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 making it difficult to use those combinations of words for 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

toki pona

Meaning: the language of good by Sonja Lang

Alternatives: toki ni, toki pi jan Sonja, toki Tokipona

Notes: Same goes for sitelen pona and such.

tomo tawa

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

Meaning: alcoholic drink

Alternatives: telo pan, telo ike

jan pona

Meaning: friend

Alternatives: jan poka, jan olin (for close friends), jan mi

jan lili

Meaning: child

Alternatives: jan kili, jan sin

tenpo [suno/esun/mun/sike]

Meaning: day/week/month/year

Alternatives: sike []

Other

ma pona

Meaning: the Discord server ma pona pi toki pona

Alternatives: ma ni, ma pi suli nanpa wan, ma pi akesi Jan

jan sin

Meaning: newbie, especially in a toki pona context

Alternatives: jan pi kama sona, jan pi sona lili

nimi sin

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