this is very wip but i hope it's at least a bit useful
i intend to update this as i figure out more definitions
please keep in mind that i am not fluent and this is heavily influenced
by my nasin nasa pi toki pona. it is extremely likely that at least
one definition is incorrect based on common usage
lipamanka, a prominent member of ma pona pi toki pona, is working on a semantic
dictionary as well.. and it will definitely be better than mine
(they're actually debating with the community, meanwhile i
have a sample size of 1). it's very wip at the moment,
but the few definitions present are excellent!
go check it out here
the main goal of this dictionary is to succinctly provide a solid
understanding of the semantic space of toki pona words based off
of the common understanding of them
when i was learning, i only had access to dictionaries that defined
toki pona words by listing english synonyms. while sufficient for a
basic understanding of each word, i often struggled to understand the
actual semantic space of a word.
i've been slowly learning the semantic space of each word through
scattered, small individual lessons and discussions. by making this
dictionary, i hope to not only help myself fully understand what each
toki pona word means, but to compile all of my knowledge in one place
so that others can learn more easily.
uhh credit to the person who wrote
this essay (it's in ma pona pi toki pona) for inspiring me! also
there are some others scattered around during the same time frame that
are good too
if you have any suggestions or corrections, i'd love to hear them!
i'm adding a form for this website that you'll be able to send
a message through; it's not ready, but in the meantime, you can
find me in ma pona pi toki pona. as of writing, there isn't anyone
impersonating me, so i should be pretty easy to find lmao
anyway yeah. mi wile e ni: sona ni li pona tawa sina :)
how to read the dictionary
by default, definitions are in noun form and describe the definition.
anything in italics describe the word.
separate definitions are separated by a semicolon ;.
definitions are ordered by importance. the first definition is the
main definition, defined by what i think embodies the meaning of
the word the most. the other definitions are commonly understood
alternate meanings, usually something common that the main definition
frequently encompasses.
(future placeholder here! i no longer agree with the previous paragraph. definitions are equal)
the more question marks there are at the end of a definition,
the more likely it is to be incorrect
the dictionary
core:
prepositions:
kepeken: utilization? (as prep: to utilize)
lon: existence (as prep: to be in the existence of)
sama: similarity? (as prep: to be similar to??)
tan: source (as prep: to be sourced from)
tawa: movement? (as prep: to be in the direction of)
everything else:
a:expression word; transcription of laughter
ala: lack of??
ale: entirety, all; abundant, countless?
anpa: below, under?; bottom area?
ante: difference?
esun: swap, exchange?; thing you do swapping in??
ilo: that which serves a purpose???
insa: inside, in-between
ken: possibility
kiwen: that which is rigid
ko: that which is malleable; anything between kiwen and telo
lawa: that which governs; top part?? (the "head")
len: cover; cloth, thread-woven item
lete: cold; uncooked
linja: that which is long and malleable/wants to be flexible
luka: body part that grasps objects?
mama: that which creates???
mani: currency; wealth
mi:first person pronoun
moku: that which is consumed (anything involving intake of something)??
moli: death
nasa: that which is unusual, different from a norm
ni:word meaning "that", "this"
noka: body part for locomotion; bottom part (the "foot")
olin: deep personal connection, love
ona:third person pronoun
pali: that which is created???
palisa: that which is long and rigid/wants to conform to one shape
poki: container
pu: interaction with the book Toki Pona: The Language of Good by jan Sonja
sitelen: representation (of something)
seli: heat; cooked
selo: border, outer layer
sewi: above; top area?; holy
sina:second person pronoun
sona: knowledge
taso: exclusivity?
telo: that which is fluid
toki: communication
tomo: shelter?; building
wan: that which is a single thing
widespread:
kijetesantakalu: that which is part of the Musteloidea superfamily (is an ascended joke word)
ku: interaction with the book Toki Pona Dictionary by jan Sonja
meli: that which is feminine
mije: that which is masculine
monsuta: that which causes fear
soko: fungal?
tonsi: that which doesn't conform to gender norms
this includes gender non-conforming and non-cisgender individuals