How to Learn Toki Pona, Step by Step

To learn Toki Pona, learn its sounds and core words, then read and listen to easy texts until the words come to you without thinking. Toki Pona was created in 2001, and its official book teaches 120 main words. Each word covers a wide idea, so a big part of learning it is seeing how people put words together.

How to Learn Toki Pona, Step by Step

Begin with the first three steps, then make steps 4 to 6 part of your week.

• 🔤Learn the SoundsEach letter always makes the same sound, and j is said like an English y, as in jelo (yellow). Read a few words out loud until the spelling feels easy.
• 📚Learn the Core WordsLearn the words a few at a time from a course, and use each new word in a short sentence right away.
• 🧩Learn li and ePut li between the person and what they do, and put e in front of the thing they do it to. In jan ale li kepeken e toki sama, everyone uses the same language.
• 📖Read Very Short TextsStart with stories of a few dozen words, and move to longer ones as the words stick.
• 🎧Listen to Toki PonaWatch videos and listen to a podcast in Toki Pona, so you hear the words at normal speed.
• 🗣️Join the CommunityThe biggest Toki Pona groups are on Discord, Reddit and Facebook, where you can chat with other speakers and ask about a word.

For step 2, Wasona is an online course that teaches a few words in each lesson. For step 4, jan Lakuse's beginner texts start at about 40 words, and lipu Linku is a dictionary for any word you forget. For step 6, try the ma pona pi toki pona Discord server or Reddit (r/tokipona).

Find Where You Are

Bubblegum is a language app with Toki Pona lessons at six levels. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes each one with audio and an English translation. Choose the level whose sentence sounds like you, and do what that row says next.

1. Level 1

   I'm just starting out or know only a few words.

   Learn the sounds and your first words with a course, and read sentences built only from words you know.

2. Level 2

   I can read short sentences about everyday things.

   Read bite-sized stories, and write a few sentences about your day with li and e.

3. Level 3

   I can follow short stories and longer sentences.

   Read longer stories and listen to a podcast. Check the dictionary when a word's meaning doesn't come from the story.

4. Level 4

   I can read longer texts and use context to work out meaning.

   Move on to jan Lakuse's longer Quest texts, and talk about one in a community chat each week.

5. Level 5

   I can follow complex ideas, but some meanings take extra thought.

   Talk with other speakers about why a writer chose one word over another.

6. Level 6

   I can follow poetry, wordplay, and different writing styles.

   Read poems and song lyrics, and try writing your own.

Frequently Asked Questions