Source:jan Misali's thoughts on words: Difference between revisions

== {{tp|a }}==

[[a|{{tok|a}}]] roughly means “so”, used as a filler word and as an interjection. more formally, {{tok|a}} intensifies the meaning of the previous word. it can also mean “too”, which was added to its definition to replace the word [[kin|{{tok|kin}}]], which is no longer considered part of the core vocab. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928083844292542464 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|toki }}==

[[toki|{{tok|toki}}]] is a verb meaning “communicate” and a noun meaning “communication”. any root can be used on its own as a sentence that means whatever the word describes is, or will soon be, present or happening. "{{tok|toki!}}" means “communication is happening!”, a silly way to greet somebody. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928084143497535490 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|li }}==

[[li|{{tok|li}}]] indicates the beginning of a [[verb]] [[phrase]]. since every root in [[Toki Pona]] can be used as a noun, [[modifier]], or verb, {{tok|li}} is necessary to specify that you specifically are using its verb meaning. {{tok|li}} is also the way to say “be”, even though {{tok|li}} itself is not a verb. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928084385898909698 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|e }}==

[[e|{{tok|e}}]] goes before a noun [[phrase]] that’s being used as an [[object]]. a typical transitive sentence in Toki Pona is in the form of [subject] {{tok|li}} [verb] {{tok|e}} [object]. you can add extra stuff too, as in [subject] {{tok|li}} [verb] {{tok|e}} [object] {{tok|e}} [object] {{tok|li}} [verb] {{tok|e}} [object] {{tok|e}} [object]. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928084702757642240 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|pona }}==

[[pona|{{tok|pona}}]] is a modifier meaning “good”. and a verb meaning “goodify” or “fix”. this is the default behavior of roots used as verbs. like all modifiers, it goes at the end of whatever [[phrase]] it modifies. for example, {{tok|toki pona}} means “good language”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928085039639941120 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|mi }}==

[[mi|{{tok|mi}}]] is a [[pronoun]] meaning “me”. like all words in Toki Pona, {{tok|mi}} has no inherent number, so it can also mean “us”. as a modifier, {{tok|mi}} means “my” or “our”. {{tok|mi}} also can be short for {{tok|mi li}}, which some [[Tokiponists]] say is mandatory. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928085197207240704 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|jan }}==

[[jan|{{tok|jan}}]] is a noun meaning “person” or “someone”. you can be more specific about which person you’re talking about by using their [[name]]. names are treated as modifiers rather than as nouns, meaning that everyone is called {{tok|jan}} [Name]. for example, my name would be {{tok|jan}} Mitch Halley. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928085479630737408 (source)]</small>

if you want, you can try to [[Tokiponization|approximate your name]] with TP [[phonology]]. the only letters are {{tok|iueoamnptkswlj}}, which are all pronounced like they are in the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]]. a syllable is (C)V({{tok|n}}), and {{tok|[[wuwojiti|ti ji wu wo]] nn nm}} or consecutive vowels are not allowed. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928086190397550592 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|la }}==

[[la|{{tok|la}}]] is the hardest word in TP to translate, which isn’t saying much. basically, A {{tok|la}} B means that when A happens B happens, where A and B are two clauses. this is sometimes also translated as “in the context of A, B”. {{tok|la}} is mostly used to say when, where, or how something happens. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928086495294091264 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|ni }}==

[[ni|{{tok|ni}}]] is a noun and a modifier meaning “this” or “that”. ni is used for the closest thing TP has to relative clauses[[clause]]s. in a sentence that ends with a colon, {{tok|ni}} refers to the next sentence. this is used in {{tok|mi toki e ni}}, which means “I say...”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928086746922921984 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|tawa }}==

[[tawa|{{tok|tawa}}]] is a [[preposition]] meaning “towards” or “for”. {{tok|jan li toki tawa mi}}, for example, means “somebody speaks to me”. when used as an ordinary root, {{tok|tawa}} is a verb that means “go” or “move”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928087111357599744 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|ona }}==

[[ona|{{tok|ona}}]] is the third person [[pronoun]]. the way I like to translate it is “them”, which is a third person pronoun in English that similarly has no number, but it’s important to remember that {{tok|ona}} can refer to anything, human or otherwise. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928087333894750208 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|pi }}==

[[pi|{{tok|pi}}]] is usually translated as “of”, which is a little misleading. {{tok|pi}} is used to clear up ambiguities in longer phrases[[phrase]]s. {{tok|jan toki pona}} means a {{tok|pona}} sort of {{tok|jan toki}}, (a good speaker) but a {{tok|jan pi toki pona}} is a {{tok|toki pona}} sort of {{tok|jan}}. (a Tokiponist) <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928087527868764160 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|ala }}==

[[ala|{{tok|ala}}]] is a modifier meaning “not” or “none” and a noun meaning “nothing”. it’s used in one of the ways to form yes/no questions[[question]]s: [verb] {{tok|ala}} [verb]. to say [[yes]] in response to this, you repeat the verb in the question, and to say no, you repeat the verb followed by {{tok|ala}} or just {{tok|ala}}. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928087842919772160 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|sina }}==

[[sina|{{tok|sina}}]] is a [[pronoun]] meaning “you”. just like {{tok|mi}}, {{tok|sina}} can be short for {{tok|sina li}}, so you’ll basically never see {{tok|sina li}} actually written out in full. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928087945013284864 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|en }}==

[[en|{{tok|en}}]] is a conjunction meaning “and”“[[and]]”. there aren’t many cases where {{tok|en}} is actually necessary, but it is needed when there are multiple subjects or multiple modifiers that æffect the same root without æffecting each other. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928088041645801473 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|kama }}==

[[kama|{{tok|kama}}]] is a verb meaning “arrive” or “become”. it’s used a lot to describe future events, as they are things that are to come, as it were. in a verb [[phrase]], {{tok|kama}} can also mean “succeed at” or “manage to”, as in {{tok|mi kama tawa}}. (I’ve managed to go) <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928088115100733441 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|sona }}==

[[sona|{{tok|sona}}]] is a verb meaning “know”, a noun meaning “knowledge”, and a modifier meaning “smart”. the type of knowledge {{tok|sona}} means can be either “book smarts” or “street smarts” without needing to specify which one. a {{tok|jan sona}} can be anybody with skills of any kind. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928088234575482881 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|mute }}==

[[mute|{{tok|mute}}]] is a modifier meaning “a lot” and a noun meaning “quantity”. TP’s numbering[[number]]ing system is, objectively speaking, not very good. usually, {{tok|mute}} is used to specify plurals; {{tok|mi mute}} unambiguously means “us”. however, in the numbering system, {{tok|mute}} means exactly 20. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928088631042101248 (source)]</small>

this means that {{tok|mute}} could represent any amount larger than one, but sometimes is exactly twenty. honestly, you should avoid numbers in TP as much as possible. additionally, {{tok|mute}} can be used similarly to {{tok|a}}. {{tok|pona a}} is “very good” and {{tok|pona mute}} is “a lot of good”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928088772247474178 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|tenpo }}==

[[tenpo|{{tok|tenpo}}]] is a noun meaning “time” or “situation”. it’s used with {{tok|la}} to form phrases[[phrase]]s about when something happens. {{tok|tenpo ni la}} means “now”, and {{tok|tenpo kama la}} means “in the future”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928088877834874880 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|wile }}==

[[wile|{{tok|wile}}]] is a verb meaning “want” or “need”. this is one of those things that makes you remember, “oh right, Toki Pona is a [[Philosophy|philosophical]] language.” <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928089118164377602 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|o }}==

[[o|{{tok|o}}]] is a particle that’s used in place of {{tok|li}} to indicate a command. similar to how {{tok|li}} can be skipped in {{tok|mi (li)}} and {{tok|sina (li)}}, {{tok|sina o}} is usually shortened to {{tok|o}}. {{tok|o}} is also used to address someone: {{tok|jan}} [Name] {{tok|o}}, [sentence]. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928089257788563456 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|ale }}==

[[ale|{{tok|ale}}]] is a modifier meaning “all” or “countless” and a noun meaning “everything”. a simple metaphorical extension of the noun meaning allows it to also mean “universe” or “life”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928089427133517825 (source)]</small>

you might notice that {{tok|ale}} sounds a lot like {{tok|ala}}, which could be a problem since those words have opposite meanings. to fix this, you can say {{tok|ali}} instead. actually, fun fact, in the official 120 words, you can always replace {{tok|e}} with {{tok|i}} and {{tok|o}} with {{tok|u}}, and never run into any ambiguity! <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928089567445516288 (source)]</small>

oh also {{tok|ale}} is part of the numbering system (more like DUMBering system amirite) so it sometimes means one hundred. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928089749243547648 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|lon }}==

[[lon|{{tok|lon}}]] is basically just a generic all purpose [[preposition]] that can be used whenever two things are just kinda near each other. it corresponds to “at”, “on”, or “in”, depending on the situation. {{tok|lon}} is also a way to say [[yes]] in response to a yes/no [[question]], with {{tok|lon ala}} meaning no. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928090184708710400 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|ken }}==

[[ken|{{tok|ken}}]] is a verb meaning “can”, by which I mean “be able to”, and not “put in a can”. {{tok|ken}} is sometimes used with {{tok|la}} to mean “maybe”, as in {{tok|ken la jan li pona}}. (maybe humanity is good) <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928090563257274368 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|ike }}==

[[ike|{{tok|ike}}]] is a modifier meaning “bad", in a subjective sense. anything you like is {{tok|pona}}; anything you dislike is {{tok|ike}}. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928090874898198529 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|suli }}==

[[suli|{{tok|suli}}]] is a modifier meaning “big”. it can, of course, mean “big” in any manner, be that height, width, mass, age, or significance. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928090988467441666 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|moku }}==

[[moku|{{tok|moku}}]] is a noun meaning “food” or, more specifically, “sustenance”, because “food” implies that it needs to be a solid, which it doesn’t. as a consequence of TP's normal rules for verbing, {{tok|moku}} can mean either “consume” (make something into {{tok|moku}}) or “be food”. fun! <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928091089176850432 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|ma }}==

[[ma|{{tok|ma}}]] is a noun meaning “place” or “earth”. it’s used for country names. the prefered method is to use whatever name the country uses for itself, just like how when you’re talking about a person it would be very rude to call them something other than what they call themself. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928091212178972672 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|luka }}==

[[luka|{{tok|luka}}]] is a noun meaning “hand” or “arm”. Toki Pona considers these to be the same part of the body. in the literal trash that is the numbering system, {{tok|luka}} means five. get it? because a hand has five fingers! this is more convenient than just making more words! <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928091346505752577 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|jo }}==

[[jo|{{tok|jo}}]] is a verb meaning “have”. a “having” relationship is pretty difficult to define precisely. the ways to deal with this are either using separate words for everything or just combining them all and trusting that speakers will just deal with it. guess which solution TP went with! <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928091668326371333 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|lukin }}==

[[lukin|{{tok|lukin}}]] is a verb meaning “see” and a noun meaning “eye”. it occasionally also means “appearance”, as in {{tok|lukin pona}}, which means “attractive”.\noccasionally you’ll see people use {{tok|oko}} for “eye”, but like {{tok|kin}}, {{tok|oko}} isn’t official. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928092310679769088 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|ijo }}==

[[ijo|{{tok|ijo}}]] is a noun meaning “thing” or “something”. depending on your first language, you might have a hard time distinguishing phonetically between this and {{tok|jo}}, because they sound pretty darn similar. unlike with {{tok|ala}} and {{tok|ale}}, there isn’t a repair strategy for this. oops! <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928092426438348800 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|pali }}==

[[pali|{{tok|pali}}]] is a verb meaning “do”, “work”, or “make”. like how {{tok|ijo}} is the most generic noun, {{tok|pali}} is the most generic verb. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928092518591422466 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|lawa }}==

[[lawa|{{tok|lawa}}]] is a verb meaning “control” and a noun meaning “controller”. that’s the generic sense of “controller”, btw, like it can be anything that controls something. {{tok|lawa}} is often translated as “head” or "leader", which are both things that control people. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928092852210593792 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|wan }}==

[[wan|{{tok|wan}}]] is a modifier meaning “one”. much like how {{tok|mute}} can be used to mark the plural, {{tok|wan}} can be used to mark the singular. it’s important to remember that this isn’t required; {{tok|jan}} can refer to one person without specifying {{tok|jan wan}}. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928092987397148677 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|kalama }}==

[[kalama|{{tok|kalama}}]] is a noun meaning “sound”. interestingly, it’s listed as a verb meaning “produce a sound” in the official wordlist and its noun meaning isn’t, even though in practice the noun meaning is far more common. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928093092397375488 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|tomo }}==

[[tomo|{{tok|tomo}}]] is a noun meaning “structure people can be in”. it’s often translated as “building”, but that ignores phrases[[phrase]]s like {{tok|tomo tawa}}, meaning “car”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928093208302817286 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|kiwen }}==

[[kiwen|{{tok|kiwen}}]] is a noun and an adjective meaning “solid”. a few words in TP might look like scientific terminology at a glance, but, with no exceptions, they are absolutely not scientific terminology. for this reason, {{tok|kiwen}} is often translated as “rock” or “hard thing”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928093406504644609 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|seme }}==

[[seme|{{tok|seme}}]] is used to mark a [[question]], where the answer is what word can replace seme to turn the question into a true statement. {{tok|ma seme}} is “where”, {{tok|ijo seme}} is “what”, and so on. it’s also used in an alternative way of asking yes/no questions that we will get to later. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928093601309085696 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|tu }}==

[[tu|{{tok|tu}}]] is a modifier meaning “two” or “a couple”. we have now covered all the words for numbers[[number]]s, so I can now do a proper explanation of how numbers work. basically, you count {{tok|wan}}, {{tok|tu}}, {{tok|tu wan}}, {{tok|tu tu}}, {{tok|luka}}, {{tok|luka wan}}, {{tok|luka tu}}, and so on. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928094038057717760 (source)]</small>

ten is {{tok|luka luka}}, twenty is {{tok|mute}}, one hundred is {{tok|ale}}, and one thousand is {{tok|ale ale ale ale ale ale ale ale ale ale}}. I’m sure you can see what the problem is here. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928094096014675968 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|lili }}==

[[lili|{{tok|lili}}]] is a modifier meaning “little” or “few”. man, {{tok|lili}} is a cute word. it’s just a fun word to say, honestly. {{tok|lili}}. anyway, {{tok|lili}} also can mean “young”, mostly because young people tend to be small. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928094406128885761 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|telo }}==

[[telo|{{tok|telo}}]] is a noun meaning “liquid” and a modifier meaning “wet” or... “liquid”. it’s frequently translated as “water”, because that’s the prototypical liquid or something. idk dude, seems like you’re being a little too specific there. as a transitive verb, it usually means “wash”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928094648714907650 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|nimi }}==

[[nimi|{{tok|nimi}}]] is a noun meaning “word”. if TP were marketed to Lojbanists{{w|Lojban}}ists, you’d hear stuff like “Toki Pona has no nouns, adjectives, verbs, or adverbs, and instead all of these are combined into one thing called {{tok|nimi}}.” honestly? thank God that TP isn’t marketed to Lojbanists. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928094781640708096 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|nasa }}==

[[nasa|{{tok|nasa}}]] is a modifier meaning “strange”. I’ve seen a lot of wordlists that translate {{tok|nasa}} as “stupid”, which I think is very rude! {{tok|nasa}} can also mean “drunk” which makes sense when you think about it. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928094879300968448 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|pana }}==

[[pana|{{tok|pana}}]] is a verb meaning “give”. one time I got in an argument with a guy who didn’t like TP who cited the multiple meanings of {{tok|pana}} as an example of the "[[ambiguity]]" in the wordlist: it means give, send, emit, provide, put, or release. I still don’t know what he was going on about. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928095385104666626 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|sin }}==

[[sin|{{tok|sin}}]] is a modifier meaning “new”. it also can, but literally never does, mean “extra”. this definition was added to {{tok|sin}} in order to replace {{tok|namako}}, which like nobody ever used. I guess you could say it was an… extra word? wow! I hate myself! <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928095486728392705 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|ante }}==

[[ante|{{tok|ante}}]] is a modifier meaning “different” and a verb meaning “change”. it’s used in phrases[[phrase]]s like {{tok|jan ante ale}}, which means “everyone else”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928095570299932673 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|meli }}==

[[meli|{{tok|meli}}]] is a noun meaning “woman” and an adjective meaning “female”. officially it can also mean “feminine” but that’s so dumb please don’t do that. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928095653741367297 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|tan }}==

[[tan|{{tok|tan}}]] is a preposition meaning “from” or “because”. you can use tan to say “why” in the [[phrase]] {{tok|tan seme}}. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928095738629967877 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|taso }}==

[[taso|{{tok|taso}}]] is a modifier meaning “only” and an interjection meaning “however”. you can easily extend its definition into a modifier meaning “alone” and a verb meaning “isolate” if you want. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928095834280951810 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|pilin }}==

[[pilin|{{tok|pilin}}]] is a verb meaning “feel”, in both the emotional sense and in the sense sense. these two meanings can collectively be described as “direct experiences”. {{tok|pilin}} is frequently used to mean “believe”, as in {{tok|mi pilin e ni: sina jan pona}}. and… it also can mean “heart”?? I guess?? <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928095883530571776 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|sama }}==

[[sama|{{tok|sama}}]] is a modifier meaning “same” or “similar”. as a noun it means “equality”. it appears in the wonderful [[phrase]] {{tok|jan sama}}, which literally means “similar person”, but is used to mean “sibling”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928096042255552512 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|kepeken }}==

[[kepeken|{{tok|kepeken}}]] is a [[preposition]] meaning “using”. now, you might be thinking “that sounds like the sort of word you’d need to use a lot! why on earth would such a common preposition be three entire syllables long?” you might not be thinking that but I’m sure you are now. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928096275186274304 (source)]</small>

there isn’t an answer to the question I just felt like pointing it out. a lot of Tokiponists shorten this in some way to like “kepen”“[[kepen|{{tok|kepen}}]]” or something. I personally say something like “kep’ken”“{{tok|kep’ken}}” when I’m talking out loud. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928096352432807937 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|lupa }}==

[[lupa|{{tok|lupa}}]] is a noun meaning “hole” or “entrance”. it’s officially translated as “orifice” which is just a gross way to say “hole”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928096507219316737 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|nanpa }}==

[[nanpa|{{tok|nanpa}}]] is a noun meaning “number”“[[number]]”. it’s also used in conjunction with the dumbering system to form ordinal numbers. infuriatingly, this means that you can’t use it to differentiate between stuff like “manual” and “five”. please try to avoid using numbers whenever possible. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928096850963501056 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|suno }}==

[[suno|{{tok|suno}}]] is a noun meaning “sun” or “light source”. it’s somewhat controversial weather<ref group="lower-alpha">''{{w|Recte}}'' whether</ref> it can also mean “star”, which is weird because stars are light sources and the sun is a star so why is that even a question. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928096912963702784 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|sitelen }}==

[[sitelen|{{tok|sitelen}}]] is a noun meaning “image” or “writing”. basically, a {{tok|sitelen}} is any visual representation of something. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928096998909194240 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|moli }}==

[[moli|{{tok|moli}}]] is a modifier meaning “dead” or “dying”. as a verb, it can mean either “die” or “kill”, depending on [[context]], which I’m sure would never get confusing. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928097048070631425 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|nasin }}==

[[nasin|{{tok|nasin}}]] is a noun meaning “way”, in both a literal and metaphorical sense. I mean to be fair using “way” to mean “method” is a pretty logical extension of the literal meaning of “path”. you could make the argument that [[Duality|both meanings are the same meaning]]. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928097620479922178 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|kulupu }}==

[[kulupu|{{tok|kulupu}}]] is a noun meaning “group” or “collection”. in English a lot of things have specific words for when there’s a group of them, but in Toki Pona a herd, a flock, a crowd, a squad, a community, a business, a culture, and a family are all {{tok|kulupu}}. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928097666063577088 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|olin }}==

[[olin|{{tok|olin}}]] is a noun and a verb meaning “love”. some Tokiponists will get very angry at you if you use {{tok|olin}} for any type of non romantic love but they’re dumb and wrong about what love is. go ahead and use {{tok|olin}} for whatever type of love you want. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928097720128147456 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|kili }}==

[[kili|{{tok|kili}}]] is a noun meaning “edible plant”. this is one of my favorite words both because it’s fun to say (for the same reason {{tok|lili}} is fun to say) and because it’s the exact amount of [[vagueness]] that TP excels at. what even IS the difference between a fruit and a vegetable? <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928097892233109504 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|ilo }}==

[[ilo|{{tok|ilo}}]] is a noun meaning “tool”. every tool is referred to by its function; a computer is an {{tok|ilo nanpa}} and a sword is an {{tok|ilo moli}}. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928097983471775744 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|mije }}==

[[mije|{{tok|mije}}]] is a noun meaning “man” and a modifier meaning “male”. I assume the reason {{tok|mije}} is a less common word than {{tok|meli}} is sexism, ie. people think of women as abnormal and men as default. in this essay, I will examine th <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928098067194306560 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|open }}==

[[open|{{tok|open}}]] is a verb meaning, uh, “open”. it also means “start”, but people usually say {{tok|kama}} for that. officially, {{tok|mi open pali e ijo}} means “I’m starting to do something” and {{tok|mi kama pali e ijo}} means “I’ve managed to do something”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928098140561068032 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|awen }}==

[[awen|{{tok|awen}}]] is a verb meaning “continue” or “wait” and a modifier meaning “safe”. you’re safe if you’re able to just wait, after all. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928098213881671681 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|anu }}==

[[anu|{{tok|anu}}]] is a conjunction meaning “or”. okay, remember earlier when I said you could use [[seme|{{tok|seme}}]] to form yes/no questions[[question]]s? well, here’s the other word you need to do that. simply take a statement and end it with "{{tok|anu seme?}}". lots of people use verb {{tok|ala}} verb and {{tok|anu seme}} interchangeably. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928098446631952386 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|kute }}==

[[kute|{{tok|kute}}]] is a verb meaning “hear” and a noun meaning “ear”. by metaphorical extension of “hear”, {{tok|kute}} can also mean “obey”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928098505209663488 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|musi }}==

[[musi|{{tok|musi}}]] is a modifier meaning “entertaining”. as a noun, it can mean “art”. this is one of my favorite words in TP because it can be used to describe any form of entertainment, from music ({{tok|kalama musi}}) to poetry ({{tok|toki musi}}) to recreational [[nimi sin|neologizing]] ({{tok|pali nimi musi}}). <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928098714547310592 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|pini }}==

[[pini|{{tok|pini}}]] is a verb and a modifier meaning “complete”. it’s used to indicate the past tense in "{{tok|tenpo pini la…}}" <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928098857933778944 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|soweli }}==

[[soweli|{{tok|soweli}}]] is a noun meaning “land mammal”. it also can be used for any [[animal]] if you want. the words for different types of animals don’t get too specific, so unless you wanna take a stance on what the fundamental difference is between a cat and a dog, they’re both called {{tok|soweli}}. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928098915295080449 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|unpa }}==

[[unpa|{{tok|unpa}}]] is a verb meaning “have sex”. it’s also translated as “have“{{wt|have marital relations}} with” but like come on we all know what you’re implying. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928099003706806272 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|utala }}==

[[utala|{{tok|utala}}]] is a verb meaning “compete” or “fight”. a lot of people don’t use {{tok|utala}} to its full potential and only use it for physical struggles, which is a shame because they’re missing out on things like {{tok|utala toki}} (“argument”) and {{tok|utala musi}} (“multiplayer game”). <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928099134258733057 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|kon }}==

[[kon|{{tok|kon}}]] is a noun meaning “gas” or “unseen force”. those of you who are good at science will know that those are pretty different things. Toki Pona is decidedly not for people who are good at science. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928099198716739584 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|lape }}==

[[lape|{{tok|lape}}]] is a verb meaning “sleep” or “rest”. this word comes in handy in the [[phrase]] {{tok|mi wile lape}}, which is something I find myself saying a lot! <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928099256476557312 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|mama }}==

[[mama|{{tok|mama}}]] is a noun meaning “parent” or “creator”. what I love about this word is that since "{{tok|mama}}" means "mother" in basically every language, it would be silly to translate it as "father", meaning if you'd otherwise be dumb and sexist you're forced to remember that women exist. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928099976709902337 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|sewi }}==

[[sewi|{{tok|sewi}}]] is a noun meaning “top” and a modifier meaning “high”. this is one of [[Spatial words|a few words]] that can be combined with {{tok|lon}} to form more specific prepositions[[preposition]]s. {{tok|lon sewi}} means “above”. metaphorically, {{tok|sewi}} can mean “holy” or “supernatural”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928100036919078913 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|pimeja }}==

[[pimeja|{{tok|pimeja}}]] is a modifier meaning “dark”. if you want you could use it to mean “dark” in a metaphorical sense but usually you can just say {{tok|ike}} in those situations and it means roughly the same thing but less ambiguous. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928100095605780480 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|kasi }}==

[[kasi|{{tok|kasi}}]] is a noun meaning “plant”. it’s really just a {{tok|kili}} that you’re not eating, when you think about it. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928100152740646913 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|laso }}==

[[laso|{{tok|laso}}]] is a modifier meaning “grue”“{{w|Blue–green distinction in language|grue}}”, and no, I’m not talking about {{w|Gru|the lovable supervillain}} from the {{w|Despicable Me}} and Minions franchises! ha ha! grue is a color in some languages that could be either green or blue. you can specify either green or blue with {{tok|laso kasi}} and {{tok|laso telo}}. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928100449751793665 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|lipu }}==

[[lipu|{{tok|lipu}}]] is a noun meaning “document” or “paper shaped object”. it doesn’t matter what medium a {{tok|lipu}} is; (even though that second definition might imply otherwise) websites, books, scripts, epic poems, tweets, scrolls, and tablets are all {{tok|lipu}}. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928100509826932738 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|palisa }}==

[[palisa|{{tok|palisa}}]] is a noun meaning “stick shaped object”. yeah, we’re getting into THESE words now. TP has this whole [[Shape words|set of words]] that refer to objects that are shaped certain ways, and they’re mostly categories that don’t have good English names. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928100888429940737 (source)]</small>

I mean okay yes there is a certain thing that’s kinda shaped like a stick and yes there is a word in English that means shaped like that thing but honestly I already said sex before when I was defining {{tok|unpa}} and I don’t feel like bringing it up again here EXCEPT I JUST DID OH NOOO <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928100994298404864 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|insa }}==

[[insa|{{tok|insa}}]] is a noun meaning “insides” or “center”. {{tok|lon insa}} is a prepositional[[preposition]]al [[phrase]] meaning “in”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928101052217528320 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|pakala }}==

[[pakala|{{tok|pakala}}]] is a noun meaning “mistake” and a verb meaning “mess up”. used transitively, it means “destroy”, and as a modifier it means “broken”. saying {{tok|mi pakala}} translates to “I messed up”, and is a pretty good way to apologize for something. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928101146555711493 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|sijelo }}==

[[sijelo|{{tok|sijelo}}]] is a noun meaning “body” or “physical state”. it can be used to describe someone’s health, where {{tok|sijelo pona}} means healthy. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928101193792081920 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|walo }}==

[[walo|{{tok|walo}}]] is a modifier meaning “bright” and a noun meaning “light”. you can combine it with {{tok|pimeja}} to say {{tok|walo pimeja}} or {{tok|pimeja walo}}, which both mean “gray”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928101326000619521 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|wawa }}==

[[wawa|{{tok|wawa}}]] is a noun meaning “power” and a modifier meaning “strong”, “confident”, or “intense”. this word is probably why people who don’t like TP sometimes call it “glorified baby talk”. but you know what? I like saying silly sounding words like {{tok|wawa}}. they’re fun to say! <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928101501381349377 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|anpa }}==

[[anpa|{{tok|anpa}}]] is a noun meaning “underside” and a modifier meaning “low”. {{tok|lon anpa}} is a prepositional[[preposition]]al [[phrase]] meaning “below”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928101562861408259 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|loje }}==

[[loje|{{tok|loje}}]] is a modifier meaning “red”. combined with {{tok|laso}}, you can say either {{tok|loje laso}} or {{tok|laso loje}} to mean “purple”. this is one of the cases where {{tok|en}} comes in handy; if something is both red and grue separately and not purple, you can say that it’s {{tok|loje en laso}}. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928101630205157376 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|waso }}==

[[waso|{{tok|waso}}]] is a noun meaning “flying animal”. you could translate this as “bird” but like, bats? <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928101681950285824 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|sike }}==

[[sike|{{tok|sike}}]] is a noun meaning “round object”. oh wait there is a word for this one! “spheroid”! yeah, {{tok|sike}} means “spheroid”. that’s a lot more sciencey. {{tok|sike}} can be metaphorically extended to mean “cycle”, meaning you can say {{tok|tenpo sike}} to mean “year”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928101730495197184 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|sinpin }}==

[[sinpin|{{tok|sinpin}}]] is a noun meaning “front” or “face”. {{tok|lon sinpin}} is a prepositional[[preposition]]al [[phrase]] meaning “in front”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928101786463932417 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|weka }}==

[[weka|{{tok|weka}}]] is a verb meaning “leave” and a modifier meaning “absent”. I think it would make a lot of sense to say {{tok|mi weka}} to mean “goodbye”, but instead people say {{tok|mi tawa}}. oh, and if you’re saying goodbye to someone and you’re not leaving, you say {{tok|tawa pona}}. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928102024503275520 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|jaki }}==

[[jaki|{{tok|jaki}}]] is a modifier meaning “unclean” and a noun meaning “filth”. as you probably expect by now, it can also be used metaphorically to mean “obscene”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928102140920369153 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|len }}==

[[len|{{tok|len}}]] is a noun meaning “cloth” or “cover”. any given article of clothing is called {{tok|len}} and then whatever part of the body it goes on, so a glove is a {{tok|len luka}} and a hat is a {{tok|len lawa}} and stuff like that. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928102208272523264 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|mu }}==

[[mu|{{tok|mu}}]] is an interjection used for any animal sound, like “meow” or “moo”. the fact that this isn’t even the least necessary word on this list is one of my favorite things about Toki Pona. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928102285867143168 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|uta }}==

[[uta|{{tok|uta}}]] is a noun meaning “mouth”. as a verb, it generically means “use your mouth on” but not “eat” because that’s {{tok|moku}}. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928102346336456704 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|jelo }}==

[[jelo|{{tok|jelo}}]] is a modifier meaning “yellow”. fun fact: this is the same word as [[loje|{{tok|loje}}]] but with the syllables in the opposite order. it’s also literally just the English word “yellow”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928102429131968513 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|noka }}==

[[noka|{{tok|noka}}]] is a noun meaning “foot” or “leg”. I feel like the only reason [[luka|{{tok|luka}}]] is so much more common than {{tok|noka}} is that {{tok|luka}} is used in the numbering[[number]]ing system and noka isn’t. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928102493548175360 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|poki }}==

[[poki|{{tok|poki}}]] is a noun meaning “container”. predictably, it can be any type of container of any shape and of any contents. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928102566403235847 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|seli }}==

[[seli|{{tok|seli}}]] is a modifier meaning “hot” and a noun meaning “fire” and “chemical reaction”. as we all know, most chemical reactions are just things heating up. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928102638394232833 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|linja }}==

[[linja|{{tok|linja}}]] is a noun meaning “string shaped object”. this is a category that includes rope and hair and stuff. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928102692974661633 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|kule }}==

[[kule|{{tok|kule}}]] is a modifier meaning “colorful” and a noun meaning “color”“[[color]]” or “pigment”. you could probably get away with using {{tok|kule}} to mean light instead of [[walo|{{tok|walo}}]], but it might be a bit confusing. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928102755167858688 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|mani }}==

[[mani|{{tok|mani}}]] is a noun meaning “currency”. virtually anything can be used as {{tok|mani}} as long as people agree that it has value. in {{tok|ma Mewika}}, the {{tok|mani}} is really just some {{tok|sike kiwen}} and some {{tok|lipu}} and even some straight up {{tok|nanpa}}. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928102860579131392 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|nena }}==

[[nena|{{tok|nena}}]] is a noun meaning “bump”. when you think about it, there’s a whole bunch of things that can be described as bumps. a hill? a button? a nose? all of these are {{tok|nena}}. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928102920964444160 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|selo }}==

[[selo|{{tok|selo}}]] is a noun meaning “outer layer”. you know, like skin or bark or something. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928102988513775616 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|monsi }}==

[[monsi|{{tok|monsi}}]] is a noun meaning “back”. {{tok|lon monsi}} is a prepositional[[preposition]]al [[phrase]] meaning “behind”. {{tok|monsi}} also can mean “bottom”, but not the meaning of bottom that’s already covered by {{tok|anpa}} if you know what I’m saying. I’m talking about BUTTS <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928103035125075968 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|kala }}==

[[kala|{{tok|kala}}]] is a noun meaning “aquatic animal”. just like how {{tok|walo}}<ref group="lower-alpha">''{{w|Recte}}'' [[waso|{{tok|waso}}]]</ref> means “bird” but not really, {{tok|kala}} means “fish” but not really. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928103105383817221 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|pipi }}==

[[pipi|{{tok|pipi}}]] is a noun meaning “bug”. once again, this isn’t a super sciencey category. it’s basically just any living thing that’s small and gross, which technically could also include bacteria and viruses. it sounds like peepee so it’s objectively hilarious. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928103150044766208 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|lete }}==

[[lete|{{tok|lete}}]] is a modifier meaning “cold” and a verb meaning “freeze” or “keep fresh”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928103228264329217 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|ko }}==

[[ko|{{tok|ko}}]] is a noun meaning “sticky substance”. not to be confused with {{tok|palisa}}, which means “sticky object”. that’s completely different. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928103292042870785 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|mun }}==

[[mun|{{tok|mun}}]] is a noun meaning “moon”. it also can mean “star” which is very dumb and unintuitive and please just say {{tok|suno}} for star it’s so much easier. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928103343838388226 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|poka }}==

[[poka|{{tok|poka}}]] is a noun meaning “side”, “direction”, or “hip”. {{tok|lon poka}} is a prepositional[[preposition]]al [[phrase]] meaning “at the side”. specifying which direction {{tok|poka}} refers to is a non trivial exercise, since there aren’t any easy ways to say [[Left and right|“left”, “right”]], or any of the cardinal directions[[direction]]s. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928103498721386496 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|supa }}==

[[supa|{{tok|supa}}]] is a noun meaning “horizontal surface”. strangely, there isn’t a corresponding specific word for “vertical surface”, but {{tok|selo}} works for that in a pinch. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928103626639323136 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|akesi }}==

[[akesi|{{tok|akesi}}]] is a noun meaning “lizard”. officially it means “non cute animal” but like what did lizards ever do to you, [[jan Sonja|Sonja]]? have you even SEEN a lizard? how come {{tok|akesi}} are “non cute” but {{tok|pipi}} aren’t? heckin Your Fave Is Problematic over here, smh. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928103694285070336 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|suwi }}==

[[suwi|{{tok|suwi}}]] is a modifier meaning “sweet” or “cute”. it’s a great way to describe any {{tok|akesi}}. as a general rule of thumb, always call lizards {{tok|akesi suwi}} because you never no<ref group="lower-alpha">''{{w|Recte}}'' know</ref> who to trust with this sort of thing, Sonja. it also can literally mean “sweet”, as in sugar. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928103757417730048 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|alasa }}==

[[alasa|{{tok|alasa}}]] is a verb meaning “collect” or “hunt”. we’re reaching the end of the word frequency list, so all these next words are pretty much never used. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone use {{tok|alasa}}, like, ever? <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928103932378931201 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|esun }}==

[[esun|{{tok|esun}}]] is a noun and a verb meaning “shop”. people don’t say {{tok|esun}} very much because it would be very impractical to buy things in Toki Pona. “mi“{{tok|mi ken esun e ni kepeken mani pi mute seme?}}” “a“{{tok|a, sina wile pana e mani mute.}}” “mi“{{tok|mi sona e ni. taso, mani pi mute SEME?}}” “mani“{{tok|mani mute!}}” <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928104066495991811 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|pan }}==

[[pan|{{tok|pan}}]] is a noun meaning “grain based food” that’s, frankly, underrated. I really like the word {{tok|pan}} because it can be used metaphorically to mean “life”, but since it literally refers to any grain based food it can also mean “pizza”. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928104126944333824 (source)]</small>

== {{tp|pu }}==

[[pu|{{tok|pu}}]] is a verb meaning “interact with [[Toki Pona: The Language of Good|Toki Pona: the Language of Good]] by Sonja Lang”. this word is literally only here so that the total [[number of words]] can be a nice even 120, and I absolutely love that. <small>[https://twitter.com/hbmmaster/status/928104238764511232 (source)]</small>

[[Category:Essays about every word]]