Idioms
Idioms are very rare in Toki Pona due to the focus on clear speech.
jo e luka mute[edit | edit source]
| joelukamute | |
| Origin | Number system before numeric ale |
|---|---|
| Book | No book |
One early idiom is jo e luka mute (lit. 'to have many arms'), meaning "to be complicated". At the time of this idiom's coinage, luka was the highest-value number word, so big numbers would have many repetitions of luka.[1][2]
o moku e kala pona[edit | edit source]
Another idiom is o moku e kala pona (omekapo for short; lit. 'eat (a) good fish') which is used as a farewell.[3] It is taken from a message that jan Sonja signed in jan Maliku's copy of pu.
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ jan Sonja (21 May 2002). "Compounds". Toki Pona Forums. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ↑ jan Sonja [@sonjalang]. (16 November 2022). Message in
#sona-musi. ma pona pi toki pona. Discord. Retrieved 12 October 2023. "luka was the highest number at the time, so big numbers were like luka luka luka luka luka luka luka wan[.] hence the idiom, ona li jo e luka mute, it is complicated". - ↑ kala pona Tonyu. (23 January 2021). "omekapo". lipu kule. Retrieved 20 October 2023.