Phatic expressions and social conventions

How to express thanks in toki pona?

toki pona doesn't have a short or direct word for "thanks", for two reasons

• toki pona does not have modes of talking that automatically relay politeness, which sometimes lead to toki pona being described as "polite by default"
• it also tries to avoid "phatic" phrases that are automatic and not very meaningful, at least in part due to avoid lexicalization

So there's two main ways to express what "thanks" tries to do in English; short phrases, or a longer explanation.

Common short phrases are: pona; sina pona; pona tawa sina. Those each mean: good, you are good, goodness to you (more or less)

Another way, which is often better, is to express what you're thankful for; If someone is teaching, for example, you can express that: sina pona tan pana sona you are good because giving knowledge

Or if someone gave a present, you might say: sina pana e ijo pona la, sina pona you gave a good thing, so, you are good

But as with many things in toki pona, there's many ways to express yourself. Experiment! o pona