luka

luka is a core content word relating to the hands and arms. It can also stand for the number five.

luka
Pronunciation	/ˈlu.ka/
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".

Semantic space

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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) and more commonly to wings than claws (for birds).

In sign language, luka refers to an individual sign and the act of signing itself. In luka pona (and when transcribing it into toki pona), the word is used as an interjection for greetings.

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.

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:

hand⁵81–100% of respondents, arm⁴61–80% of respondents, five⁴61–80% of respondents, wrist³41–60% of respondents, touch²21–40% of respondents, palm²21–40% of respondents, handful²21–40% of respondents, gesture²21–40% of respondents, tap²21–40% of respondents, reach²21–40% of respondents, elbow²21–40% of respondents

sitelen pona

The sitelen pona glyph for luka is a simplified mitten-like hand facing upwards, with the thumb on the left. Derived glyphs include kepeken, moku, and pana.

See also

• jo