Poki pona

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okam wepon tokowa pojokoponokowa.

poki pona is my one-night attempt to bring cases into toki pona.

roots[edit | edit source]

poki pona has a set of word roots that are used as a basis for building words. By default, every poki pona root is a toki pona word, minus any vowel on the end.

for example

toki tok
jan jan
kal kal
ma m
ni n
pu p

In order to prevent ambiguity, some exceptions exist.

mi mis
sina sins
poki pojok
pan panul
seli selik
mije mijek
tu tow
ala alaw

nouns[edit | edit source]

A noun is built from

root + case suffix

prep case suffix example (kasi)
en accusative -i kasi
e nominative -e kase
alu conditional -ula kasula
o vocative -ijo kasijo
lon locative -ono kasono
tawa dative -owa kasowa
tan ablative -ana kasana
kepeken instrumental -eke kaseke
sama similaritive -ama kasama
genitive -ok- kasoki

Every noun ends with a vowel.

verbs[edit | edit source]

A verb is built from:

prefix + root

A prefix represents person, relation to the head verb, and mood.

sense prefix example (pana)
mi 1st person mi- mipan
sina 2nd person si- sipan
li 3rd person li- lipan
after preverb auxverb arg ta- tapan
adverb wi- wipan
connective we- wepan
o imperative o- opan
o "should" -o- mijopan
ala negation -ala- lialapan

prepositional verbs[edit | edit source]

toki pona allows you to use a preposition as the head word of a predicate,

e.g.

jan li tawa telo "People go to the water."

mi tawa tomo "I go to the building."

sina lon ma pi kiwen suli "You're in a land of big rocks."

mi tawa "I'm going", "goodbye"

poki pona transforms every preposition into a case marking on a noun.

tawa telo -> telowa

tawa tomo -> tomowa

ma pi kiwen suli -> mowa kiwokowa sulokokowa.

When a preposition is used as the head word of the predicate, the head word of its object is inflected with the corresponding case, and used as the head word of the predicate, in verb form.

jan li tawa telo -> jani litelou

mi tawa tomo -> mitomou

sina lon ma pi kiwen suli -> simon kiwokon sulokokon

mi tawa -> mijou

The genitive subcase[edit | edit source]

The genitive affix -ok- may be applied to create a modifier to a noun. Both the head noun and the modifier take the case suffix of the head noun.

e.g.

soweli suwi li lukin e mi - soweli suwoki lilukin mise

mi wile moku e kala mute - miwil tamok kale mutoke

Compound words[edit | edit source]

poki pona also allows compounding words via -o-.

toki pona -> tokoponi; toki ponoki

Alternatively, -ok- affixes may be stacked.

jan pi pilin pona -> jani pilinoponoki; jani pilinoki ponokoki

Examples[edit | edit source]

from : https://tokipona.org/toki_lili_27_poems_in_toki_pona.pdf

sinsi olukin

olukin mise

misi sinsi liwan

~ janana Epenokana


mipilin ne:

misi ki likonon.

mijalajo kone.


mijawen wejawen.

tawi likam.

misula siwek

~ janana Esiokana


muni pimejoni

lisun wiwal

lipon wipilin wijan


moli limison

wela pilin wijik

lijanon pokokon misokokon


kijetesanta-

kali tonsoki

lilanpan soke misoke

~ janana Jonatanokana


noki liwau

wisul wikalam

akesi lijawen

~ janana Kolokana


nenon towokon.

mesula mijon.

miken tason towe.


sewi pimejoki,

jaki iloki,

lilil sune munoke.


seli lilijoni

leti sulijoni

nasin tenpoki lin.

~ janoMelonana


mi noki lilet

sewula nenokula

milukin sune.

~ janoNusana

(note: mi = ma-ACC, noki = ni-GEN-ACC. "noki" also means noka-ACC, so "mi noki" can be "ma ni" or "ma en noka". "ma ni" can also be expressed as "moni".)


pimejon.

silukin wela

muni mutoki likam.

~ Ojokana janana


seli lipin.

moli likam.

owalamonsut.


tenpula kamokula,

sijolin wisin.

mi towi lipakal.


nimi lisul!

poki lilil!

kijetesantaka...

~ janoPolijanana


owesun ne:

lene janoliloke.

oni aloki lisin.

~ janana Simimanana


semi lijon wikin?

semi liwau?

ali liken tapon!


milukin me

miwil tawek

wetas - mijalaken.


oson ne:

ali lipon

olukin one!

~ janana Simonana


awenula mawonula,

lukinula wasokula,

poni likam tawon.

suni sinsi,

lisel wipon,

sinpine lawomisoke.


sunula openokula,

sewi likul;

teli wawoki lijon.

~ janana Siwenana


kiweni lijawen

koni wawoki lijon

leni lijalau wikiwen.

~ janana sonalana


kalami suloki

jani mutoki lijon

ali likalam

~ janosunana


...nana: tenpi

lijou liwek

wela misinsou

~ lonana Jawinana


a a a a a

a a a a a

a a "yupekosi"

(kilana)