nimi pu
nimi pu are the 120 (+ 3?) (+ 1??) (+ 1???) (+ 13????) Toki Pona words used in Toki Pona: The Language of Good.
As such, ignoring the "synonyms", they account for the best-recognized Toki Pona words. As of 2022, only 5 main nimi pu are reported at lower than 97% usage: esun, pu (as a chiefly reflexive word), ale (partially splitting its score with the variant ali), and the gender words meli and mije (due to the gendern't philosophy). The "synonyms" all rank lower.
The main 120
Counting ali as a pronunciation variant of ale, there are 120 main nimi pu. This is the set of words that people mean when they claim that Toki Pona has 120 words. Taking the "synonyms" into account, perhaps this main group ought to be called the nimi pu suli.
- a
- akesi
- ala
- alasa
- ale
- anpa
- ante
- anu
- awen
- e
- en
- esun
- ijo
- ike
- ilo
- insa
- jaki
- jan
- jelo
- jo
- kala
- kalama
- kama
- kasi
- ken
- kepeken
- kili
- kiwen
- ko
- kon
- kule
- kulupu
- kute
- la
- lape
- laso
- lawa
- len
- lete
- li
- lili
- linja
- lipu
- loje
- lon
- luka
- lukin
- lupa
- ma
- mama
- mani
- meli
- mi
- mije
- moku
- moli
- monsi
- mu
- mun
- musi
- mute
- nanpa
- nasa
- nasin
- nena
- ni
- nimi
- noka
- o
- olin
- ona
- open
- pakala
- pali
- palisa
- pan
- pana
- pi
- pilin
- pimeja
- pini
- pipi
- poka
- poki
- pona
- pu
- sama
- seli
- selo
- seme
- sewi
- sijelo
- sike
- sin
- sina
- sinpin
- sitelen
- sona
- soweli
- suli
- suno
- supa
- suwi
- tan
- taso
- tawa
- telo
- tenpo
- toki
- tomo
- tu
- unpa
- uta
- utala
- walo
- wan
- waso
- wawa
- weka
- wile
Pronunciation variant
ali was created as a pronunciation variant of ale, and is generally agreed not to be a separate word.
"Synonyms"
pu presents 3 words as "synonyms" of main words, even though they have had different definitions before and since. Speakers accept and use them to varying degrees. Since their inclusion in Toki Pona Dictionary, they are generally considered among the nimi ku suli.
- kin
- namako
- oko
Honorary nimi pu
tonsi is sometimes considered an honorary nimi pu to give it equal status to the pu gender words, meli and mije.
nimi ku suli
The nimi ku suli are included in the German and Esperanto editions of pu, Toki Pona: Die Sprache des Guten and Tokipono: La lingvo de bono. These are generally not retroactively counted as nimi pu. However, tonsi and the 3 "synonyms" are explicitly acknowledged in the "Notes on lipu pu" section, which may be further evidence to count those specific words.