dict_en.md

Dictionary

Words in toki pona often have vague definitions, their meaning depending on the context they appear in. They are also quite flexible as to where and how they appear within a sentence; for example "kipisi" at first only had the definition of "to cut", but this meaning can be extrapolated to mean "cut" as an adjective, or "cutting" as a noun. In this dictionary, multiple meanings are listed for most words, however this does not mean that words without a definition as a noun cannot be use as one in the right context. Function (or grammatical) words are the only exceptions to this rule.

There are multiple different dictionaries that can be found with word counts most ranging between 118--150. pu, the "official Toki Pona book" (2014) written by jan Sonja, had a 120/123 word dictionary -- where 6 words were merged in pairs. ku, the "Toki Pona Dictionary" (2021), also by jan Sonja, had a main word count ("ku suli") of 137, with even more words present as it contained every word that were in use at the time, among others ("ku lili"); this can add up as high as 190. Words that were coined by the community after pu's release are colloquially called "nimi sin" (lit. new words).
Due to the small number of words, definitions may be vague and toki pona relies more on context than most languages. It also prefers to "leave out" unimportant details, favoring simplicity. { .hidden }

This dictionary contains 146 words (136 common + 10 archaic ones), including the entirety of pu's dictionary, in addition to select pre-pu words (that were either replaced or deprecated) and post-pu words -- these additions are all present in ku. Word usage can vary between groups and dialects, but generally it is best practice to mostly restrict ourselves to use words found in pu; non-pu words will have a p­u version after their definitions to offer "pu friendly" alternatives and older, archaic words that are seldom used will be marked with a leading asterisk (*). { .hidden .keep }

Abbreviations

n : noun

v : verb (either transitive or intransitive)

a : pre-verb or auxiliary verb

p : preposition

m : modifier (adjective or adverb)

f : function word (grammatical words)

# : numerical value

i : interjection

c : conjunction

l­a : meanings of the word if it stands alone before la

pu : current versions or alternatives of non-pu words

see : see also (very similar words, or was at one point merged with marked words)

Numbers following any of these letters mark alternative definitions.

Index: A E I J K L M N O P S T U W Y { .hidden }

A

a
m­1 (emotional) emphasis
m­2 exaggeration, superlative (after adjectives)
i­ Ah! I got it! Hahaha! (as "a a a")
see­ kin

akesi
n­1 reptile, amphibian
n­2 non-cute animal, monster (dialectal)
non-cute animal definition has been removed in the Toki Pona Dictionary.

ala
n­ nothing, no one, null, the lack of (something)
v­ deny
m­ no, not
#­ 0
i­ No!

alasa
n­ hunting, searching
v­1 hunt, forage, gather
v­2 look for, search determinedly

ale/ali
n­ everything, life, universe
m­ all, each, every, countless
#­1 all, countless amount
#­2 100
l­a all told, nevertheless, despite everything, either way
ale was the original, while ali was added in 2002 to avoid ambiguity with ala in speech.

anpa
n­ bottom, below
v­1 kneel, bow, accept (the terms set by someone else)
v­2 defeat, beat, conquer, enslave
m­1 low, below, down, beneath
m­2 dependent

ante
n­ change, difference, diversity
v­ alter, change, convert, transform
m­1 different, altered, changed
m­2 other
l­a or, otherwise

anu
f­ or
l­a or

apeja
n­ depression, abuse, shame, dishonor
v­ verbal attack, disgrace, depress
m­ shameful, dishonored, depressive
p­ ike, utala toki, toki anpa
Added in early 2010, but was not included in pu.

awen
n­ waiting, staying
v­1 wait, wait for (with "tawa"), stay, remain
v­2 keep something unchanged
a­ keep
m­ kept, protected (from change), remaining
l­a still

E

e
f­1 separates the predicate and the object
f­2 and (if there are multiple objects)

en
f­ and (between subject)
l­a and, moreover

esun
n­ business
v­ buy, do business
m­ financial, for sale

I

ijo
n­ something, thing, object

ike
n­ bad(ness), evil
v­ ruin, spoil
m­ bad, negative, wrong, corrupted, evil
m­ non-trivial, complex
l­a sadly

*iki/ipi
pu­ ona
iki was replaced for its similarity to ike, while ipi was replaced before first draft. { .hidden }

ilo
n­ tool, machine, device

insa
n­ inside
n­ stomach, organ
m­1 internal
m­2 inner, inside, center, between

J

jaki
n­1 dirt, filth
n­2 garbage, waste, sh*t
v­ stain, defile, discard
m­ disgusting, toxic, unclean, stained

*jalan
pu­ noka Proposed replacement for noka by jan Sonja. The community voted against it. { .hidden }

jan
n­ human, person
m­ humanoid, human-like

jelo
m­ yellow

jo
v­ have, own, carry, contain

K

kala
n­1 aquatic animal
n­2 fish
m­ fish-like, aquatic

kalama
n­ sound, noise, roar
v­ produce a sound, yell, bawl
m­ loud, audible

kama
a­ become, will, pursue actions to arrive to (a certain state), "future tense"
m­ to become, coming, arriving

*kan
f­ among, with, near by
pu­ poka, kepeken
Removed in 2002 in favor of poka and kepeken. { .hidden }

*kapa
pu­ nena
It was the first word to be replaced, for unknown reasons. { .hidden }

*kapesi
m­ brown, gray
pu­ pimeja
Removed in 2002 without a replacement. { .hidden }

kasi
n­ plant, vegetation
m­1 plant-like
m­2 green (after kule)

ken
n­ ability, chance, possibility
a­ can, able to, allowed to
m­ able, possible, allowed

kepeken
p­ use, with
v­ use

kijetesantakalu
n­ animal from the Procyonidae family (such as raccoons and kinkajous)
pu­ soweli
Added as an April Fool's joke in 2009, now it is a "fan favorite". { .kijetesantakalu }

kili
n­ fruit, vegetable, mushroom

kin
m­1 also, too, again
m­2 confirmation, emphasis (not as strong as a)
l­a also, and
see­ a

kipisi
v­ cut
pu­ tu
Presented along with namako and monsuta around 2010, not included in pu.

kiwen
n­1 metal, rock, stone
n­2 hard object
m­ hard, heavy
Originally wawa ma was used before this word was created.

ko
n­ semi-solid material, paste, powder, clay, dough

kon
n­1 air, breath
n­2 spirit, essence, meaning, sense, concept
n­3 mind, consciousness, soul
m­ air-like, gaseous

ku
n­ the Toki Pona Dictionary
v­ interacting with the Toki Pona Dictionary
m­ according to/as in/by the Toki Pona Dictionary

kule
n­ color
v­ color
m­ colorful, pigmented

kulupu
n­1 group, collection, set
n­2 community, nation, society

kute
n­ ear
v­ hear, listen to

L

la
p­ separates the context and the main sentence

lanpan
v­ take, seize, steal, catch, receive
pu­ kama jo, alasa
It was coined by the community shortly after pu was released, making it one of the most used nimi sin.

lape
v­ sleep, rest

laso
m­1 blue
m­2 green

lawa
n­1 head
n­2 leader
v­ lead, rule, manage, control, direct

leko
n­ square, block, stairs, edge
pu­ sike ala
Removed from then-official dictionary in 2004.

len
n­1 cloth, fabric, textile
n­2 cover, layer
v­1 wear, cover
v­2 hide
m­1 clothed, covered, covering
m­2 hidden

lete
m­1 cold
m­2 raw, uncooked

li
f­1 separates the predicate and the object
f­2 and (between predicates)

lili
m­1 small, little, short
m­2 young
m­3 a bit, slightly

linja
n­ hair, rope, thread
m­ long and flexible, rope-like

lipu
n­ document, book, website, written record
m­1 flat, page-like
m­2 documented

loje
m­ red

lon
v­ place, put
m­ existing, real, factual, true
p­ located at, at the time of
i­ indeed, that's right
l­a actually, truly, in reality

luka
n­ upper or front limb (hand, arm)
m­ with hands, by hands
#­ 5

lukin
v­1 look, see, examine, read, watch
v­2 (with tawa) search, look for, seek
a­ try to
m­1 visible, readable
m­2 seemingly, -looking (as in "good looking")
see­ oko
In pu, lukin and oko were merged and could be used interchangibly.

lupa
n­ hole, orifice, window, door
v­ pierce, stab, dig
m­ full of holes, hollow

M

ma
n­1 land, country, place
n­2 earth, dry land, outdoor area
m­1 terrestrial
m­2 outside

*majuna
m­ old
pu­ sin ala, lili ala, suli
Removed before first public draft. { .hidden }

mama
n­ parent, ancestor, origin, creator, caretaker
m­ predecessor, parental, original

mani
n­1 money, wealth
n­2 livestock
m­ valuable

meli
n­ woman, girl
m­1 female (of their species)
m­2 feminine

mi
n­ 1st person (I, me; we, us)
m­ my, mine; our, ours

mije
n­ male, boy
m­1 male (of their species)
m­2 masculine

moku
n­ food, meal, sustenance
v­ eat, drink, consume, inhale, swallow
m­ edible, nourishing

moli
n­ death
v­ murder, kill
m­ dying, dead, lethal, mortal, fatal, non-functional (permanently)

monsi
n­ back, rear end
v­ retreat
m­ behind

monsuta
n­ monster
v­ fear, be afraid of
m­ frightening
pu­ ike, akesi, apeja
Added in 2010 along with kipisi and namako, not included in pu.

mu
n­1 animal noise
n­2 meaningless or incomprehensible talking
v­ make animal noises, speak incomprehensibly
m­ meaningless, incomprehensible, unintelligible
i­ animal vocalization (such as 'meow', 'moo', 'quack')

mun
n­ moon, star, celestial body
m­ lunar

musi
n­1 fun
n­2 art
v­1 play, have fun
m­ entertaining, artistic

mute
v­ multiply, extend
m­ many, a lot, more, much, very
#­1 many
#­2 20

N

namako
n­ addition, bonus, spice (for food)
m­ extra, additional
l­a additionally, furthermore
see­ sin
Added along with kipisi and monsuta in 2010. In pu, it was merged with sin.

nanpa
n­ number
f­ -th (ordinal number)

nasa
v­ fool around
m­ unusual, strange, weird, crazy, intoxicated

nasin
n­1 path, road
n­2 way, method
v­ follow, adopt

nena
n­ mountain, hill
n­ protuberance, bump
m­ bumpy, hilly, undulating

ni
n­ this, that
v­ point, refer to
m­ this, that
f­ that (like a conjunction, after e or a preposition)

nimi
n­ name, word

noka
n­1 bottom or rear limb (foot, leg); organ of locomotion
v­ kick
m­1 on foot, by foot
m­2 lower (part)

O

o
f­ marks imperative and vocative

oko
n­ eye
v­ look (but not see)
see­ lukin
It was merged with lukin in pu.

olin
n­ love, emotional affection
v­ love, adore

ona
n­ 3rd person (he, she, it, they)
m­ their, theirs (and all the others)

open
n­ start, beginning
v­ open, activate, turn on
a­ begin, start
m­1 open, activated
m­2 available, ready

P

pakala
n­1 damage, injury
n­2 error, bug, accident, mistake
v­ brake, damage
m­ broken, damaged, non-funcional
i­ dammit! shoot!

pake
v­ prevent, block, obstruct
Suggested by jan Sonja, never officially added (before ku).

pali
n­ work, job, process
v­ do, make, build, work (on)

palisa
n­ rod, stick; long and solid object
m­ long and solid

pan
n­1 bread
n­2 cereal, corn, rice, grain

pana
v­1 give, send
v­2 share, publish, release

*pasila/pasi
see­ pona
pasila was replaced before the first public draft; pasi was a typo later in a collection of "deprecated words". { .hidden }

*pata
n­ sibling
pu­ jan sama
It was removed in 2004. { .hidden }

pi
f­1 separates modifier groups after the noun
f­2 (archaic) of

pilin
n­1 feeling, emotion, instinct
n­2 heart (often after insa)
v­1 feel, smell, sense
v­2 guess, think (emotionally or subjectively)

pimeja
n­ darkness
v­ darken
m­1 black
m­2 dark, unlit

pini
n­1 end, finish
n­2 past
v­1 finish, end, stop, complete
v­2 deactivate
a­ finish, stop, "past tense"
m­ finished, past, former, ex-

pipi
n­ insect, bug, spider

*po
#­ 4
pu­ tu tu
Removed before toki pona became well-known. { .hidden }

poka
n­1 side (of something)
n­2 hip
v­ approach, come near
m­1 near, by, next to
m­2 along with, together with
p­ (archaic) along with, at the side of, close to
While it is no longer used as a preposition, it used to contrast kepeken by poka meaning physical or ideological closeness, and kepeken meaning using/with an instrument or (as) a tool.

poki
n­ box, container, bag, bowl
v­ contain

pona
v­ help, repair, fix
v­ improve, upgrade
m­ good, nice, positive, friendly, useful, simple
i­ great! thanks!

powe
v­ deceive, pretend, cheat, trick
m­ false, untrue
pu­ lon ala, toki ike, ike
It was never added to any official dictionary (before ku).

pu
n­ the official Toki Pona book
v­ interacting with the official Toki Pona book
m­ according to/as in/by the official Toki Pona book

S

sama
m­ same, similar
f­ same as, equal to, like, akin to
l­a similarly, like

seli
n­ fire, heat, chemical reaction
v­ cook, bake, heat
m­ hot, warm, cooked

selo
n­ outer layer, shell, skin, wall, separator
v­ separate

seme
n­ what? who?
v­ does what?
m­1 which? what kind?
m­2 how?

sewi
v­1 get up, arise, lift, raise up, win
v­2 ascend
m­1 above, upwards, elevated, superior
m­2 divine, sacred, holy, religious, supernatural

sijelo
n­1 body, main structure, main section
n­2 torso

sike
n­ round or circular object
v­ repeat, rotate
v­ form into a circle
m­ round, circular, spherical
m­ repeated(ly), again and again

sin
v­ renew, freshen, update
m­ new, fresh
see­ namako
This word was merged with namako in pu, although their uses remained largely separate.

sina
n­ 2nd person (thou, you)
m­ thy, thine; your, yours

sinpin
n­ face, front facing surface
m­1 front, frontal
m­2 facial

sitelen
n­ drawing, writing, picture, image, symbol, visual representation of something
v­ draw, write, paint
m­ written, drawn

soko
n­ mushroom, fungus
pu­ kili, kasi

sona
n­1 knowledge, data and information
n­2 intelligence, wisdom
v­ know, skilled in
m­ known
While factuality is usually implied with sona, it does not necessarily mean that the knowledge is reliable (use lon to mark factuality if needed).

soweli
n­1 land animal
n­2 mammal
m­ wild, animalistic

su
n­ The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Toki Pona edition)
v­ interacting with the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Toki Pona edition)
m­ according to/as in/by the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Toki Pona edition)

suli
m­1 big, large, heavy
m­2 adult
m­3 important

suno
n­1 Sun (celestial body)
n­2 light source
m­1 bright, lit, shining
m­2 gold (color, after kule)

supa
n­1 horizontal surface
n­2 thing to put or rest something on
v­ lie (down), lay (down)
m­1 resting
m­2 can be rested on

suwi
n­ sweets
m­1 sweet
m­2 cute, adorable
m­3 innocent

T

tan
n­ reason, origin point
v­ cause
p­1 from, by
p­2 because (of), since

taso
m­ only
c­ but

tawa
v­ move (something)
m­ moving
p­1 going to
p­2 for, to

telo
n­1 water
n­2 liquid
v­ water, wash
m­1 wet
m­2 liquid

tenpo
n­1 time, period

toki
n­1 speaking, verbal communication
n­2 language
v­1 say, talk, tell, communicate
v­2 think (rationally or objectively)
i­ hello!

tomo
n­ house, room, indoor or enclosed space
n­2 home

tonsi
n­ non-binary, genderqueer, transgender
m­ gender-nonconforming
pu­ jan kule
This word was coined by the community shortly after pu was released.
"jan kule" is not a true alternative, but a broader term meaning "queer" (LGBTQ+).

tu
v­ cut
#­ 2
see­ kipisi
Only received it's "cut" meaning after kipisi's removal in pu.

*tuli
#­ 3
pu­ tu wan
Removed before toki pona became well-known. { .hidden }

U

unpa
n­ sex, intercourse
v­1 have sex (with)
v­2 have marital relation with
m­ sexual, sexually
More generally could be defined as "performing the action necessary for reproduction, with or without the intent of reproducing".
Opinions vary about whether this word is purely used for its strictly sexual meaning, or could be applied to other, non-sexual activities and relationships.

uta
n­ mouth, lips
v­ kiss, lick
m­ oral

utala
n­ fight, battle, war
v­ battle, challenge, fight
m­ violent, aggressive, fighting

W

walo
m­1 white
m­2 light, pale
m­3 innocent, virgin

wan
m­ unique
#­ 1

waso
n­1 aerial animal (able to travel in the air by flying, gliding, etc.)
n­2 bird
m­ winged (animal), flying (creature)

wawa
n­1 power, energy
n­2 magic
m­1 strong, powerful
m­2 energetic, intense
m­3 confident, sure

weka
v­1 make distance (from object); get away from, throw away, remove
v­2 ignore
m­1 away
m­2 ignored

wile
n­1 will, hope
n­2 urge, need
v­ want, need
a­ want, should, have to, must, need
m­1 wanted, desired
m­2 necessary, required

Y

yupekosi
v­ to behave like George Lucas and revise your old creative works and actually make them worse
pu­ wile ike
"Nobody knows how to pronounce the y."[sic] -- jan Sonja