kiki

kiki is an obscure content word relating to sharp and pointy objects.

kiki
Pronunciation	/ˈki.ki/
Usage	2023: Obscure44-category system, Uncommon66-category system (29% ↗︎ ) Most speakers don't use this word.2022: Uncommon (21%)
Book and era	nimi ku lili (post-pu)
Part of speech	Content word

Etymology

This picture is used to demonstrate the bouba/kiki effect. When given the names "kiki" and "bouba", many people tend to label the shape on the left "kiki".

The word kiki is derived from a nonsense word created for the 2001 psychological study by V. S. Ramachandran and Edward Hubbard on sound symbolism, named the bouba/kiki effect. The word in Toki Pona was coined by jan Olipija and akesi kon Nalasuni in 2020.

Semantic space

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The semantic space of kiki includes sharp and pointy objects.

ku

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

spiky²21–40% of respondents, sharp¹11–20% of respondents, angle^½1–10% of respondents, point^½1–10% of respondents

Further reading

• "kiki" on lipu Linku