wa
wa is an obscure particle used as an interjection to express awe or amazement.
| Pronunciation | /wa/ 🔊 |
|---|---|
| Usage | 2023: Obscure4, Rare6 (17% ↗︎ ) Most speakers don't use this word.2022: Rare (13%)
|
| Book and era | nimi ku lili (post-pu) |
| Part of speech | Particle |
Etymology Edit
The word wa was based on an exclamation used by jan Lakuse's Cantonese-speaking grandmother and repeated by them in 2020 in the ma pona pi toki pona community.[1][2] It is supposedly derived from Cantonese 嘩 / 哗 (Jyutping: waa3).
Definitions Edit
The word wa is used to express awe, amazement, or surprise. It is analogous to English "wow", "whoa", and similar interjections. Equivalent phrases in Toki Pona include a, wawa a ("impressive"), and pona a ("great").
ku Edit
For Toki Pona Dictionary, respondents in ma pona pi toki pona translated these English words as wa:[3]
whoa2, wow1
sitelen pona Edit
The sitelen pona glyph for wa (wa) is derived from the punctuation stem radical with the Latin letter W below, inspired by other glyphs for interjections, such as a, kin, n, and o. The W is typically written rounder rather than angular, similar to the glyph for wile.
Related words Edit
je Edit
| Pronunciation | /je/ 🔊/j/ sounds like English Y, as in "fjord" or "hallelujah". |
|---|---|
| Usage | 2023: Obscure (3% ↗︎ ) Most speakers don't understand this word.2022: Obscure (1%)
|
| Book and era | No book (post-pu) |
| Part of speech | Particle |
je is an obscure interjection that, like wa, indicates excitement. It is derived from English yay, and was coined by an unknown speaker in the post-pu era.
A proposed sitelen pona glyph for je (je) is a punctuation stem with a letter J below.
References Edit
- ↑ jan Lakuse [@raacz106]. (4 August 2020). [Message posted in the
#tomo-toki-pini-antechannel in the ma pona pi toki pona Discord server]. Discord. Retrieved 9 December 2023. "i use wa as an exclamation but that comes from my cantonese speaking grandmother and nobody understands it when i say it". - ↑ Lang, Sonja. (18 July 2021). Toki Pona Dictionary. Illustrated by Vacon Sartirani. Tawhid. ISBN 978-0978292362. p. 24. "wa: mama mama pi jan Lakuse"
- ↑ Lang, Sonja. (18 July 2021). Toki Pona Dictionary. Illustrated by Vacon Sartirani. Tawhid. ISBN 978-0978292362. p. 282.
Further reading Edit
- "wa" on lipu Linku