luka
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| Pronunciation | /ˈlu |
|---|---|
| Usage | 2023: Core (100% ↗︎ )2022: Core (99%) |
| Book and era | nimi pu |
| Part of speech | Number, content word |
| Codepoint | U+F192D |
luka is a core content word relating to the hands and arms. It can also stand for the number five.
Etymology
luka is derived from the Croatian word ruka, meaning "hand".[1]
Semantic space
Content word
The semantic space of luka includes any and all parts of human upper limbs, such as the arms, elbows, hands and fingers; similarly to how noka can refer to legs or feet. As a verb, it can refer to the act of touching something with a luka, such as placing one's hand, hitting, petting, among other meanings.
When referring to non-human creatures, it usually refers to paws (for animals) and wings, as well as claws (for birds).
In sign language, luka refers to an individual sign and the act of signing itself.
Number
As a number, the word luka stands for five, the amount of fingers on a human hand. In the early days of Toki Pona, it was the highest-value number word, before mute and ale acquired that status. This led to the creation of the idiom jo e luka mute, meaning "to be complicated", as big numbers would have many repetitions of the word luka.[2][3]
pu
In the "Official Toki Pona Dictionary" section, the book Toki Pona: The Language of Good defines luka as:
NOUN arm, hand, tactile organ
NUMBER five
sitelen pona
The sitelen pona glyph for luka is a simplified mitten-like hand facing upwards, with the thumb on the left. It appears as a radical in the lower half of other glyphs, such as kepeken (with ilo), moku (with uta), and pana (with emitters).
See also
References
- ↑ "Word Origins". tokipona.org. Archived from the original on 8 August 2002.
- ↑ jan Sonja (21 May 2002). "Compounds". Toki Pona Forums. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ↑ jan Sonja [@sonjalang]. (16 November 2022). [Message posted in the
#sona-musichannel in the ma pona pi toki pona Discord server]. Discord. Retrieved 12 October 2023. "luka was the highest number at the time, so big numbers were like luka luka luka luka luka luka luka wan[.] hence the idiom, ona li jo e luka mute, it is complicated".