Common lexicalizations
An important part of toki pona philosophy is that the speaker must think about what something is at its core before they can talk about it. Fixed phrases for specific things (also known as lexicalizations) are frowned upon, as they sidestep that aspect, while also forcing other speakers to memorize such combinations and making it difficult to use them to refer to other things. Nonetheless, some lexicalizations do creep into common usage. This page aims to catalog them and provide ideas for alternatives (which doesn't mean you shouldn't try to think of your own).
Featured in pu[edit | edit source]
toki pona[edit | edit source]
Meaning: the language of good by Sonja Lang
Alternatives: toki ni, toki pi jan Sonja, toki lili, toki pi nimi lili
Notes: Same goes for sitelen pona and such.
tomo tawa[edit | edit source]
Meaning: car
Alternatives: ilo tawa, poki tawa, soweli ilo
Notes: Funnily enough, pu uses this as part of a call not to lexicalize, proposing ilo tawa from the perspective of a driver and kiwen tawa for a near-hit pedestrian.
telo nasa[edit | edit source]
Meaning: alcoholic drink
Alternatives: telo pan, telo ike, telo pona
jan pona[edit | edit source]
Meaning: friend
Alternatives: jan poka, jan olin (for close friends), jan mi
jan lili[edit | edit source]
Meaning: child
Alternatives: jan kili (if as in offspring), jan sin (if as in young)
Time phrases[edit | edit source]
tenpo [suno/esun/mun/sike][edit | edit source]
Meaning: day/week/month/year
Alternatives: sike [], []
tenpo pini[edit | edit source]
Meaning: past
Alternatives: tenpo majuna, tenpo tan, tenpo weka
tenpo ni[edit | edit source]
Meaning: present
Alternatives: tenpo lon, tenpo mi
tenpo kama[edit | edit source]
Meaning: future
Alternatives: tenpo sin, tenpo tawa, tenpo pi sona ala
Other[edit | edit source]
ma pona[edit | edit source]
Meaning: the Discord server ma pona pi toki pona
Alternatives: ma ni, ma pi suli nanpa wan, ma pi akesi Jan
jan sin[edit | edit source]
Meaning: newbie, especially in a toki pona context
Alternatives: jan pi kama sona, jan pi sona lili
nimi sin[edit | edit source]
Meaning: word created after pu/ku, or worse: any word not in a given official set (including ones created before it)
Alternatives: nimi namako, nimi pi [pu/ku] ala, nimi nasa
kasi nasa[edit | edit source]
Meaning: marijuana and its derivatives such as edibles, vapes
Alternatives: moku nasa, moku pi lawa weka, kasi pi pilin nasa, kasi pi wile moku
pana sona[edit | edit source]
Meaning: to teach, teaching, education
Alternatives: "mi pana e sona," "sina kama sona tan mi"
soweli tomo[edit | edit source]
Meaning: pet
Alternatives: soweli pona, soweli poka, soweli mi, soweli jan
ken la[edit | edit source]
Meaning: maybe
Alternatives: ni li ken