You’ve learned 131 words, and all the important grammar! So what now?
Join a Toki Pona community! ma pona and kama sona are great places to find people to talk to, and to practice. You can even hang out in VRChat!
Stay informed! Every two-four weeks we post a newsletter about new things happening. Sign up so you don’t miss cool events, like the 24 hour celebration stream we have every August!
Listen to spoken Toki Pona! kalama sin is a podcast where you can listen to live conversations between proficient Toki Pona speakers. Turn on subtitles if it’s difficult to keep up!
Read more Toki Pona! Practice by reading ~70 short stories by jan Lakuse. lipu tenpo publishes a new zine every month or two, with short stories and talks.
And finally, listen to Toki Pona music! We have lots of talented musicians writing original songs or translating songs they love. Let’s check out this awesome song ‘ale li ante’ by jan Nikoleta (kqa)!
ona ale li alasa lukin e mithey all look for me
mi wile kalama sulii want to scream
sina toki tawa mi: "mi wile moli"you tell me: "i want to die"
mi toki tawa sina: "ala, o awen tawa mi"i tell you: "no, stay for me"
ale li antelife keeps changing
sina o awen tawa ponastay for when it gets better
mi tu li lape tawa tenpo ponawe sleep for better times
tenpo pimeja letethe night is cold
la mi tu li awen selibut we keep each other warm
sitelen mun li lawa tawa open sinconstellations lead to a new beginning
ma ale li sama lukin tawa mi (tawa mi)everywhere i go looks the same
ona ale li nasa (ona ale li nasa)it's all insane (it's all insane)
ko nasa sin li weka e pilin alenew drugs remove every feeling
jan li wile ala sona e pakala suli pi ona mute.people dont want to know their brokenness
ike li lawa tan seme? jan pona li moli lon insawhy do the evil rule? the good are dead inside
ona li wile ala sona tan pilin pakala nithey don't want to know from their broken hearts
ken la ken ante li ken ala muteopportunities of change may not be common
taso sina wile e nimi lon la mi tu o tawa weka lon tenpo nibut if the truth is what you desire, lets go, right now
ale li antelife keeps changing
sina o awen tawa ponastay for when it gets better
mi tu li lape tawa tenpo ponawe sleep for better times
tenpo pimeja letethe night is cold
la mi tu li awen selibut we keep each other warm
sitelen mun li lawa tawa open sinconstellations lead to a new beginning
So what is the takeaway from this song? Maybe it’s the quirky punctuation that you haven’t seen yet in sitelen pona? Or the fact the song comes together nicely even without many rhymes? Or the quite somber but hopeful lyrics? Or maybe you just listen to it a couple times and it’s a nice vibe?
The only right answer is the one you find yourself. Not just for the song, of course, but for Toki Pona as a whole. It offers a little something for everyone, and it goes as deep as you want it to be. I hope you enjoy your time with this nice little language.