kon

From sona pona, the English–Toki Pona wiki
kon in sitelen pona
kon in sitelen sitelen
Pronunciation /kon/ (listen)
Usage 2023: Core (99% → )
2022: Core (99%)
Book and era nimi pu
Part of speech Content word
Codepoint 󱤝 U+F191D

kon is a core content word relating to gases.

Etymology[edit | edit source]

The word kon is derived from Mandarin 空氣 (pinyin: kōngqì), meaning "air".[1]

Semantic space[edit | edit source]

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The semantic space of kon includes gases, such as air, steam, and smoke, as well as scents and fragrancies.[2] Figuratively, it refers to an essence, something known but unseen, such as spirits, one's identity, definitions of words, among other things.

pu[edit | edit source]

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

NOUN  air, breath; essence, spirit; hidden reality, unseen agent

ku[edit | edit source]

For Toki Pona Dictionary, respondents in ma pona pi toki pona translated these English words as kon:[3]

soul5, air5, spirit5, gas5, essence4, atmosphere4, oxygen3, breathe3, breath3, meaning3, intangible3, breathing3, invisible entity3, definition2, abstract2, breeze2, smell2

sitelen pona[edit | edit source]

The sitelen pona glyph for kon (󱤝) represents steam rising up as two curvy vertical lines. Compare telo.

sitelen sitelen[edit | edit source]

The sitelen sitelen glyph for kon is derived from the glyph in the Mayan script MUYAL (T632), meaning "cloud".[4]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Word Origins. Archived from the original on 2 November 2019. Toki Pona.
  2. lipamanka. "toki pona dictionary". lipamanka.gay.
  3. Lang, Sonja (2021). Toki Pona Dictionary. Illustrated by Vacon Sartirani. Tawhid. ISBN 978-0978292362. p. 254.
  4. Jonathan Gabel. (9 December 2012). "sitelen sitelen acknowledgements and etymology". jonathangabel.com. Retrieved 29 November 2023.

Further reading[edit | edit source]