recite, utter aloud
kama ADJECTIVE arriving, coming, future, summoned
kama PRE-VERB to become, manage to, succeed in
kasi NOUN plant, vegetation; herb, leaf
ken ADJECTIVE possible
ken PRE-VERB to be able to, be allowed to, can, may
kepeken PREPOSITION to use, with, by means of
kili NOUN fruit, vegetable, mushroom
kin ADJECTIVE indeed, still, too
kiwen NOUN hard object, metal, rock, stone
ko NOUN clay, clinging form, dough, semi-solid, paste, powder
kon NOUN air, breath; essence, spirit; hidden reality, unseen agent
kule ADJECTIVE colourful, pigmented, painted
kulupu NOUN community, company, group, nation, society, tribe
kute NOUN ear
kute VERB to hear, listen; pay attention to, obey
l
la PARTICLE (between the context phrase and the main sentence)
lape ADJECTIVE sleeping, resting
laso ADJECTIVE blue, green
lawa NOUN head, mind
lawa VERB to control, direct, guide, lead, own, plan, regulate, rule
len NOUN cloth, clothing, fabric, textile; cover, layer of privacy
lete ADJECTIVE cold, cool; uncooked, raw
li PARTICLE (between any subject except mi alone or sina alone and its VERB; also to introduce a new VERB for the same subject)
lili ADJECTIVE little, small, short; few; a bit; young
linja NOUN long and flexible thing; cord, hair, rope, thread, yarn
lipu NOUN flat object; book, document, card, paper, record, website
loje ADJECTIVE red, reddish
lon PREPOSITION located at, present at, real, true, existing
luka NOUN arm, hand, tactile organ
luka NUMBER five
lukin PRE-VERB to seek, look for, try to
lukin VERB to look at, see, examine, observe, read, watch
lupa NOUN door, hole, orifice, window
m
ma NOUN earth, land; outdoors, world; country, territory; soil
mama NOUN parent, ancestor; creator, originator; caretaker, sustainer
mani NOUN money, cash, savings, wealth; large domesticated animal
meli NOUN woman, female, feminine person; wife
mi NOUN I, me, we, us
mije NOUN man, male, masculine person; husband
moku VERB to eat, drink, consume, swallow, ingest
moli ADJECTIVE dead, dying
monsi NOUN back, behind, rear
mu PARTICLE (animal noise or communication)
mun NOUN moon, night sky object, star
musi ADJECTIVE artistic, entertaining, frivolous, playful, recreational
mute ADJECTIVE many, a lot, more, much, several, very
mute NOUN quantity
n
namako NOUN spice, something extra
nanpa NOUN numbers
nanpa PARTICLE -th (ordinal number)
nasa ADJECTIVE unusual, strange; foolish, crazy; drunk, intoxicated
nasin NOUN way, custom, doctrine, method, path, road
nena NOUN bump, button, hill, mountain, nose, protuberance
ni ADJECTIVE that, this
nimi NOUN name, word
noka NOUN foot, leg, organ of locomotion; bottom, lower part
o
o PARTICLE hey! O! (vocative or imperative)
oko NOUN eye
olin VERB to love, have compassion for, respect, show affection to
ona NOUN he, she, it, they
open VERB to begin, start; open; turn on
p
pakala ADJECTIVE botched, broken, damaged, harmed, messed up
pali VERB to do, take action on, work on; build, make, prepare
palisa NOUN long hard thing; branch, rod, stick
pan NOUN cereal, grain; barley, corn, oat, rice, wheat; bread, pasta
pana VERB to give, send, emit, provide, put, release
pi PARTICLE of
pilin ADJECTIVE feeling (an emotion, a direct experience)
pilin NOUN heart (physical or emotional)
pimeja ADJECTIVE black, dark, unlit
pini ADJECTIVE ago, completed, ended, finished, past
pipi NOUN bug, insect, ant, spider
poka NOUN hip, side; next to, nearby, vicinity
poki NOUN container, bag, bowl, box, cup, cupboard, drawer, vessel
pona ADJECTIVE good, positive, useful; friendly, peaceful; simple
pu ADJECTIVE interacting with the official Toki Pona book
s
sama ADJECTIVE same, similar; each other; sibling, peer, fellow
sama PREPOSITION as, like
seli ADJECTIVE fire; cooking element, chemical reaction, heat source
selo NOUN outer form, outer layer; bark, peel, shell, skin; boundary
seme PARTICLE what? which?
sewi ADJECTIVE awe-inspiring, divine, sacred, supernatural
sewi NOUN area above, highest part, something elevated
sijelo NOUN body (of person or animal), physical state, torso
sike ADJECTIVE of one year
sike NOUN round or circular thing; ball, circle, cycle, sphere, wheel
sin ADJECTIVE new, another, more
sina NOUN you
sinpin NOUN face, foremost, front, wall
sitelen NOUN image, picture, representation, symbol, mark, writing
sona PRE-VERB to know how to
sona VERB to know, be skilled in, be wise about, have information on
soweli NOUN animal, beast, land mammal
suli ADJECTIVE big, heavy, large, long, tall; important; adult
suno NOUN sun; light, brightness, glow, radiance, shine; light source
supa NOUN horizontal surface, thing to put or rest something on
suwi ADJECTIVE sweet, fragrant; cute, innocent, adorable
t
tan PREPOSITION by, from, because of
taso ADJECTIVE only
taso PARTICLE but, however
tawa ADJECTIVE moving
tawa PREPOSITION going to, toward; for; from the perspective of
telo NOUN water, liquid, fluid, wet substance; beverage
tenpo NOUN time, duration, moment, occasion, period, situation
toki VERB to communicate, say, speak, say, talk, use language, think
tomo NOUN indoor space; building, home, house, room
tu NUMBER two
u
uta NOUN mouth, lips, oral cavity, jaw
utala VERB to battle, challenge, compete against, struggle against
w
walo ADJECTIVE white, whitish; light-coloured, pale
wan ADJECTIVE unique, united
wan NUMBER one
waso NOUN bird, flying creature, winged animal
wawa ADJECTIVE strong, powerful; confident, sure; energetic, intense
weka ADJECTIVE absent, away, ignored
wile PRE-VERB must, need, require, should, want, wish

SORTED BY TYPE

adjective
ala ADJECTIVE no, not, zero
ali ADJECTIVE all; abundant, countless, bountiful, every, plentiful
anpa ADJECTIVE bowing down, downward, humble, lowly, dependent
ante ADJECTIVE different, altered, changed, other
awen ADJECTIVE enduring, kept, protected, safe, waiting, staying
ike ADJECTIVE bad, negative; non-essential, irrelevant
jaki ADJECTIVE disgusting, obscene, sickly, toxic, unclean, unsanitary
jelo ADJECTIVE yellow, yellowish
kama ADJECTIVE arriving, coming, future, summoned
ken ADJECTIVE possible
kin ADJECTIVE indeed, still, too
kule ADJECTIVE colourful, pigmented, painted
lape ADJECTIVE sleeping, resting
laso ADJECTIVE blue, green
lete ADJECTIVE cold, cool; uncooked, raw
lili ADJECTIVE little, small, short; few; a bit; young
loje ADJECTIVE red, reddish
moli ADJECTIVE dead, dying
musi ADJECTIVE artistic, entertaining, frivolous, playful, recreational
mute ADJECTIVE many, a lot, more, much, several, very
nasa ADJECTIVE unusual, strange; foolish, crazy; drunk, intoxicated
ni ADJECTIVE that, this
pakala ADJECTIVE botched, broken, damaged, harmed, messed up
pilin ADJECTIVE feeling (an emotion, a direct experience)
pimeja ADJECTIVE black, dark, unlit
pini ADJECTIVE ago, completed, ended, finished, past
pona ADJECTIVE good, positive, useful; friendly, peaceful; simple
pu ADJECTIVE interacting with the official Toki Pona book
sama ADJECTIVE same, similar; each other; sibling, peer, fellow
seli ADJECTIVE fire; cooking element, chemical reaction, heat source
sewi ADJECTIVE awe-inspiring, divine, sacred, supernatural
sike ADJECTIVE of one year
sin ADJECTIVE new, another, more
suli ADJECTIVE big, heavy, large, long, tall; important; adult
suwi ADJECTIVE sweet, fragrant; cute, innocent, adorable
taso ADJECTIVE only
tawa ADJECTIVE moving
walo ADJECTIVE white, whitish; light-coloured, pale
wan ADJECTIVE unique, united
wawa ADJECTIVE strong, powerful; confident, sure; energetic, intense
weka ADJECTIVE absent, away, ignored
noun
akesi NOUN non-cute animal; reptile, amphibian
ali NOUN abundance, everything, life, universe
esun NOUN market, shop, fair, bazaar, business transaction
ijo NOUN thing, phenomenon, object, matter
ilo NOUN tool, implement, machine, device
insa NOUN centre, content, inside, between; internal organ, stomach
jan NOUN human being, person, somebody
kala NOUN fish, marine animal, sea creature
kasi NOUN plant, vegetation; herb, leaf
kili NOUN fruit, vegetable, mushroom
kiwen NOUN hard object, metal, rock, stone
ko NOUN clay, clinging form, dough, semi-solid, paste, powder
kon NOUN air, breath; essence, spirit; hidden reality, unseen agent
kulupu NOUN community, company, group, nation, society, tribe
kute NOUN ear
lawa NOUN head, mind
len NOUN cloth, clothing, fabric, textile; cover, layer of privacy
linja NOUN long and flexible thing; cord, hair, rope, thread, yarn
lipu NOUN flat object; book, document, card, paper, record, website
luka NOUN arm, hand, tactile organ
lupa NOUN door, hole, orifice, window
ma NOUN earth, land; outdoors, world; country, territory; soil
mama NOUN parent, ancestor; creator, originator; caretaker, sustainer
mani NOUN money, cash, savings, wealth; large domesticated animal
meli NOUN woman, female, feminine person; wife
mi NOUN I, me, we, us
mije NOUN man, male, masculine person; husband
monsi NOUN back, behind, rear
mun NOUN moon, night sky object, star
mute NOUN quantity
namako NOUN spice, something extra
nanpa NOUN numbers
nasin NOUN way, custom, doctrine, method, path, road
nena NOUN bump, button, hill, mountain, nose, protuberance
nimi NOUN name, word
noka NOUN foot, leg, organ of locomotion; bottom, lower part
oko NOUN eye
ona NOUN he, she, it, they
palisa NOUN long hard thing; branch, rod, stick
pan NOUN cereal, grain; barley, corn, oat, rice, wheat; bread, pasta
pilin NOUN heart (physical or emotional)
pipi NOUN bug, insect, ant, spider
poka NOUN hip, side; next to, nearby, vicinity
poki NOUN container, bag, bowl, box, cup, cupboard, drawer, vessel
selo NOUN outer form, outer layer; bark, peel, shell, skin; boundary
sewi NOUN area above, highest part, something elevated
sijelo NOUN body (of person or animal), physical state, torso
sike NOUN round or circular thing; ball, circle, cycle, sphere, wheel
sina NOUN you
sinpin NOUN face, foremost, front, wall
sitelen NOUN image, picture, representation, symbol, mark, writing
soweli NOUN animal, beast, land mammal
suno NOUN sun; light, brightness, glow, radiance, shine; light source
supa NOUN horizontal surface, thing to put or rest something on
telo NOUN water, liquid, fluid, wet substance; beverage
tenpo NOUN time, duration, moment, occasion, period, situation
tomo NOUN indoor space; building, home, house, room
uta NOUN mouth, lips, oral cavity, jaw
waso NOUN bird, flying creature, winged animal
number
ala NUMBER zero
ali NUMBER 100
luka NUMBER five
tu NUMBER two
wan NUMBER one
particle
a PARTICLE (emphasis, emotion or confirmation)
anu PARTICLE or
e PARTICLE (before the direct object)
en PARTICLE (between multiple subjects)
la PARTICLE (between the context phrase and the main sentence)
li PARTICLE (between any subject except mi alone or sina alone and its VERB; also to introduce a new VERB for the same subject)
mu PARTICLE (animal noise or communication)
nanpa PARTICLE -th (ordinal number)
o PARTICLE hey! O! (vocative or imperative)
pi PARTICLE of
seme PARTICLE what? which?
taso PARTICLE but, however
preposition
kepeken PREPOSITION to use, with, by means of
lon PREPOSITION located at, present at, real, true, existing
sama PREPOSITION as, like
tan PREPOSITION by, from, because of
tawa PREPOSITION going to, toward; for; from the perspective of
verb & pre-verb
awen PRE-VERB to continue to
kama PRE-VERB to become, manage to, succeed in
ken PRE-VERB to be able to, be allowed to, can, may
lukin PRE-VERB to seek, look for, try to
sona PRE-VERB to know how to
wile PRE-VERB must, need, require, should, want, wish
alasa VERB to hunt, forage
jo VERB to have, carry, contain, hold
kalama VERB to produce a sound; recite, utter aloud
kute VERB to hear, listen; pay attention to, obey
lawa VERB to control, direct, guide, lead, own, plan, regulate, rule
lukin VERB to look at, see, examine, observe, read, watch
moku VERB to eat, drink, consume, swallow, ingest
olin VERB to love, have compassion for, respect, show affection to
open VERB to begin, start; open; turn on
pali VERB to do, take action on, work on; build, make, prepare
pana VERB to give, send, emit, provide, put, release
sona VERB to know, be skilled in, be wise about, have information on
toki VERB to communicate, say, speak, say, talk, use language, think
utala VERB to battle, challenge, compete against, struggle against

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