sona pona

Welcome to the wonderful world of toki pona! While the vocabulary is easy to learn, you will quickly discover that it takes years to master - just like any other language. This page includes a list of resources that will aid you in your quest to not just learn the vocabulary, but also master the language.

Beginner

The first step of any language is learning how to make the sounds. toki pona has 14 phonemes. Once you have learned how to correctly pronounce words, feel free to take a look at the vocabulary! While toki pona is a simple language, simplicity does not mean chaos. toki pona has a well established grammar and syntax. When you stray from the rules, it may be hard for people to understand what you are trying to say.

Vocabulary:

  • https://nimi.li/
  • https://jansa-tp.github.io/tpcheatsheet/Toki%20Pona%20Cheat%20Sheet%20v2.pdf
  • https://lipamanka.gay/resources/lipamanka_dictionary_v1.pdf
  • https://ilo-pi-sitelen-pona.glitch.me/
  • https://alerojorela.neocities.org/conlang/toki-pona/vocabulario
  • https://lipamanka.gay/essays/dictionary#the-dictionary
  • https://jan-ne.github.io/lipu-lili-pona/

Grammar:

  • https://youtu.be/5phj5Ae80h8
  • https://github.com/kilipan/nasin-toki
  • https://youtu.be/bvL2Tia5JSU

Tokiponization:

  • https://youtu.be/9Anh1ZMgNcQ

General:

  • https://tokipona.org/ (toki pona official website)
  • https://sona.pona.la (toki pona learning resources)
  • https://youtu.be/4L-dvvng4Zc?list=PLuYLhuXt4HrQIv3xnDxZqRaLfmxB2U5rJ (tutorial on learning toki pona)

Intermediate

You may find it helpful to practice speaking with individuals that also speak toki pona. Around this time you may also want to start learning how to write in sitelen pona, the logographic writing system. While at this point in time you may understand the meaning of simple sentences, your brain is finding it hard to construct longer phrases on demand. To aid your understanding, take a look at practice material, and perhaps attempt the immersion course - it is quite good! For those learning sitelen pona, it can be helpful to render the sitelen pona text directly, rather than needing to handwrite it. Because of this, fonts are provided.

Fonts:

  • https://github.com/janSame/linja-pona
  • https://jackhumbert.github.io/sitelen-pona-pona/
  • https://kelseyhigham.github.io/leko-majuna/
  • https://www.kreativekorp.com/software/fonts/sitelenselikiwen/
  • https://antetokipona.infinityfreeapp.com/font/?i=1

Practice:

  • https://youtu.be/vwpAN0tNHYY?list=PLwYL9_SRAk8EXSZPSTm9lm2kD_Z1RzUgm
  • https://tpnimi.blogspot.com/
  • https://youtu.be/W_pTK6eA0yQ
  • https://lipu-sona.pona.la/ (online lessons)
  • https://liputenpo.org/ (magazine)
  • https://oddlingo.github.io/ (readings in sitelen pona)
  • https://jan-ne.github.io/tp/sp (more sitelen pona resources)

Communites:

  • https://discord.gg/nbgXCC6 (ma pona pi toki pona)
  • https://discord.gg/PZux79Cw3J (kama sona)
  • https://discord.gg/jyHZ5B49XW (ma mun - toki pona taso)
  • https://discord.gg/arjV4Nw (ma toki pona - toki pona taso)
  • https://ma.pona.la/ (world map)
  • https://www.reddit.com/r/tokipona/ (reddit)
  • https://toki.social/public (mastodon)
  • https://www.facebook.com/groups/sitelen/ (facebook)
  • https://t.me/+UqUj9OFM_9e8iPUW (telegram)

Advanced

I'mma break it to you: ya aren't even close. If you learned toki pona less than a month ago, then there is still a long way to go. A day to learn, a lifetime to master. In reality, toki pona is not simple. Why, you may ask? The meaning of different thoughts and ideals are captured not in vocabulary in toki pona, but in lexicalized phrases. At this point in time you should start keeping a journal in toki pona (or even sitelen pona!). By doing so, you learn how to translate what is in your head into the language, removing roadblocks and bridging gaps. Advanced speakers may find that the podcast "kalama sin" is entertaining.

General:

  • https://jonathangabel.com/toki-pona/ (a guide to writing sitelen sitelen)
  • https://sona.pona.la/wiki/luka_pona (the luka pona sign language)
  • https://luka.pona.la/resources.tok.html (resources for learning luka pona)
  • https://redcircle.com/shows/kalama-sin (Podcast)
  • https://youtu.be/tL1WBUOqE48

Fun:

  • https://lipukule.org/ (web zine)
  • https://app.simplenote.com/p/jtRhb1 (proficiency scale)