Recommended learning resources
This is a curated list of learning resources for Toki Pona, based on recommendations from the kama sona learning server on Discord. There are multiple ways to learn a language, such as grammar lessons, exercises, flashcards, media consumption, and speaking practice. If one method is not helping you, try the others.
Joining a community will help you practice using the language and let proficient speakers catch your mistakes.
Introductory overview[edit | edit source]
Start by watching the video "Toki Pona in 18 Minutes" by ilo Tani.
Official books[edit | edit source]
The official books are by Sonja Lang, the creator of Toki Pona.
- Toki Pona: The Language of Good (lipu pu), a lesson book with exercises
- Available in English (paperback, ebook), Esperanto, French, German, and Persian (free)
- See also: Notes on lipu pu
- Toki Pona Dictionary (lipu ku), a dictionary of example translations between English and Toki Pona
- Available in English
Online courses[edit | edit source]
- lipu sona pona by /dev/urandom
- lipu sona by soweli Tesa
- o pilin e toki pona video lessons, full immersion method
- toki pona lessons by jan Misali
- jan Misali has an older series, 12 days of sona pi toki pona . This is not recommended; see 12 Days of sona pi toki pona § Corrections and commentary for notes on some errors in this video series.
- Learn Toki Pona! (WIP) video lessons by jan Kekan San
Private teachers[edit | edit source]
Dictionaries[edit | edit source]
- Linku, a searchable dictionary by kala Asi.
- Recommended to select only "core words" and "widespread words".
- Available in multiple languages.
- nimi.pona.la, dictionary based on Sonja Lang's community polling, by jan Sasi
Flashcards[edit | edit source]
- Toki Pona Memrise deck by jan Antele
- Goes with /dev/urandom's lessons. Has community-made/unofficial words in common use.
- Anki deck sorted by word frequency
Others[edit | edit source]
- nasin toki pona, a detailed grammar for Toki Pona by jan Juli
- Available in German
- Toki Pona Cheat Sheet by jan Sa
- toki pona today, a set of lessons with audio and per-word exercises
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 |
|---|---|
| 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 |