Frequently asked questions
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This page links frequently asked questions about Toki Pona to relevant articles.
General[edit | edit source]
- What is Toki Pona?
- Is Toki Pona a real language? Yes.
- How fast can you learn Toki Pona? There are some bold claims about this. Learning any language takes time and practice. Proficiency might take a few months, and fluency can take longer. You'll learn faster by practicing with other speakers, who can also catch mistakes.
- How many words does Toki Pona have? Depends. Toki Pona: The Language of Good (2014) advertises 120 words. Toki Pona Dictionary (2021) advertises "137 essential words". As of 2023, 135 words are in common use.
- What is the philosophy of Toki Pona?
- If Toki Pona is minimalistic, why does it have…?
- Is Toki Pona trying to replace other languages?
- Is Toki Pona an international auxiliary language, like Esperanto?
- Is Toki Pona like Newspeak from Nineteen Eighty-Four?
- Where can I learn Toki Pona?
- What do all of the grammatical terms mean?
Grammar[edit | edit source]
- What order do words go in?
- How do particles like li / o, e, pi, and la work?
- How do you say "and"? Repeat the corresponding particle. Between multiple subjects, use en.
- How does anu work?
- How do you ask questions in Toki Pona?
- How do prepositions work?
- Is kepeken e correct? Debatably. It's uncommon. Be careful putting e after prepositions: it turns them into transitive verbs, changing their meaning.
- How do preverbs work?
Vocabulary[edit | edit source]
- How do you say "please"?
- How do you say "hello" and "goodbye" / "thank you" / "sorry"? Toki Pona: The Language of Good gives some example phrases. You can create other options for specific situations.
- What is the word / phrase for…? There aren't fixed phrases for most concepts, by design. Describe things dynamically, and refer back to those descriptions.
- What would this phrase mean?
- Can I coin a new word for…? A few extra words have entered common use, but you should be proficient before proposing big changes. Communication takes two, so expect to define rare words with the core vocabulary, and to explain the purpose or benefit of using them.
Expression[edit | edit source]
- How do you talk about things without their own words? Think about what it means to you. If you don't understand it well enough, research! Break it down into as many full sentences as you need.
- How do I fit this idea into a sentence?
- How do I choose a name in Toki Pona?
Usage[edit | edit source]
- Give me a break. Show me the bibliography.
- Show me the speaking language community.
- Is Toki Pona really practical for everyday use / emergencies / technical applications?
- Is Toki Pona on Duolingo? No (as of November 2023), but there are Duolingo-like resources.
- What makes for good handwriting or fonts for sitelen pona? What are some ideas for formatting it well?
- I've learned the basics. What's next?
See also[edit | edit source]
Development and usage | jan Sonja · Toki Pona: The Language of Good (2014) · Tokiponidos · Software (Tools · Fonts) · suno pi toki pona · Toki Pona census · Toki Pona Dictionary (2021) · UCSUR · Linku · ISO 639-3 |
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Conventions | Phonology (Phonotactics) · Words (Tokiponization) · Grammar (Word order) · Social conventions · Writing systems (sitelen Lasina · sitelen pona · sitelen sitelen) · luka pona (sign language) · Number systems · Calendar systems · Styles (Category:pu · pu-rism · Category:ku · Nonstandard) |
Philosophy | Minimalism · Context · Circumlocution · Expression · Lexicalization · Multiple sentences · Comparisons |
Resources | Frequently asked questions · Courses · Dictionaries · Cheat sheets · Visual aids · Communities · Websites · Media |