luka
luka is a core content word relating to the hands and arms. It can also stand for the number five.
Pronunciation | /ˈlu |
---|---|
Usage | 2023: Core (100% ↗︎ )2022: Core (99%) |
Book and era | nimi pu |
Part of speech | Number, content word |
Codepoint | U+F192D |
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 transitive verb, it may refer to the act of interacting with something using said limbs, such as placing one's hand, hitting, petting, among other meanings.
When referring to non-human creatures, luka usually refers to paws (for animals)[2] and more commonly to wings than claws (for birds).[3]
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.[4][5]
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
ku
For Toki Pona Dictionary, respondents in ma pona pi toki pona translated these English words as luka:
hand5, touch2 , palm2 , handful2 , gesture2 , tap2 , reach2 , elbow2, arm4 , five4 , wrist3
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 Juwan [@juwan.]. (21 October 2023). [Informal poll posted in the
#sona-kulupu
channel in the ma pona pi toki pona Discord server]. Discord. ""how would you translate "paw" as in an animal's paw"". Data retrieved on 23 October 2023.Option Votes luka (soweli) 60 noka (soweli) 16 luka en noka (soweli) 4 Other option 0 Depends on context 43 - ↑ jan Juwan [@juwan.]. (21 October 2023). [Informal poll posted in the
#sona-kulupu
channel in the ma pona pi toki pona Discord server]. Discord. ""luka pona li seme?"". Data retrieved on 23 October 2023.Option Votes "Wing" 55 "Claw" 6 Depends on context 47 - ↑ jan Sonja (21 May 2002). "Compounds". Toki Pona Forums. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ↑ jan Sonja [@sonjalang]. (16 November 2022). [Message posted in the
#sona-musi
channel 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".