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Toki Pona: The Language of Good
Toki Pona is a language that simplifies ideas to their most basic elements. If you are hungry, you 'want eat'. To teach is to 'give knowledge'.Training your mind to think in Toki Pona can lead to deeper insights. The micro-language filters out the noise of our excess thoughts and points to the centre of things.
136 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 65 reviews
January 25, 2019
I've generally lacked interest or discipline when learning other languages. If I put together the fragments of French I remember from school it borders on the surreal:
Je m'appelle desespoir. La lune est sous la table. Trois pomme de terre et une grande chat.
Friends on the continent tell me it'll be because, as a native English speaker, I'm swimming against the current. Everybody's learning English anyway! While that's an excuse I'd love to have, I've heard learning another language is good for the brain, and with the idea that language is the father of thought, can even help you to see life from different angles. So, I thought I'd start with something that was designed specially to be as simple as possible: enter Toki Pona.
Of course the obvious thing in hindsight is that it's hard to find the motivation to learn a language that nobody else actually uses, more so than a complicated language that's actually useful. Back to the drawing board with that idea then.
The main thing I've taken away from this book is the philosophy behind the language's creation: that if you create a simple language that reduces life to its most basic elements, you (in theory) will be able to more clearly see the essential things (and block out the non-essential) in everyday life. What I found funny is that, in execution, it doesn't read very differently from Newspeak in 1984. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, eh?
Je m'appelle desespoir. La lune est sous la table. Trois pomme de terre et une grande chat.
Friends on the continent tell me it'll be because, as a native English speaker, I'm swimming against the current. Everybody's learning English anyway! While that's an excuse I'd love to have, I've heard learning another language is good for the brain, and with the idea that language is the father of thought, can even help you to see life from different angles. So, I thought I'd start with something that was designed specially to be as simple as possible: enter Toki Pona.
Of course the obvious thing in hindsight is that it's hard to find the motivation to learn a language that nobody else actually uses, more so than a complicated language that's actually useful. Back to the drawing board with that idea then.
The main thing I've taken away from this book is the philosophy behind the language's creation: that if you create a simple language that reduces life to its most basic elements, you (in theory) will be able to more clearly see the essential things (and block out the non-essential) in everyday life. What I found funny is that, in execution, it doesn't read very differently from Newspeak in 1984. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, eh?
December 22, 2021
Absolutely absorbing. Toki Pona is a constructed language with a specific goal. That goal is to distil thought down to its very essence by means of as small a vocabulary as possible. With just 120-123 words (depending on how you count), I didn't think it was possible to say anything.
The way the grammar works is both very simple and very limiting. A huge amount of sentences that one could construct in English aren't possible in Toki Pona and must be broken into separate phrases. The extremely small amount of nouns forces you to combine words to describe a lot of things, differing based on the context. This means that a driver, a passenger and a pedestrian may all use a different phrase to describe a car.
I found this all very fascinating as the limitations imposed on my description forced me to think of ways to describe concepts and objects in ways I hadn't thought of.
Of course, there are problems with the language. It is impossible to have any detailed discussion about anything, and given the size of the vocab, many many different concepts can be described using the same words, making it a tad confusing when you aren't astute. These flaws are entirely forgivable though, as the language is meant to be a think piece, something to mull over and consider rather than having the ambitions of Esperanto, being a universal language. There are smaller gripes that I feel are legitimate criticisms. With only ten dozen words, does one have to be taken up with "pu"? It just means, reading or interacting with this book. Also, the phonology. You're creating a language; you have complete free reign on the vocab and how it sounds. Why does the "li" syllable show up so frequently??? The phrase "The girl is small" is said "meli lili li lili." That sounds phenomenally strange.
Also, it could have done with more sample text to give ideas for how to translate more complex thoughts or others not easily expressed.
All in all, quaint, interesting, thought provoking and fun. Though, in no way practical, and baring an almost errie similarity to Newspeak from 1984.
The way the grammar works is both very simple and very limiting. A huge amount of sentences that one could construct in English aren't possible in Toki Pona and must be broken into separate phrases. The extremely small amount of nouns forces you to combine words to describe a lot of things, differing based on the context. This means that a driver, a passenger and a pedestrian may all use a different phrase to describe a car.
I found this all very fascinating as the limitations imposed on my description forced me to think of ways to describe concepts and objects in ways I hadn't thought of.
Of course, there are problems with the language. It is impossible to have any detailed discussion about anything, and given the size of the vocab, many many different concepts can be described using the same words, making it a tad confusing when you aren't astute. These flaws are entirely forgivable though, as the language is meant to be a think piece, something to mull over and consider rather than having the ambitions of Esperanto, being a universal language. There are smaller gripes that I feel are legitimate criticisms. With only ten dozen words, does one have to be taken up with "pu"? It just means, reading or interacting with this book. Also, the phonology. You're creating a language; you have complete free reign on the vocab and how it sounds. Why does the "li" syllable show up so frequently??? The phrase "The girl is small" is said "meli lili li lili." That sounds phenomenally strange.
Also, it could have done with more sample text to give ideas for how to translate more complex thoughts or others not easily expressed.
All in all, quaint, interesting, thought provoking and fun. Though, in no way practical, and baring an almost errie similarity to Newspeak from 1984.
January 8, 2016
A great little book for a great little language! I enjoyed the lessons and the texts very much, they really helped me (re-)learn this constructed creole language, I think, and it also helped me to remember more of the 120 words. There is a dictionary in the back, and a part that also contains the Toki Pona sign language (which I have yet to learn, someday!), as well as logograms. Even lists of country and language names, among which the author has even added Tsez - no doubt because of me. pona, jan Sonja! ni li pona tawa mi a. :)
What I'd like to have seen in this book, though, is a little etymology for all the words. That would surely help me to remember the words.
What I'd like to have seen in this book, though, is a little etymology for all the words. That would surely help me to remember the words.
April 1, 2024
I am trying to learn Esperanto and Italian for three years now. They are supposed to be relatively easy languages. Especially Esperanto of course with its nice exception free grammar. But I still cannot even follow simple conversations.
Now, Toki Pona is really easy. Just 14 letters, just 120 words. I still have not memorized them completely but I can understand written Toki Pona and I guess I could express myself better than in Esperanto or Italian. Which is pretty cool.
The creator of the language, Sonja Lang, says that her object was to simplify her thoughts. Maybe. But Toki Pona (which means simple or good language) definitely tells you some important things about how language works. For example, with only 120 words a sentence has not a definitive meaning. Nearly everything depends on context. But it does not mean that the language is ambiguous. Instead it is vague by design. That is an important difference. So mi does not mean I (and my and mine) or we but both at the same time. Context tells you what is meant. But you can also say mi mute which means I-many. Mama means parent. But you can say mama meli (female parent) if you do want to reference your mother.
The grammar is strange but simple and brilliant. You use special particle words to indicate if a word or part of a sentence is a predicate or an object.
There are 18 lessons in this book and they built up nicely. (Better than most of the courses you will find online.) But although I find the language and the lessons great I cannot attach five stars.
The vocabulary given at the end is not nearly satisfying. And contains errors (or is at least sloppy). The word kepeken is listed as a proposition and it can mean “with” but it also means “to use”, so it should be also listed as a verb. There is not enough actual text in the book. And of the examples she does give a lot have a very irritating religious background. I would have preferred actual every-day-stories. Lang has also created her own writing system which is very nice. But a lot of pages are wasted by an alternative writing system (which looks like maja printing). And the same goes for the sign language system. Good to have. But in an introduction to the language? (Also, the book includes an exceptionally ugly comic strip.)
It is incredible how you can establish a basic language with only 120 words. But if you teach this to children my guess is by the time they are ten they would have added a thousand words to the language.
Now, Toki Pona is really easy. Just 14 letters, just 120 words. I still have not memorized them completely but I can understand written Toki Pona and I guess I could express myself better than in Esperanto or Italian. Which is pretty cool.
The creator of the language, Sonja Lang, says that her object was to simplify her thoughts. Maybe. But Toki Pona (which means simple or good language) definitely tells you some important things about how language works. For example, with only 120 words a sentence has not a definitive meaning. Nearly everything depends on context. But it does not mean that the language is ambiguous. Instead it is vague by design. That is an important difference. So mi does not mean I (and my and mine) or we but both at the same time. Context tells you what is meant. But you can also say mi mute which means I-many. Mama means parent. But you can say mama meli (female parent) if you do want to reference your mother.
The grammar is strange but simple and brilliant. You use special particle words to indicate if a word or part of a sentence is a predicate or an object.
There are 18 lessons in this book and they built up nicely. (Better than most of the courses you will find online.) But although I find the language and the lessons great I cannot attach five stars.
The vocabulary given at the end is not nearly satisfying. And contains errors (or is at least sloppy). The word kepeken is listed as a proposition and it can mean “with” but it also means “to use”, so it should be also listed as a verb. There is not enough actual text in the book. And of the examples she does give a lot have a very irritating religious background. I would have preferred actual every-day-stories. Lang has also created her own writing system which is very nice. But a lot of pages are wasted by an alternative writing system (which looks like maja printing). And the same goes for the sign language system. Good to have. But in an introduction to the language? (Also, the book includes an exceptionally ugly comic strip.)
It is incredible how you can establish a basic language with only 120 words. But if you teach this to children my guess is by the time they are ten they would have added a thousand words to the language.
January 9, 2023
Sehr verständlich erklärt
November 25, 2014
This is a delightful little manual about the author's conlang, Toki Pona. A small community has coalesced around the language since she posted it online and this self-published book is the result of numerous requests she received to create a book.
The language itself is pretty cool, but I'm even more interested in the stories behind conlangs like this. However, it seems to me that she is rather reserved about the whole thing and interviews are hard to find. (This book doesn't really say much about her motivations and creative process.) I gather she created it while fighting depression as a way to channel her thinking. Toki Pona is extremely minimalist and has a very zen-like feel. Phonologically, it sounds primitive--you can imagine being shipwrecked on an island where the hunter-gatherer natives speak Toki Pona. It also includes a neat heiroglyphic writing system that reminds me of the Mayan glyphs.
In addition to a few newspaper articles there is this podcast interview with her and this talk at the Polyglot Gathering. (The latter is done by someone else, but she is present in the audience.) Also worth watching are these YouTube lessons.
The language itself is pretty cool, but I'm even more interested in the stories behind conlangs like this. However, it seems to me that she is rather reserved about the whole thing and interviews are hard to find. (This book doesn't really say much about her motivations and creative process.) I gather she created it while fighting depression as a way to channel her thinking. Toki Pona is extremely minimalist and has a very zen-like feel. Phonologically, it sounds primitive--you can imagine being shipwrecked on an island where the hunter-gatherer natives speak Toki Pona. It also includes a neat heiroglyphic writing system that reminds me of the Mayan glyphs.
In addition to a few newspaper articles there is this podcast interview with her and this talk at the Polyglot Gathering. (The latter is done by someone else, but she is present in the audience.) Also worth watching are these YouTube lessons.
May 6, 2022
lipu pu li pona a! sina wile kama sona e toki pona la, o esun lipu ni. taso, pona la, o ku. nimi pu ala li mute. jan mute li toki kepeken nimi ku suli.
jan Sonja li jan pona a!
jan Sonja li jan pona a!
December 20, 2022
I want to learn this with someone and make secret plots, however the limited vocabulary would necessitate any such plots be quite simple. I think even robbing a convenience store could prove disastrous. A suggestion to take the hostages behind the potato chips could easily be misconstrued as to bring them behind the popcorn. No not that way, that's where the window is, the cops can see you now. No not the city cops, the swat team. The cops-with-bigger-throwing-objects-and-larger-clothes--ah crap they shot you. There was at least a few hundred bucks in the register but we were just going to take all the cigarettes and sell them over state lines but not anymore.
October 29, 2022
Wow! A language of even less value than Esperanto! Get real, nerds!
December 15, 2022
Quite saccharine and silly, but it comes from a good place and it's cooler than Esperanto (not hard)
May 31, 2025
- toki pona li pona tawa mi. mi pilin pona! pona pona.
- toki musi tan kulupu nimi pu: soweli li meli. / soweli suli li moku e sina. / soweli li meli.
- mi wile toki e toki pona lon ma kasi.
- mi awen kute e toki pona. :)
- nimi jaki li 'nena'. ona wile li 'piko' tan toki Inuktitut ('pingo').
- toki musi tan kulupu nimi pu: soweli li meli. / soweli suli li moku e sina. / soweli li meli.
- mi wile toki e toki pona lon ma kasi.
- mi awen kute e toki pona. :)
- nimi jaki li 'nena'. ona wile li 'piko' tan toki Inuktitut ('pingo').
January 15, 2022
Absolutely marvellous. toki pona li pona tawa mi.
November 23, 2022
Sobre el Toki Pona
Toki Pona es un idioma minimalista de solamente ~123 palabras, y modelado por ideas taoístas, inventado por la lingüista Sonja Lang para sobrepasar una depresión (funcionó). Toki Pona es un idioma para pensar. Diseñado con la intención de formular nuestros pensamientos con él.
También funciona perfecto para hablar. Personalmente en un inicio quise aprenderlo solo para utilizarlo como idioma secreto con un amigo mío. Se cumplió. ¡Nos tomó una semana aprender el idioma! (nos queda pendiente aprender el sistema de escritura). Aún así, hay gran diversidad de motivaciones para aprenderlo.
Toki Pona es super divertido. De verdad es, como se diría en su propio terreno, muy «pona».
La simplicidad y atomicidad del vocabulario se siente como una implementación directa de la teoría de las ideas y el entendimiento humano de John Locke, con un enfoque de cotidianidad. Formular ideas complejas a partir de las ideas simples es justamente lo que logra.
Reuniré rápidamente las cualidades del lenguaje: ridículamente minimalista, fácil y divertido, con una comunidad fabulosa en internet, e intuitivo. Claro, es fácil categorizarlos en los idiomas inútiles pero se aprende en días y se disfruta para toda la vida.
Sobre el libro
Este libro es un mini curso (mini porque no es necesario más) para aprender Toki Pona. Expone los principios y bases del idioma, y nos adentra en su aprendizaje. Las lecciones son muy efectivas con un gran punto en los ejemplos y ejercicios. En ocasiones se siente rebuscado. Cuando te das cuenta de lo supremamente intuitivo que es, prácticamente puedes inferir la gramática, ínfima de por sí, y adelantarle a las combinaciones de palabras.
El punto negativo es que realmente este libro no es ni de cerca el corazón del Toki Pona. Lo realmente importante es interpretar el significado abstracto de las ~123 palabras y lo demás ocurre de manera natural. Aún así es un gran compañero durante el aprendizaje.
Mi mute olin lipu pi Toki Pona :)
Toki Pona es un idioma minimalista de solamente ~123 palabras, y modelado por ideas taoístas, inventado por la lingüista Sonja Lang para sobrepasar una depresión (funcionó). Toki Pona es un idioma para pensar. Diseñado con la intención de formular nuestros pensamientos con él.
También funciona perfecto para hablar. Personalmente en un inicio quise aprenderlo solo para utilizarlo como idioma secreto con un amigo mío. Se cumplió. ¡Nos tomó una semana aprender el idioma! (nos queda pendiente aprender el sistema de escritura). Aún así, hay gran diversidad de motivaciones para aprenderlo.
Toki Pona es super divertido. De verdad es, como se diría en su propio terreno, muy «pona».
La simplicidad y atomicidad del vocabulario se siente como una implementación directa de la teoría de las ideas y el entendimiento humano de John Locke, con un enfoque de cotidianidad. Formular ideas complejas a partir de las ideas simples es justamente lo que logra.
Reuniré rápidamente las cualidades del lenguaje: ridículamente minimalista, fácil y divertido, con una comunidad fabulosa en internet, e intuitivo. Claro, es fácil categorizarlos en los idiomas inútiles pero se aprende en días y se disfruta para toda la vida.
Sobre el libro
Este libro es un mini curso (mini porque no es necesario más) para aprender Toki Pona. Expone los principios y bases del idioma, y nos adentra en su aprendizaje. Las lecciones son muy efectivas con un gran punto en los ejemplos y ejercicios. En ocasiones se siente rebuscado. Cuando te das cuenta de lo supremamente intuitivo que es, prácticamente puedes inferir la gramática, ínfima de por sí, y adelantarle a las combinaciones de palabras.
El punto negativo es que realmente este libro no es ni de cerca el corazón del Toki Pona. Lo realmente importante es interpretar el significado abstracto de las ~123 palabras y lo demás ocurre de manera natural. Aún así es un gran compañero durante el aprendizaje.
Mi mute olin lipu pi Toki Pona :)
June 24, 2019
This is a fun little book, worth checking out for anyone interested in language and particularly conlanging. The fair way to judge a constructed language is by its own intentions - and toki pona is about minimalism. I think there's some reasonable quibbles about this, especially insofar as the book is pitched as a mental health thing (personally I find eating with a knife and fork less stressful than a Swiss army knife!) but jan Sonja has succeeded in making a functional language with a very restricted vocabulary (a mere 120 words) and that is very impressive. The grammar is pretty easy when you get used to it, and although I'm not sure I could get into the habit of thinking in toki pona, I did enjoy the effort required to think about things differently - we might actually be better off if we didn't have a word for 'car', but had to describe it by reference to other things, that's an interesting thought experiment.
At the same time, I felt there were a few other aims which were less openly acknowledged. The language draws heavily on tok pisin, a creole from Papua New Guinea, and jan Sonja is clearly interested in trying to create a non-Eurocentric language. It's not just the vocabulary and grammar which is simple, but the phonology - just 5 vowels and 9 consonants which are all common cross-linguistically. That's cool because a lot of auxlangs are very Eurocentric, but a part of me feels like a minimalist language should also require minimal effort to learn - I don't know if it needs to be universal in its ambition, and we could probably make do with merging the grammar with vocab tied more directly to each language family. Some of the etymologies are easy enough to spot, but a bunch aren't, and a bit of a bigger sound inventory might have helped make those 120 words sound a bit more distinctive. A particular bugbear for me was the frequency with which single-syllable words like 'la', 'pi', and above all 'li' also cropped up in other words. Okay, maybe there's nothing in toki pona's minimalist goals to say that 'soweli suli li moku e kili lili' (big animal eats a little vegetable) shouldn't be such a tongue-twister, but it also feels easily avoidable. Equally, although this would change the language considerably, I personally find the Esperanto suffixing a more effective kind of linguistic minimalism than toki pona.
That all said, it is a nice detour from other language learning and I'd still recommend it - not least because relatively few attempts at conlanging are so clearly motivated. Although I didn't enjoy all the stuff at back - I admire the intention behind the inclusion of a sign language, but I don't think it completely worked - I did appreciate the insight into the broader philosophy behind the work that the example texts provided.
At the same time, I felt there were a few other aims which were less openly acknowledged. The language draws heavily on tok pisin, a creole from Papua New Guinea, and jan Sonja is clearly interested in trying to create a non-Eurocentric language. It's not just the vocabulary and grammar which is simple, but the phonology - just 5 vowels and 9 consonants which are all common cross-linguistically. That's cool because a lot of auxlangs are very Eurocentric, but a part of me feels like a minimalist language should also require minimal effort to learn - I don't know if it needs to be universal in its ambition, and we could probably make do with merging the grammar with vocab tied more directly to each language family. Some of the etymologies are easy enough to spot, but a bunch aren't, and a bit of a bigger sound inventory might have helped make those 120 words sound a bit more distinctive. A particular bugbear for me was the frequency with which single-syllable words like 'la', 'pi', and above all 'li' also cropped up in other words. Okay, maybe there's nothing in toki pona's minimalist goals to say that 'soweli suli li moku e kili lili' (big animal eats a little vegetable) shouldn't be such a tongue-twister, but it also feels easily avoidable. Equally, although this would change the language considerably, I personally find the Esperanto suffixing a more effective kind of linguistic minimalism than toki pona.
That all said, it is a nice detour from other language learning and I'd still recommend it - not least because relatively few attempts at conlanging are so clearly motivated. Although I didn't enjoy all the stuff at back - I admire the intention behind the inclusion of a sign language, but I don't think it completely worked - I did appreciate the insight into the broader philosophy behind the work that the example texts provided.
July 16, 2021
I felt while reading this book that this conlang was forcing me to think in a certain way about the world, which is generally not advised in a language. Forcing "want" and "need" into a single verb may be economical and part of the author's philosophy, but it is crippling in actual use.
I felt that there were certain fundamental things in normal languages, like swearing, that were missing.
What is a "pre-verb"? Real linguists call these "modal verbs".
If I do not know the difference between two things, like, say, wheat and barley, I cannot properly talk about them in toki pona.
I do not like conlangs (or real languages, for that matter) who force you to modify a proper noun to fit the language's phonetics and phonotactics. I always prefer saying the word like it is said in its parent language.
No, a paragraph from the An-Naml from the Qu'ran cannot be represented as the single word "mu".
The number system is disgusting. 78 is "mute mute mute luka luka luka tu wan".
The comics and the presented uses for the sign language (which conspicuously lack communication between those who are deaf) are not appropriate for an educational text. The mental image of toki pona gang signs used against rival Lojbanists is, however, hilarious.
Only Latin, Arabic, and a weird pseudo-Mayan script are shown to be compatible with toki pona. The Greek and Cyrillic alphabets, while compatible, should have been represented in the book.
Calling your language "the good language" is masturbatory. So is including a separate word ("pu") for "interacting with the official Toki Pona book". This is not a holy text, but this word points to it being considered one in the eyes of the creator.
Jan Misali, you have disappointed me. I am sorry. This book, while an interesting philosophical and linguistic exercise, and perhaps helpful for bare-bones communication between foreigners, presents a conlang that I can't say I wish to learn.
I felt that there were certain fundamental things in normal languages, like swearing, that were missing.
What is a "pre-verb"? Real linguists call these "modal verbs".
If I do not know the difference between two things, like, say, wheat and barley, I cannot properly talk about them in toki pona.
I do not like conlangs (or real languages, for that matter) who force you to modify a proper noun to fit the language's phonetics and phonotactics. I always prefer saying the word like it is said in its parent language.
No, a paragraph from the An-Naml from the Qu'ran cannot be represented as the single word "mu".
The number system is disgusting. 78 is "mute mute mute luka luka luka tu wan".
The comics and the presented uses for the sign language (which conspicuously lack communication between those who are deaf) are not appropriate for an educational text. The mental image of toki pona gang signs used against rival Lojbanists is, however, hilarious.
Only Latin, Arabic, and a weird pseudo-Mayan script are shown to be compatible with toki pona. The Greek and Cyrillic alphabets, while compatible, should have been represented in the book.
Calling your language "the good language" is masturbatory. So is including a separate word ("pu") for "interacting with the official Toki Pona book". This is not a holy text, but this word points to it being considered one in the eyes of the creator.
Jan Misali, you have disappointed me. I am sorry. This book, while an interesting philosophical and linguistic exercise, and perhaps helpful for bare-bones communication between foreigners, presents a conlang that I can't say I wish to learn.
March 31, 2018
I enjoyed this book and have added it to my reference collection of books to return to regularly - it is more for the content not for the quality of the learning environment.
It is a traditional vocabulary, grammar, examples and exercises model of a language textbook - which is not my preferred model and in my language teaching (and learning) - I have found it an unhelpful model for me (and had a strong desire to write my own version of a learning text but I will likely suppress this desire).
I like micro-languages and as this is constructed with reference to Tok Pisin, English and Finnish with Chinese - all languages I have learnt and worked with so it was immediately attractive.
It is a traditional vocabulary, grammar, examples and exercises model of a language textbook - which is not my preferred model and in my language teaching (and learning) - I have found it an unhelpful model for me (and had a strong desire to write my own version of a learning text but I will likely suppress this desire).
I like micro-languages and as this is constructed with reference to Tok Pisin, English and Finnish with Chinese - all languages I have learnt and worked with so it was immediately attractive.
April 30, 2023
I'm trying to keep this as a review of the book, not the language. The idea of the language itself is fun and playful, and not necessarily meant to be "ideal". The book however, is not organized in a way that makes learning easy. While it is the definitive text on the language, most learners use a combination of other sources as Lang simply doesn't set it up well to actually absorb. I think a more dictionary-like layout with some chapters expanding on grammar would have been more helpful, and then paired with a separate workbook.
August 13, 2020
Cute little language that provides some surprising life philosophy. Rich grammar that makes it feel quite complete. Would be a fun project for a month to properly learn with someone else, and to have you own secret language. If you're not actually paying too much attention to the vocab, you can flick through the book in less than an hour and learn the underpinnings of how it all comes together.
January 14, 2015
Excellent!
Perfect for introduction to the language, and fully fledged reference and fun reading for an experienced learner.
I particularly love the simple symbol section. It helps me to understand better how the words interrelate.
Perfect for introduction to the language, and fully fledged reference and fun reading for an experienced learner.
I particularly love the simple symbol section. It helps me to understand better how the words interrelate.
September 22, 2015
Language is fascinating. Toki Pona is a VERY simple language. It lacks some elements of precision - but allows for a very imaginative approach to language. Worth reading.
June 1, 2024
I enjoyed the lessons in the book, and it was definitely a good beginner's guide through the technical aspects of Toki Pona. Unfortunately, I felt the content was a bit sparse. I attempted to translate all the text I read before looking at the "actual" translation and was often surprised at what was supposed to be interpreted, which made me feel like I wasn't learning the content very well.
Some my struggle was just due to the limitation of the language, but I felt some of it was also due to the sparseness of Part 2, the section that provided example content. That bit was quite underwhelming, with sections like "The Torah" and "The Gospel" each covering a mere one or two sentences from the source material. There were some reference sections for some niche things, like the names countries or of other constructed languages, but it felt a little disappointing/cheap to have those rather than more meaty content for the average learner.
I would have liked to see more content like the story section, where narratives and ideas were strung together as examples of how to use the language in practice. That would have felt more satisfying than--what I consider to be the most obnoxious example--translating a whole paragraph of text into a single word because "a bird was talking". Translated into Toki Pona, the bird's message was compressed into the word, "tweet," instead of the original meaning of the text. Yes, technically "mu" is "sounds an animal makes," which would include talking--funny, but not all that helpful for someone trying to learn how to convey ideas in a new language. I definitely would have had more fun with that example if I didn't feel like there was a general lack of content.
Overall, I'm a little disappointed in the book and feel it's a bit overpriced, but if you go in expecting something more like an extended blog post than a serious textbook, you'd probably feel more satisfied.
Some my struggle was just due to the limitation of the language, but I felt some of it was also due to the sparseness of Part 2, the section that provided example content. That bit was quite underwhelming, with sections like "The Torah" and "The Gospel" each covering a mere one or two sentences from the source material. There were some reference sections for some niche things, like the names countries or of other constructed languages, but it felt a little disappointing/cheap to have those rather than more meaty content for the average learner.
I would have liked to see more content like the story section, where narratives and ideas were strung together as examples of how to use the language in practice. That would have felt more satisfying than--what I consider to be the most obnoxious example--translating a whole paragraph of text into a single word because "a bird was talking". Translated into Toki Pona, the bird's message was compressed into the word, "tweet," instead of the original meaning of the text. Yes, technically "mu" is "sounds an animal makes," which would include talking--funny, but not all that helpful for someone trying to learn how to convey ideas in a new language. I definitely would have had more fun with that example if I didn't feel like there was a general lack of content.
Overall, I'm a little disappointed in the book and feel it's a bit overpriced, but if you go in expecting something more like an extended blog post than a serious textbook, you'd probably feel more satisfied.
January 17, 2023
This is a thought-provoking little book. The language it describes is so simple that it forced me to imagine the very genesis and early evolution of human language. It hadn't occurred to me that a micro-constructed language could be so culty. While I enjoyed perusing the simple description of this simple language, and musing over the author's choice of vocabulary, the spiritual overtones and claims to some beneficent power ranged from creepy to ridiculous. That the author constructed this language in an attempt to manage a depressive episode is interesting and even inspiring, and may serve to explain those spiritual overtones. The original development of language, and language branchings probably was and continues to be quite culty.
Having studied many natural languages, I found the choice of vocabulary amusing. The very limited semantic categories represented were well-chosen and do seem to allow for lots of recombination to allow for quite a range meanings. I don't quite understand why particular words were chosen to represent the basic ~120 concepts. So many are derived from so many different languages rendering them considerably less accessible to the majority of non-polyglots, who ostensibly will benefit from the healing powers of Toki Pona. There are complete words taken from Finnish (sina, kala) and Arabic (kalama), not to mention French (wazo for bird made me giggle) and other common Western European languages. Why 'Toki' for language? Tok Pisin obviously comes to mind. I would definitely like to read more about the author's decisions on word choice. Were they made in a shamanistic trance or is there some logic to it? There is definitely logic to the phonology, morphology and grammar.
Having studied many natural languages, I found the choice of vocabulary amusing. The very limited semantic categories represented were well-chosen and do seem to allow for lots of recombination to allow for quite a range meanings. I don't quite understand why particular words were chosen to represent the basic ~120 concepts. So many are derived from so many different languages rendering them considerably less accessible to the majority of non-polyglots, who ostensibly will benefit from the healing powers of Toki Pona. There are complete words taken from Finnish (sina, kala) and Arabic (kalama), not to mention French (wazo for bird made me giggle) and other common Western European languages. Why 'Toki' for language? Tok Pisin obviously comes to mind. I would definitely like to read more about the author's decisions on word choice. Were they made in a shamanistic trance or is there some logic to it? There is definitely logic to the phonology, morphology and grammar.
December 23, 2021
toki! o kute e lipu suli mi.
(Hi! Please read my long review.)
ike lili (cons):
While some of the philosophical elements is interesting, I would prefer more utility, or at least a simplified published version. Also I’m not sure if what language one uses actually affects one’s thoughts to the degree that some people think it does.
pona suli (pros):
This language is awesome! Learning it is very easy and fun and the teaching ‘style’ of the book is excellent. So many aspects of this language, from its phonology to its influences to the grammar, are very simple and effective (fine, they are also elegant). Also this got me to realize interesting things about the other languages I know (English, French, and a little Chinese). Overall, awesome book.
nimi pona tawa toki sin (suggestions for future languages):
Standardize words instead of having them change based on perspective. (Ex car should always be ilo tawa)
Have separate words for good/simple need/want. I get the philosophical implications but I would rather have a more practical language.
Remove/reporpose pu, I think it is a joke word anyway.
Standardise by category (ex copy Chinese number system, copy Swahili color system, etc.) I feel like this would make it easier to remember for internationals and language enthusiasts, the target audience.
Make a word for father that isn’t mama mije. (Ex: papa)
Disallow words that end in li. Saying soweli lili li lili (the kitten is small) is crazy. Or change the subject marker.
Finally, include etymology for words.
jan Sonja Lang o, pona! (Thank you to the creator)
(Hi! Please read my long review.)
ike lili (cons):
While some of the philosophical elements is interesting, I would prefer more utility, or at least a simplified published version. Also I’m not sure if what language one uses actually affects one’s thoughts to the degree that some people think it does.
pona suli (pros):
This language is awesome! Learning it is very easy and fun and the teaching ‘style’ of the book is excellent. So many aspects of this language, from its phonology to its influences to the grammar, are very simple and effective (fine, they are also elegant). Also this got me to realize interesting things about the other languages I know (English, French, and a little Chinese). Overall, awesome book.
nimi pona tawa toki sin (suggestions for future languages):
Standardize words instead of having them change based on perspective. (Ex car should always be ilo tawa)
Have separate words for good/simple need/want. I get the philosophical implications but I would rather have a more practical language.
Remove/reporpose pu, I think it is a joke word anyway.
Standardise by category (ex copy Chinese number system, copy Swahili color system, etc.) I feel like this would make it easier to remember for internationals and language enthusiasts, the target audience.
Make a word for father that isn’t mama mije. (Ex: papa)
Disallow words that end in li. Saying soweli lili li lili (the kitten is small) is crazy. Or change the subject marker.
Finally, include etymology for words.
jan Sonja Lang o, pona! (Thank you to the creator)
May 2, 2024
A fun constructed language that lives up to its purpose. What else can I say?
This book contains the entire grammar and vocabulary in digestible lessons. The conlang has a very specific artistic purpose as a minimalist language, and it captures it very well. There is not really anything bad to say about Toki Pona except for small nitpicks if you're looking at it through the lens of what it was made for.
It's a very fun language to play around with. I would reccomend writing short fables. The writing system, Sitelen Pona, is also unique and compliments the language's philosophy very nicely, with simplistic characters that are often literal to their meaning.
I think people who are bringing up the concerns with Toki Pona's lack of distinctions and small vocabulary as a criticism are thoroughly misinterpreting the purpose of the conlang. This isn't Esperanto or something meant to replace current languages. It's an artistic and philisophical expiriment. With that in mind, it captures its purpose perfectly.
This book contains the entire grammar and vocabulary in digestible lessons. The conlang has a very specific artistic purpose as a minimalist language, and it captures it very well. There is not really anything bad to say about Toki Pona except for small nitpicks if you're looking at it through the lens of what it was made for.
It's a very fun language to play around with. I would reccomend writing short fables. The writing system, Sitelen Pona, is also unique and compliments the language's philosophy very nicely, with simplistic characters that are often literal to their meaning.
I think people who are bringing up the concerns with Toki Pona's lack of distinctions and small vocabulary as a criticism are thoroughly misinterpreting the purpose of the conlang. This isn't Esperanto or something meant to replace current languages. It's an artistic and philisophical expiriment. With that in mind, it captures its purpose perfectly.
February 16, 2025
Learn a language with ~120 words, think differently.
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Learning to think in Toki Pona is a real experience. Changed my relationship to language-and-thought.
I was inspired by the story of the creator of Toki Pona attempting to cure her depression by simplifying her thinking.
In my experience with Toki Pona, trying to break a word/idea into "simpler" parts (though this is subjective) can reveal how the scaffolding of language obscures as much as it reveals. However, such a peek requires lots of investment from the reader and going beyond the book.
Resources:
- https://liputenpo.org/ magazine. To test your understanding, try dumping some of the articles into Claude or ChatGPT: they're great at Toki Pona-to-English translations but horrible at the other way around.
- catchy song with thoughtful translator's notes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWHZz...
- nimi.li dictionary app
I can't recommend the Toki Pona Discords.
------------------------------------------
Learning to think in Toki Pona is a real experience. Changed my relationship to language-and-thought.
I was inspired by the story of the creator of Toki Pona attempting to cure her depression by simplifying her thinking.
In my experience with Toki Pona, trying to break a word/idea into "simpler" parts (though this is subjective) can reveal how the scaffolding of language obscures as much as it reveals. However, such a peek requires lots of investment from the reader and going beyond the book.
Resources:
- https://liputenpo.org/ magazine. To test your understanding, try dumping some of the articles into Claude or ChatGPT: they're great at Toki Pona-to-English translations but horrible at the other way around.
- catchy song with thoughtful translator's notes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWHZz...
- nimi.li dictionary app
I can't recommend the Toki Pona Discords.
September 4, 2023
Este libro tiene que llegar en un momento adecuado de tu vida, en el que estés dispuesto a dedicarle el tiempo suficiente como para aprender (y practicar) un idioma nuevo. Es lo que es, un manual, un manual de un idioma simple y para sacar lo mejor de él deberás estar dispuesto a dedicarle tu tiempo y tener al lado un cuaderno donde ir practicando. Un interesante concepto, pero es un idioma para hablar con uno mismo, para reflexionar y meditar, más que para comunicarse. Un idioma basado en la fluidez de los significados dependientes del contexto, pero muy útil para desmembrar tus sentimientos e ideas en porciones más simples que, quizá, te ayuden a entenderte mejor.
July 11, 2025
A really great simple language, but I think the book could be better organized. Not all "official" words are presented during the lessons, and it doesn't make sense to introduce a word as a noun/verb/adjective in a language where you can use any word as any of those.
I also would have preferred if the example texts at the end of the book weren't all religious texts. Like, it was cool seeing big words/concepts being reduced to short sentences, but I would've appreciated some more everyday usage.
Overall I think it's a good place to start, and I'm looking forward to get into the free resources created by the (larger than you'd expect!) community.
I also would have preferred if the example texts at the end of the book weren't all religious texts. Like, it was cool seeing big words/concepts being reduced to short sentences, but I would've appreciated some more everyday usage.
Overall I think it's a good place to start, and I'm looking forward to get into the free resources created by the (larger than you'd expect!) community.
March 29, 2024
Can you communicate using just 120 words? Sonja Lang thinks so, and I agree with her! I had tried to learn this relatively simplistic language a couple of years ago in order to say I can speak two different languages, but I had forgotten all that I learned. Upon reading this book, which I did not have access to the first time around learning, the grammar and rules of language began to make much more sense. And, as Lang stated, it was her way of understanding the world in a minimalistic way to help her thoughts, and it seems that this language can do the same. Definite recommend to anyone.
sina toki lon nimi lili? a toki! jan Sonja sona en mi sona kin. mi sona e toki pona. tenpo suno la mi sona a! mi pu la, toki pona li sona pona! mi toki ni lipu e jan mute.
sina toki lon nimi lili? a toki! jan Sonja sona en mi sona kin. mi sona e toki pona. tenpo suno la mi sona a! mi pu la, toki pona li sona pona! mi toki ni lipu e jan mute.
May 25, 2023
A nice short introduction to the Toki Pona langauge. The language has changed a bit since this publication, but most of the information is still relevant and useful, and the second book Toki Pona Dictionary provides updates and errata to this book.
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