monsuta

monsuta
Pronunciation	/ˈmon.su.ta/
Usage	2023: Common44-category system, Widespread66-category system (83% ↘︎ )2022: Widespread (85%)
Book and era	nimi ku suli (pre-pu)
Part of speech	Content word
Codepoint	󱥽 U+F197D

monsuta is a Toki Pona content word related to monsters, scariness and fear.

It was proposed by jan Sonja in 2009, but she abandoned the word shortly after. The word always saw some use among a minority of speakers. However, for a long time the word monsuta was not used a lot, and the way to use it wasn't defined very well. This changed in the late 2010s and early 2020s, when the word became popular and certain trends emerged among its users. However, some use cases of monsuta remain undefined, ambiguous, or controversial.

Common ways to use monsuta

Definitions

In 2010 the official Toki Pona wiki defined monsuta as:

1. creature that preys on humans; predator
2. a real or imagined threat; danger
3. a source of fear or dread

Nowadays, the word monsuta is often used as a noun or head to mean "monster," but its meaning is also generalized to "something scary, something that causes fear, something dangerous." It usually leans most towards the third of the 2010 definitions.

The word is also very commonly used as an adjective or modifier to mean "scary, frightening, creepy, spooky" or "monstrous, monster-like."

Fear

In Toki Pona dictionaries, the noun "fear" is often included in monsuta's definition. However, nowadays the word is rarely used as a noun by itself to mean "fear." Instead, the term pilin monsuta (scary feeling) is commonly used to describe the noun "fear."

Examples

monsuta li lon anpa supa　
monsuta li lon anpa pi supa lape　

monsuta li lon anpa supa.
monsuta li lon anpa pi supa lape.

There's a monster under the bed.

ona li jan ala li monsuta　

ona li jan ala li monsuta.

It isn't a person but a monster.

sina kute ala kute e kalama monsuta?

sina kute ala kute e kalama monsuta?

Do you hear a scary noise?

mi pilin monsuta　

mi pilin monsuta.

I am scared.

"I fear bugs" or "bugs scare me" can be translated in various ways:

pipi li monsuta tawa mi　

pipi li monsuta tawa mi.

Bugs are scary to me.

mi pilin monsuta tawa pipi / tan pipi　

mi pilin monsuta tawa pipi / tan pipi.

I am scared towards bugs / because of bugs.

mi pilin monsuta tan pipi　

mi pilin monsuta tan pipi.

I am scared because of bugs.

pipi li pana e pilin monsuta tawa mi　

pipi li pana e pilin monsuta tawa mi.

Bugs give me fear.

pipi li kama e pilin monsuta lon mi　

pipi li kama e pilin monsuta lon mi.

Bugs make fear emerge in me.

(Some people would alternatively express "bugs scare me" as "pipi li pilin monsuta e mi." Other people find this confusing, and would recommend using this sentence primarily for meanings like "bugs touch me in a scary way." Both interpretations exist, and in many cases context can help clarify which meaning is meant.)

"Nothing scares them":

ijo ala li monsuta tawa ona　

ijo ala li monsuta tawa ona.

Nothing is scary to them.

ona li ken ala pilin monsuta　

ona li ken ala pilin monsuta.

They can't fear.

Transitive use of monsuta

Transitive use of monsuta remains nebulously defined. Depending on who you ask, mi monsuta e sina can mean "I scare you," "I fear you," "I turn you into a monster"/"I make you scary," etc. Many people support multiple of these interpretations, where the specific meaning depends on context.

Note that the meanings of "to scare" and "to fear" can also be expressed without using transitive monsuta. (See the example sentences above.)

The fact that transitive monsuta can be analyzed to have two opposite meanings has inspired the monsutatesu analysis of Toki Pona.