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[[Toki Pona]] has very few phatic expressions, and actively tries to avoid them in favor of more explicit and context-specific expressions. Because phatic phrases are automatic, not only would they be a form of [[lexicalization]], but they would ring hollow. Instead, experimentation is encouraged.
==
Toki Pona is often described as "polite by default", because it has no modes of speech that automatically relay politeness. But a better description is that it's <em>sincere</em> by default. Speakers are expected to say what they mean and mean what they say. Being direct, clear, and sincere <em>is</em> what constitutes polite speech. Toki Pona is already vague, and when that's combined with phrases that talk <em>around</em> an idea rather than describe it honestly, it can cause confusion. Indirect or euphemistic speech becomes even more unclear.
==
===
An interjection often used for greeting is
{|class="wikitable" style="background:transparent;"
!Situation
!Possible phrase
|-
|Joining an existing group or conversation
|{{Example|mi lon!|I exist!|mi lon}}
|-
|Reacting to someone joining
|{{Example|sina lon!|You exist!|sina lon}}
|-
|Signaling your presence
|rowspan="2"|{{Example|mu!|3=mu}}
|-
|When other people go {{tp|mu}}
|-
|rowspan="2"|Getting people's attention
|{{Example|sina o!|Hey you!|sina o}}
|-
|{{Example|[[Names|<nowiki>[</nowiki>''name''<nowiki>]</nowiki>]] o!|Hey [''name'']! (if known)|3=<span style="opacity:0.5;">ijo [ijo]</span>o}}
|-
|colspan="2"|No situation <em>requires</em> a greeting, so just jumping into the conversation is valid.
|}
In practice, greetings tend to not be about the time of the day.
A good conversation starter is
===
When you are leaving a conversation, you can indicate this by describing what you are doing that will stop you from talking further. Some examples:
{|class="wikitable" style="background:transparent;"
!Situation
!Possible phrase
|-
|Leaving for somewhere else
|{{Example|mi tawa!|I go!|mi tawa}}
|-
|Taking a break or going to bed
|{{Example|mi lape!|I sleep!|mi lape}}
|-
|Beginning or resuming work
|{{Example|mi pali!|I work!|mi pali}}
|-
|Noticing that you should be getting food
|{{Example|mi o moku!|I should eat!|mi o moku}}
|-
|When your game starts
|{{Example|musi mi li open!|My game started!|musi mi li open}}
|-
|colspan="2"|You can also just depart.
|}
Often, others will respond to this indication with a related well-wishing—
===
Wishes can generally be formulated with {{tp|[[o]]}}. They can also be expressed through a sentence fragment, often by adding {{tp|pona}} at the end of a phrase.
{|class="wikitable" style="background:transparent;"
!Situation
!colspan="3"|Possible phrases
|-
|Responding to {{tp|mi tawa}}
|{{Example|o tawa pona!|Go well!|o tawa pona}}
|{{Example|tawa pona!|Bon voyage!|tawa pona}}
|-
|Responding to {{tp|mi lape}}
|{{Example|o lape pona!|Sleep well!|o lape pona}}
|{{Example|lape pona!|Good sleep!|lape pona}}
|-
|Responding to {{tp|mi o moku}}
|{{Example|o moku e moku pona!|Eat good food!|o moku e moku pona}}
|{{Example|o moku pona!|Eat well!|o moku pona}}
|{{Example|moku pona!|Happy eating!|moku pona}}
|}
===Gratitude and compliments===
Often, the best way to express gratitude is by literally stating what you are thankful for. For example:
{|class="wikitable" style="background:transparent;"
!Situation
!Possible phrase
|-
|For someone's teaching
|{{Example|sina pona tan pana sona.|You are good because of giving of knowledge.}}
|-
|That someone gave a present
|{{Example|sina pana e ijo pona la sina pona.|You gave something good so you are good.}}
|}
A useful mindset to employ here is [//fearofletterwriting.tumblr.com/post/130404141351/specific-positivity specific positive feedback]. Vague praise is easily doubted or deflected as a platitude. You can give specific details to convince the other person that they are worthy of your compliment.
There are some common short phrases that can roughly correspond to "thanks". These include
===
In English, "sorry" is used for multiple social functions. You can use it to apologize, but also to express sympathy with someone else's misfortune. Toki Pona has nothing that combines these meanings. Instead, you would express the idea more directly.
====
{{
====
A common way is to recognize or mention your mistake, such as:
{{Example|pakala mi!|My mistake! / My bad!|pakala mi}}
{{Example|a, mi pakala!|Oh, I messed up!|a mi pakala}}
You can emphasize this by specifying what your mistake was:
====
Some errors are not as insignificant and warrant a more detailed apology. In general, a more detailed apology should tell someone:
*
*
*
Although your friend may not forgive you entirely, apologies are a good step in the right direction towards healing.
==
{{Hatnote|"{{tp|mi kama sona e toki pona}}" redirects here. For help learning Toki Pona, see [[Learning resources]].}}
{{Official Toki Pona}}
{{nasin pu}}
{{Source|Toki Pona: The Language of Good/Phrase Book|''Toki Pona: The Language of Good'' {{sect}} Phrase Book}}
{{pu|en}} includes a "Phrase Book" section with some possible expressions for quick reference.<ref>{{cite pu|124}}</ref> The following copy also includes the phrases written in {{tp|[[sitelen pona]]}}, as they are often encountered in custom emojis and the like.
{|class="wikitable" style="background: transparent; font-family:'Gentium Plus', 'Gentium Basic', Gentium, sans-serif;"
|- style="font-family: sans-serif;"
!colspan="2"|{{tp|
!rowspan="2"|English
|- style="font-family: sans-serif;"
!{{tp|[[sitelen Lasina]]}}
!{{tp|[[sitelen pona]]}}
|-
|{{tp|toki}}
|{{sp|toki}}
|hello!
|-
|{{tp|
|{{sp|pona}}
|great, thanks, OK
|-
|{{tp|
|{{sp|pona tawa sina}}
|peace be with you
|-
|{{tp|
|{{sp|mi tawa}}
|bye (said by person leaving)
|-
|{{tp|
|{{sp|tawa pona}}
|bye (said by person staying)
|-
|{{tp|
|{{sp|1=mi wile <span style="opacity:0.5;">e ni</span>}}
|please, I would like
|-
|{{tp|
|{{sp|ale li pona}}
|all is well, life is good, don’t worry
|-
|{{tp|
|{{sp|ike a}}
|oh dear, oh my
|-
|{{tp|
|{{sp|lape pona}}
|good night
|-
|{{tp|
|{{sp|kama pona}}
|welcome
|-
|{{tp|
|{{sp|moku pona}}
|enjoy your meal
|-
|{{tp|
|{{sp|seme li sin}}
|what's new?
|-
|{{tp|
|{{sp|sina pilin-seme|font="linja lipamanka"}}
|how are you feeling?
|-
|{{tp|
|{{sp|a a a}}
|ha ha ha!
|-
|{{tp|
|{{sp|mi kama sona e toki-pona}}
|I’m learning Toki Pona
|-
|{{tp|
|{{sp|sina pona}}
|you’re cool, I like you<span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><ref group="lower-alpha">The Esperanto edition of {{tp|pu}} has a footnote that translates to:<blockquote>Note from the translator: {{tp|sina pona}} is also often used to say "thank you", nowadays (in 2022) somewhat more often than just {{tp|pona}}.</blockquote></ref></span>
|-
|{{tp|
|{{sp|mi olin e sina}}
|I love you
|-
|{{tp|
|{{sp|tomo-telo li lon seme|font="linja lipamanka"}}
|where is the washroom?
|}
==Notes==
<references group="lower-alpha" />
==References==
|