Toki Pona is a constructed language. The Canadian translator Sonja Lang made it up and first put it online in 2001, and she kept its word list small on purpose.
| Part | Easier for English Speakers | Takes Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Letters | Every sound has one letter, and no two letters team up to make a sound the way sh does in English. | Names change to fit those letters, so English becomes Inli and John becomes San. |
| Words | The word list is short: about 120 in Lang's first book, and 137 essential ones in her dictionary. | Each word covers a group of ideas, and the sentence around it tells you which one is meant. |
| Verbs | Time comes from the words around the verb, so mi moku can mean I eat, I ate or I will eat. | Little words mark the parts of a sentence: li comes before what you say about someone, except after mi (I) and sina (you). |
| Phrases | You build new ideas from old words, so to teach can be pana e sona, which means to give knowledge. | The describing word comes second, so soweli utala can be a fighting animal, and utala soweli can be a fight between animals. |
| Numbers | The simplest way to count starts with wan (one), tu (two) and mute (many). | Counting past two is slow on purpose: three is tu wan, which means two and one. |
For a study plan that changes as you go, read the fastest way to learn Toki Pona.
Toki Pona's little words come first, and reading meaning from context comes later.
- Level 1
I'm just starting out or know only a few words.
Introductions come first, like mi jan Lina (I am Lina) in the lesson below.
- Level 2
I can read short sentences about everyday things.
Sentences add e before the thing someone acts on, as in ona li moku e pan (it eats bread).
- Level 3
I can follow short stories and longer sentences.
Stories set the scene with la, so read up to la before you guess what the sentence is about.
- Level 4
I can read longer texts and use context to work out meaning.
Read the lines around a word before you pick its meaning, since the same word can say several things.
- Level 5
I can follow complex ideas, but some meanings take extra thought.
Big ideas are built from many small words, so a long phrase can take a moment to unpack.
- Level 6
I can follow poetry, wordplay, and different writing styles.
Poems and jokes use the same small words in surprising ways, and that's the fun part.
toki!
Hello! I am Lina.
Hello! Who are you?
I am Lina. My country is Canada.
This lesson comes from Bubblegum, where Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Toki Pona lessons for each level.
For easy Toki Pona to start with, read the easiest way to learn Toki Pona.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Toki Pona. You learn from Toki Pona you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
- Lessons fit your level, interests, and goals.
- Read and listen to news and stories in Toki Pona about things you care about.
- Ask Poppy about a sentence while you read.
- Saved words come back in new lessons through Regenerative Review™, and you can send them to Anki too.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Lessons and audio are made with AI, so pair them with a community course or a tutor.
- A Toki Pona story from the community can't become a lesson. Paste it into the chat, and Poppy explains each line of the story.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
How Many Color Words Does Toki Pona Have?
Five: pimeja (black), walo (white), loje (red), jelo (yellow) and laso (blue or green). To say green, many speakers add kasi (plant) and say laso kasi.
Is Bubblegum Free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
