awen

awen
Pronunciation	/ˈa.wen/
Usage	2023: Core (99% ↗︎ )2022: Core (98%)
Book and era	nimi pu
Part of speech	Content word
Codepoint	󱤈 U+F1908

awen is a core content word and preverb that describes staying, keeping, and continuing.

Etymology

The word awen is derived from Dutch houden, meaning "to keep, to care for".

Semantic space

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The semantic space of awen includes the continuation, maintaining, or immutability of a state or action. It can describe something enduring.

As an intransitive verb, awen usually refers to waiting (staying in place) or continuing to do something unspecified. Without further detail, this can lead to some ambiguity:

o awen

o awen!

Stay there! / Keep going!

As a transitive verb, awen can mean to keep something in place or in some state, and to protect or defend something, so that it continues to exist.

Preverb

As a preverb, the word awen refers to the continuation of an action.

mi awen pali

mi awen pali.

I continue working.

kasi ko li awen lon lipu

kasi ko li awen lon lipu.

The pasted plants will stay on the page.

pu

In the "Official Toki Pona Dictionary" section, the book Toki Pona: The Language of Good defines awen as:

ADJECTIVE  enduring, kept, protected, safe, waiting, staying
PRE-VERB  to continue to

ku

For Toki Pona Dictionary, respondents in ma pona pi toki pona translated these English words as awen:

stay⁵81–100% of respondents, await⁵81–100% of respondents, wait⁵81–100% of respondents, preserve⁵81–100% of respondents, remain⁵81–100% of respondents, sustain⁵81–100% of respondents, retain⁴61–80% of respondents, defend⁴61–80% of respondents, endure⁴61–80% of respondents, continued⁴61–80% of respondents, continue⁴61–80% of respondents, secure⁴61–80% of respondents, continuing⁴61–80% of respondents, save⁴61–80% of respondents, protect⁴61–80% of respondents, keep⁴61–80% of respondents, still³41–60% of respondents, reserve³41–60% of respondents, protection³41–60% of respondents, remaining³41–60% of respondents, continuous³41–60% of respondents, stability³41–60% of respondents, maintain³41–60% of respondents, safe³41–60% of respondents, security³41–60% of respondents, stable³41–60% of respondents, constant³41–60% of respondents, protective³41–60% of respondents, defence³41–60% of respondents, left (remaining)³41–60% of respondents, defensive²21–40% of respondents, maintenance²21–40% of respondents, rescue²21–40% of respondents, stand²21–40% of respondents, standing²21–40% of respondents, steady²21–40% of respondents, pause²21–40% of respondents, custody²21–40% of respondents, safely²21–40% of respondents, saving²21–40% of respondents, guard²21–40% of respondents, reservation²21–40% of respondents, suspend²21–40% of respondents, hang²21–40% of respondents, ongoing²21–40% of respondents, hesitate²21–40% of respondents, safety²21–40% of respondents, delay²21–40% of respondents, conservation²21–40% of respondents

sitelen pona

The sitelen pona glyph for awen represents two legs standing in place. Compare kama and tawa.