ki

The subject of this article is an experimental or hypothetical style that is not understood by most speakers, or is used only in specific small communities. Learners should avoid using it.

ki
Pronunciation	/ki/
Usage	2023: Obscure (2% → ) Most speakers don't understand this word.2022: Obscure (2%)
Book and era	No book (post-pu)
Part of speech	Particle

ki is an obscure post-pu particle that marks a relative clause. It is highly nonstandard due to its implications for Toki Pona grammar, making sentences much more complex.

Etymology

The word ki is derived from French qui, meaning "who". It was coined by akesi kon Nalasuni and jan Atenaja in 2020.

Function

This section needs work:

• Can you drop the subject of the relative clause? If so, then as an alternative, describe how A ki B li C expresses roughly the same thing as A li B li C, or at least A li B la ona li C.
• What is its priority relative to other particles?
  • In A ki B li C li D li E, how many of the li belong to the ki clause? The clause B li C must be, at least, because just the phrase ki B would be pi B, but is there any rule for the rest, such as the second or final li ending the ki clause? Or is this just guessed, or supposed to be marked only with prosody or punctuation? Or can li not be used within ki after all, forcing the subject to be dropped as above?
  • Likewise with A li B ki C e D e E, which e ends the ki clause? Or can ki not be used in this position? Or is it unclear?

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Ki was used like "who" and "that" as in "the man who" or "the guy that". For example, in the sentene "jan ki moku e kili", "ki" is used to mean "who" in "the man who eats fruit". Ambiguity arises once one begins nesting; "jan ki moku kili li tawa e moli" could mean either "the man who eats fruits is dying" or "the man who eats the moving fruit is dead".

This is why ki became unused; it ambiguated the grammar and allowed nesting sentences.

As sitelen pona (see below), ki may be less liable to cause problems with ambiguity due to the base-lengthening to encompass what it refers to, but in oral communication and sitelen lasin this ambiguity remains.

Alternatives

In standard Toki Pona, ni ("that") can be used to refer to the upcoming sentence, causing it to function similarly to a relative clause.

sitelen pona

A proposed sitelen pona glyph for ki (kiki) is derived from that of pi and functions the same way, but the left side is in the shape of a left-facing angle bracket, resembling a flipped li (lili) connected to the low line. It was designed by nimi Elemenopi in January 2021.

Further reading

• "ki" on lipu Linku