Nonstandard color words

	nalanja
Pronunciation	/ˈna.lan.ja//j/ sounds like English Y, as in "fjord" or "hallelujah".
Usage	2023: Obscure (3% ↗︎ ) Most speakers don't understand this word.2022: Obscure (1%)
Book and era	No book (post-ku)
Part of speech	Content word

	unu
Pronunciation	/ˈu.nu/;
Usage	2023: Obscure44-category system, Rare66-category system (16% ↗︎ ) Most speakers don't use this word.2022: Rare (12%)
Book and era	nimi ku lili (post-pu)
Part of speech	Content word

	kapesi
Pronunciation	/ˈka.pe.si/;
Usage	2023: Obscure44-category system, Rare66-category system (19% ↗︎ ) Most speakers don't use this word.2022: Rare (14%)
Book and era	nimi ku lili (pre-pu)
Part of speech	Content word

The subject of this article is nonstandard and will not be understood by most speakers.

If you are a learner, this information will not help you speak the language. It is recommended to familiarize yourself with the standard style, and to be informed and selective about which nonstandard styles you adopt.

Toki Pona speakers have coined several nonstandard color words.

kapesi

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When was it coined? Where is the earliest source of this word?

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kapesi is an obscure, pre-pu nimi ku lili for brown and gray.^[1] It is derived from either Cantonese 咖啡色 (gaa³ fe¹ sik¹) or Mandarin 咖啡色 (kāfēisè), meaning "brown" (literally, "coffee color").

In practice, it is more commonly used for browns than grays, because browns are usually hard to describe with pu words, while grays can easily be described as pimeja walo ("light black") or walo pimeja ("dark white").

unu

unu is a an obscure, post-pu nimi ku lili for purple and purple–adjacent colors, including violets, and sometimes magentas and indigos.^[2] It was coined by jan Sonja in 2020 and is derived from Indonesian ungu.^[3]

nalanja

nalanja is an obscure word and nimi sin for orange and similar colors. It was derived from Spanish naranja, meaning "orange". Similar words include analanjato, jole, and lejo.

There are several sitelen pona glyph for nalanja. The main glyph (nalanja), as shown in the available fonts by jan Lepeka, is composed of glyph for kili above the color triangle radical. Other variations include the following glyphs:

Glyph with semicircle above color radical, used in sitelen seli kiwen until December 2023
Glyph as combination of loje and jelo, proposed by tonsi Losi
Glyph with seli above color radical
Glyph with emitters above color radical, proposed by ma Seli
Glyph with an apple above color radical, drawn by kili Pami
Glyph with two circles divided into sections

In an article for lipu tenpo nanpa sewi, kapesi Pake advocated for the glyph composed of glyph for kili and the color radical.

peta

peta

Pronunciation	/ˈpe.ta/
Usage	2023: Obscure (2% ↗︎ ) Most speakers don't understand this word.2022: Obscure (1%)
Book and era	No book (post-pu)
Part of speech	Content word

peta is an obscure word intended for green and green–adjacent colors, as well as meanings related to verdancy, liveliness, and eco-friendliness.^[4] It was coined by kili Tesa in 2019, and is derived from Esperanto verda, meaning "green".

References

↑ Lang, Sonja. (18 July 2021). Toki Pona Dictionary. Illustrated by Vacon Sartirani. Tawhid. ISBN 978-0978292362. p. 242.
↑ Lang, Sonja. (18 July 2021). Toki Pona Dictionary. Illustrated by Vacon Sartirani. Tawhid. ISBN 978-0978292362. p. 382.
↑ jan Sonja [@sonjalang]. (23 December 2020). [Message posted in the #toki-pona channel in the ma pona pi toki pona Discord server]. Discord. "ken la nimi sin li unu tan nimi ungu pi toki Intonesija".
↑ kili Tesa [@jezzzzzzzzzz]. (9 November 2019). [Message posted in the #pana-sona channel in the ma pona pi toki pona Discord server]. Discord.

[1] Lang, Sonja. (18 July 2021). Toki Pona Dictionary. Illustrated by Vacon Sartirani. Tawhid. ISBN 978-0978292362. p. 242.

[2] Lang, Sonja. (18 July 2021). Toki Pona Dictionary. Illustrated by Vacon Sartirani. Tawhid. ISBN 978-0978292362. p. 382.

[3] Sonja [@sonjalang]. (23 December 2020). [Message posted in the #toki-pona channel in the ma pona pi toki pona Discord server]. Discord. "ken la nimi sin li unu tan nimi ungu pi toki Intonesija".

[4] Tesa [@jezzzzzzzzzz]. (9 November 2019). [Message posted in the #pana-sona channel in the ma pona pi toki pona Discord server]. Discord.

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Part of a series on Colors
kule
Core tonespimeja (dark) · walo (light)Core huesloje (red) · jelo (yellow) · laso (grue)
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Nonstandard color words