Toki Pona Script

✎ ⟄ ᑈ ☺

[ Introduction | Script | Texts | Lexicon | Online Converter | Computer Tools ]

Introduction

Toki Pona (ᑈ ☺) is a constructed language created by Sonja Elen Kisa. This document proposes a script for Toki Pona following the philosophy of the language.

Since the root vocabulary is only 118 words, my idea to map each root word to one Unicode character appeared to be a feasible task. And I thought that dingbats and symbols match the nature of the language best. And surely Unicode must be capable of providing all the necessary symbols!

To show how the script feels, there is a text section and the original lexicon is listed. For your amusement, there is also an online-converter.

Finally, there are tools for your computer, e.g. keymaps for X/Unix (e.g. Linux) and Windows.

Note that this page does not define an official script for the language, but it is merely my personal work. It am happy to say that Sonja approved this proposal and said she liked it.


Unicode

To find nice looking glyphs for the root words of Tokipona in Unicode was not always easy. Some of the glyphs I found are, therefore, present only in very current versions of Unicode, and might not be displayed correctly by your browser. However, all characters of the current mapping are in the BMP, so there is at least a chance that some browsers do display at least something. I will nevertheless include images in this document.


The Script

This lists the original root lexicon of Toki Pona, extended by the character column and sometimes a comment about the character selection, labelled 'glyph'. It is left otherwise unmodified. When the lexicon contained comments about the design of the words, these are labelled 'idea'.

Searching for good symbols was a tedious task and there is surely room for improvements. Therefore, I'd be grateful for suggestions and comments.

⍤U+2364ainterjah, ha, uh, oh, ooh, aw, well (emotion word)
etymSS
glyphface saying: Oh!
⍡U+2361akesinnon-cute animal, reptile, amphibian
etymNL hagedis
glyph[soweli]: non-cute face
∅U+2205alannothing, negation, zero
modno, not, none, un-
interjno!
etymKA არა /ara/
glyphsth. crossed out
◉U+25C9alivariantale
neverything, anything, life, the universe
modall, every, complete, whole
etymNL al(le)
glyph'everything' is marked by a circle
↓U+2193anpanbottom, lower part, under, below, floor, beneath
modlow, lower, bottom, down
etymFR-NB en bas
⎌U+238Cantendifference
vtchange, alter, modify
moddifferent
contotherwise, or else
etymNL ander
glyphto change
∨U+2228anuconjor
etymKA ?
glyphmath operator, lat. 'vel'
⚓U+2693awenvtkeep
vistay, wait, remain
modremaining, stationary, permanent, sedentary
etymNL houden
↱U+21B1esep(introduces a direct object)
etyma priori
glyphlat. ob-ject, du. voor-werp
&U+0026enconjand (used to coordinate head nouns)
etymNL en
⚛U+269Bijonthing, something, stuff, anything, object
vtobjectify
modof something
etymEO io
glyphall matter is build from atoms
☹U+2639ikennegativity, badness, evil
vtto make bad, to worsen, to have a negative effect upon
vito be bad, to suck
modbad, negative, wrong, evil, overly complex, (figuratively) unhealthy
interjoh dear! woe! alas!
ideasounds like icky
etymFI ilkeä
✄U+2704ilontool, device, machine, thing used for a specific purpose
etymEO ilo
glypha prototypical tool
⎆U+2386insaninside, inner world, centre, stomach
modinner, internal
ideainside
etymTPI insait (EN inside)
☣U+2623jakindirt, pollution, garbage, filth
vtpollute, dirty
moddirty, gross, filthy
interjew! yuck!
ideayucky
etymEN yucky
ⵅU+2D45jannperson, people, human, being, somebody, anybody
vtpersonify, humanize, personalize
modhuman, somebody's, personal, of people
etymZH-HK 人 /jɐn21/
▥ U+25A5jelomodyellow, light green
ideayellow
etymEN yellow
glyph[laso],[loje],[pimeja],[walo]: compared to loje, just like the word is turned around, the strokes are turned. if possible, a yellow square, otherwise, the alternative glyph
⧈U+29C8jonhaving
vt+kama: receive, get, take, obtain
etymZH 有 yǒu
glyph [kama]: the item is in the square.
ᘙU+1619kalanfish, sea creature
etymFI kala
glyph a fish!
♪U+266Akalamansound, noise, voice
vtsound, ring, play (an instrument)
vimake noise
etymHR galáma
⧉U+29C9kamanevent, happening, chance, arrival, beginning
vtbring about, summon
vicome, become, arrive, happen, pursue actions to arrive to (a certain state), manage to, start to
modcoming, future
ideacome up
etymTPI kamap (EN come up)
glyph [jo]: the item is moving
⚘U+2698kasinplant, leaf, herb, tree, wood
etymFI kasvi
✓U+2713kennpossibility, ability, power to do things, permission
vtmake possible, enable, allow, permit
vican, is able to, is allowed to, may, is possible
contit is possible that
etymTPI ken, EN can
glyph unfortunately, found no thumb-up char
⚒U+2692kepekenvtuse
prepwith
etymNL gebruiken
glyph working with tools
ᴥU+1D25kilinfruit, pulpy vegetable, mushroom
etymKA ხილი /xili/
◅U+25C5kinmodalso, too, even, indeed (emphasizes the word(s) before it)
etymFI -kin
glyph emphasis in previous word
●U+25CFkiwennhard thing, rock, stone, metal, mineral, clay
modhard, solid, stone-like, made of stone or metal
etymFI kivi, kiven
◍U+25CDkonsemi-solid or squishy substance, e.g. paste, powder, gum
etymZH-HK 膏 /gou55/
⚐U+2690konnair, wind, smell, soul
modair-like, ethereal, gaseous
etymZH 空氣 kōngqì
▧U+25A7kulencolour, paint
vtcolour, paint
modcolourful
etymFR-NB couleur
glyphsimilar to the concrete color chars
፨U+1368kulupungroup, community, society, company, people
modcommunal, shared, public, of the society
etymTO kulupu (EN group)
✆U+2706kutevtlisten, hear
modauditory, hearing
etymFR-NB écouter
⊏U+228Flasep(between adverb or phrase of context and sentence)
etymEO la
glyphmodification is indicated by left part 'enclosing' right part
⌤U+2324lapensleep, rest
visleep, rest
modsleeping, of sleep
etymNL slapen
glyphsleeping face
▦ U+25A6lasomodblue, blue-green
etymCY glas
glyph[jelo],[loje],[pimeja],[walo]: neither like jelo, nor loje, the glyph is different (and darker). if possible, a blue-green square, otherwise, the alternative glyph
♕U+2655lawanhead, mind
vtlead, control, rule, steer
modmain, leading, in charge
♟U+265Flennclothing, cloth, fabric
etymFR-NB linge
glyph[sijelo]: this one wears clothes
☃U+2603letencold
vtcool down, chill
modcold, uncooked
etymFR-NB frette
↴U+21B4lisep(between any subject except _mi_ and _sina_ and its verb; also used to introduce a new verb for the same subject)
etymEO li
glyphlat. sub-ject, du: onder-werp
▵U+25B5lilivtreduce, shorten, shrink, lessen
modsmall, little, young, a bit, short, few, less
etymTPI liklik
glyph[suli]: small triangle, becoming smaller
☡U+2621linjanlong, very thin, floppy thing, e.g. string, rope, hair, thread, cord, chain
etymFI linja
‿U+203Flipunflat and bendable thing, e.g. paper, card, ticket
etymFI lippu
▤ U+25A4lojemodred
etymNL rood, rooie
glyph[jelo],[laso],[pimeja],[walo]: compared to jelo, just like the word is turned around, the strokes are turned. if possible, a red square, otherwise, the alternative glyph
⍾U+237Elonvibe there, be present, be real/true, exist, be awake
prepbe (located) in/at/on
etymTPI long
glyphthis cute chap exists, is awake and is there
⌈U+2308lukanhand, arm
etymHR rúka
glyph[noka]: the hand is in reading direction
∢U+2222lukinvtsee, look at, watch, read
vilook, watch out, pay attention
modvisual(ly)
idealooking
etymTPI lukim (EN look him)
glypha watching eye
◘U+25D8lupanhole, orifice, window, door
ideasounds like loop
etymLOJ clupa
⏚U+23DAmanland, earth, country, (outdoor) area
etymFI maa
glyphtechnical symbol for 'earth', also looks a bit like a worker in a field
☝U+261Dmamanparent, mother, father
modof the parent, parental, maternal, fatherly
ideasounds like momma
etymKA მამა /mama/
¤U+00A4maninmoney, material wealth, currency, dollar, capital
ideamoney
etymEN money
glyphcurrency symbol; dollar symbol and euro and yen, etc., avoided to keep neutrality
♀U+2640melinwoman, female, girl, wife, girlfriend
modfemale, feminine, womanly
nameMary
etymTPI meri (EN Mary)
⇊U+21CAminI, we
modmy, our
ideame
etymEO mi, EN me
glyph[sina],[ona]: points to the writing person
♂U+2642mijenman, male, husband, boyfriend
modmale, masculine, manly
etymFI mies
☕U+2615mokunfood, meal
vteat, drink, swallow, ingest, consume
etymJA SS モグモグ /mogu mogu/
☠U+2620molindeath
vtkill
vidie, be dead
moddead, deadly, fatal
etymFR-NB mourir
↫U+21ABmonsinback, rear end, butt, behind
modback, rear
etymFR-NB mon tchu (FR mon cul)
⍣U+2363muinterjwoof! meow! moo! etc. (cute animal noise)
ideamoo
etymSS
glypha cute noise from this face
☾U+263Emunnmoon
modlunar
ideamoon
etymEN moon
☊U+260Amusinfun, playing, game, recreation, art, entertainment
vtamuse, entertain
viplay, have fun
modartful, fun, recreational
etymEO amuzi
glyphearphones
⚃U+2683mutenamount, quantity
vtmake many or much
modmany, very, much, several, a lot, abundant, numerous, more
ideamulti
etymEO multe
glyph[wan], [tu]: one, two, three, *many*
⋕U+22D5nanpannumber
oth-th (ordinal numbers)
ideanumber
etymTPI namba (EN number)
⦼U+29BCnasavtdrive crazy, make weird
modsilly, crazy, foolish, drunk, strange, stupid, weird
etymTPI nasau
glyph[oko]: crazy face
ᔔU+1514nasinnway, manner, custom, road, path, doctrine, system, method
etymHR náčin
♎U+264Enenanbump, nose, hill, mountain, button
etymFI nenä
⇲U+21F2nimodthis, that
etymZH-HK 哩 /ni55/
⊟U+229Fniminword, name
etymFI nimi
glypha name tag
⌊U+230Anokanleg, foot
etymHR nòga
glyph[luka]: the foot is in reading direction
⚠U+26A0osepO (vocative or imperative)
interjhey! (calling somebody's attention)
etymKA -ო /o/, EO ho, EN O
⚇U+2687okoneye
ideasimilar to oculist
etymHR òko
glyph[nasa]
♡U+2661olinnlove
vtto love (a person)
modlove
etymHR volim
⇆U+21C6onanshe, he, it, they
modher, his, its, their
etymHR
glyph[mi],[sina]: points to neither the speaker nor the listener
⍽U+237Dopenvtopen, turn on
etymTPI open, EN open
glyphan open box
☁U+2601pakalanblunder, accident, mistake, destruction, damage, breaking
vtscrew up, fuck up, botch, ruin, break, hurt, injure, damage, spoil, ruin
viscrew up, fall apart, break
interjdamn! fuck!
etymTPI bagarap (EN bugger up)
glyphU+267F was not used for PC reasons; a cloud; looks a bit like solid feces in some fonts, actually...
♠U+2660palinactivity, work, deed, project
vtdo, make, build, create
viact, work, function
modactive, work-related, operating, working
etymEO fari
glypha spade as a symbol for work
∕U+2215palisanlong, mostly hard object, e.g. rod, stick, branch
etymHR pàlica
✉U+2709panangiving, transfer, exchange
vtgive, put, send, place, release, emit, cause
⟄U+27C4pisepof, belonging to
etymTPI bilong (EN belong)
glyphhand holding an item
❦U+2766pilinnfeelings, emotion, heart
vtfeel, think, sense, touch
vifeel
ideafeeling
etymTPI pilim (EN feel him), EN feeling
■U+25A0pimejandarkness, shadows
vtdarken
modblack, dark
etymFI pimeä
glyph[jelo],[laso],[loje],[walo]
⟟U+27DFpininend, tip
vtfinish, close, end, turn off
modcompleted, finished, past, done, ago
etymTPI pinis, FR-NB fini
glyphstroke with both ends terminated; also looks like a sign ('stop' or 'the end')
⩷U+2A77pipinbug, insect, spider
etymFR-NB bibitte
⫖U+2AD6pokanside, hip, next to
modneighbouring
prepin the accompaniment of, with
etymHR bòk(a)
⚱U+26B1pokincontainer, box, bowl, cup, glass
ideabox
etymTPI bokis (EN box)
☺U+263Aponangood, simplicity, positivity
vtimprove, fix, repair, make good
modgood, simple, positive, nice, correct, right
interjgreat! good! thanks! OK! cool! yay!
ideabonus
etymEO bona
⊜U+229Csamamodsame, similar, equal, of equal status or position
preplike, as, seem
etymFI sama, EO sama
♨U+2668selinfire, warmth, heat
vtheat, warm up, cook
modhot, warm, cooked
etymKA ცხელი /tsxeli/
⎋U+238Bselonoutside, surface, skin, shell, bark, shape, peel
etymEO ŝelo
⍰U+2370semeothwhat, which, wh- (question word)
etymZH 什么 shénme
↑U+2191sewinhigh, up, above, top, over, on
modsuperior, elevated, religious, formal
etymKA შეკით /sevit/
♙U+2659sijelonbody, physical state
etymHR tìjelo
glyph[len]
○U+25CBsikencircle, wheel, sphere, ball, cycle
modround, cyclical
etymEN circle
♲U+2672sinvtrenew, renovate, freshen
modnew, fresh, another, more
etymZH 新 xīn
⇈U+21C8sinanyou
modyour
etymFI sinä
glyph[mi],[ona]: from a writer's view, points to the addressed person on the opposite side of the table
⌸U+2338sinpinnfront, chest, torso, face, wall
etymZH ?
glypha wall
✎U+270Esitelennpicture, image
vtdraw, write
etymNL schilderen
◬U+25ECsonanknowledge, wisdom, intelligence, understanding
vtknow, understand, know how to
vi+kama:learn, study
etymKA ცოდნა /tsodna/
ዥU+12E5sowelinanimal, especially land mammal, lovable animal
etymKA ცხოკელი /tsxoveli/
glyph[akesi]: glyph:ethiopic script is really fun
▽U+25BDsulinsize
vtenlarge, lengthen
modbig, tall, long, adult, important
etymFI suuri
glyph[lili]: large triangle, becoming larger
☼U+263Csunonsun, light
etymEO suno
–U+2013supanhorizontal surface, e.g furniture, table, chair, pillow, floor
etymFR-NB surface, EO surfaco, EN surface
⍨U+2368suwincandy, sweet food
vtsweeten
modsweet, cute
ideasweet
etymTPI swit (EN sweet)
glyphmouth examining sweets
↤U+21A4tannorigin, cause
prepfrom, by, because of, since
◦U+25E6tasomodonly, sole
conjbut
ideathat's all
etymTPI tasol (EN that's all)
⇥U+21E5tawanmovement, transportation
vtmove, displace
vigo to, walk, travel, move, leave
modmoving, mobile
prepto, in order to, towards, for, until
ideatowards
etymEN towards
☔U+2614telonwater, liquid, juice, sauce
vtwater, wash with water
etymFR-NB de l'eau
⌛U+231Btenpontime, period of time, moment, duration, situation
etymEO tempo
ᑈU+1448tokinlanguage, talking, speech, communication
vtsay
vitalk, chat, communicate
modtalking, verbal
interjhello! hi!
etymTPI tok (EN talk)
glypha talking mouth
⌂U+2302tomonindoor constructed space, e.g. house, home, room, building
modurban, domestic, household
etymEO domo
⚁U+2681tunduo, pair
vtdouble, separate/cut/divide in two
modtwo
ideatwo
etymEN two
glyph[wan],[mute]: dice showing 2
♋U+264Bunpansex, sexuality
vthave sex with, sleep with, fuck
vihave sex
moderotic, sexual
etyma priori SS
⍥U+2365utanmouth
modoral
etymHR ústa
glypha large mouth
⚔U+2694utalanconflict, disharmony, competition, fight, war, battle, attack, blow, argument, physical or verbal violence
vthit, strike, attack, compete against
etymHR ùdarati
☐U+2610walonwhite thing or part, whiteness, lightness
modwhite, light (colour)
ideasounds like wall, which is often white
etymFI valko(inen)
glyph[jelo],[laso],[loje],[pimeja]
⚀U+2680wannunit, element, particle, part, piece
vtunite, make one
modone, a
ideaone
etymEN one
glyph[tu],[mute]: dice showing 1
⍢U+2362wasonbird, winged animal
etymFR-NB oiseau
glyphbird head with beak
↯U+21AFwawanenergy, strength, power
vtstrengthen, energize, empower
modenergetic, strong, fierce, intense, sure, confident
etymFI vahva
⤣U+2923wekanabsence
vtthrow away, remove, get rid of
modaway, absent, missing
etymNL weg
❣U+2763wilendesire, need, will
vtto want, need, wish, have to, must, will, should
modnecessary
etymNL willen
glypha heart shaped exclamation mark

Names

Names are normally written in using the Latin script.

Punctuation

The characters , . ; : ! ? ( and ) are normally used as in Latin script. As quotations marks, 《 U+300A and 》 U+300b are used.


Texts

Pater Noster

☝ ⟄ ⇊ ⚃

☝ ⟄ ⇊ ⚃ ⚠ , ⇈ ⍾ ↑ ⚐ .
⊟ ⇈ ↴ ↑ .
⏚ ⇈ ⚠ ⧉ .
ⵅ ⚠ ♠ ↱ ❣ ⇈ ⍾ ↑ ⚐ & ⍾ ⏚ .
⚠ ✉ ↱ ☕ ⟄ ⌛ ☼ ⇲ ⇥ ⇊ ⚃ .
⚠ ⤣ ↱ ♠ ☹ ⇊ . ⊜ ⊏ ⇊ ⤣ ↱ ♠ ☹ ⟄ ⵅ ⎌ .
⚠ ♕ ∅ ↱ ⇊ ⇥ ☹ .
⚠ ♕ ↱ ⇊ ↤ ☹ .
⌛ ◉ ⊏ ⏚ & ✓ & ☺ ↴ ⟄ ⇈ .
⇲ ↴ ᔔ .  

Computer Tools

Content

Index

November 28th, 2007
Comments? Suggestions? Corrections? You can drop me a line.
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