tan
Core Toki Pona preposition
tan is a preposition and content word used to describe something's origin, cause, or reason.
  | |
| Pronunciation | /tan/ |
|---|---|
| Usage | 2023: Core (99% → )2022: Core (99%) |
| Book and era | nimi pu |
| Part of speech | Preposition, content word |
| Codepoint | U+F1967 |
Preposition
mi tan ma [kasi alasa nasin awen telo a].mi tan ma Kanata.
I'm from Canada.
kasi suli li ken kama tan kili lilikasi suli li ken kama tan kili lili.
A big plant can come from a small fruit.
ni li tan seme?ni li tan seme?
Where is this from? (lit. this is from what?)
Why is that? (lit. this is because of what?)
mi pana e ijo pona tan ni> : mi olin e sina.mi pana e ijo pona tan ni: mi olin e sina.
I gave something nice because you're dear to me.
Content word
As a content word tan is usually used to mean "reason, cause" or "source, origin".
mi sona ala e tanmi sona ala e tan.
I don't know the reason. (e.g. I don't know why that is.)
I don't know the source. (e.g. I don't know where it's from.)
Some people do not use tan as a content word at all, using it only as a preposition.