page_title: Toki Pona
section_title: Sample texts
hierarchical_section_title: Toki Pona / Sample texts
caption_attribution_description: English: A contract for the sale of itself in a non-linear hieroglyphic writing system of the Toki Pona constructed language.
context_page_description: Toki Pona is a philosophical artistic constructed language known for its small vocabulary. It was created by Canadian linguist and translator Sonja Lang for the purpose of simplifying thoughts and communication. It was first published online in 2001 as a draft, and later in complete form in the book Toki Pona: The Language of Good in 2014. A small community of speakers developed in the early 2000s. While activity mostly takes place online in chat rooms, on social media, and in other groups, there were a few organized in-person meetings during the 2000s and 2010s.
  The underlying feature of Toki Pona is minimalism. It focuses on simple universal concepts, making use of very little to express the most. The language is isolating and has around 123 root words and 14 phonemes that are easy to pronounce across different languages. However, it was not created to be an international auxiliary language. Inspired by Taoist philosophy, the language is designed to help users concentrate on basic things and to promote positive thinking, in accordance with the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis.
context_section_description: mama pi mi mute (The Lord's Prayer, translated by Bryant J. Knight, 2005)
  mama pi mi mute o, sina lon sewi kon.
  
  nimi sina li sewi.
  
  ma sina o kama.
  
  jan o pali e wile sina lon sewi kon en lon ma.
  
  o pana e moku pi tenpo suno ni tawa mi mute.
  
  o weka e pali ike mi. sama la mi weka e pali ike pi jan ante.
  
  o lawa ala e mi tawa ike.
  
  o lawa e mi tan ike.
  
  tenpo ali la sina jo e ma e wawa e pona.
  
  Amen.
  jan Meli o (Ave Maria, translated by Tobias Merkle, 2020)
  jan Meli o,
  
  kon sewi li suli insa sina.
  
  wan sewi li poka sina.
  
  lon meli la, wan sewi li pona e sina.
  
  kili pona pi insa sina li sewi Jesu.
  
  jan Meli sewi o!
  
  mama pi jan sewi o!
  
  tenpo ni la, tenpo pi moli mi mute la,
  
  o toki tawa wan sewi tan mi mute jan ike.
  
  awen.
  Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
  jan ali li kama lon nasin ni: ona li ken tawa li ken pali. jan ali li kama lon sama. jan ali li jo e ken pi pilin suli. jan ali li ken pali e wile pona ona. jan ali li jo e ken pi sona pona e ken pi pali pona. jan ali li wile pali nasin ni: ona li jan pona pi ante.
  ma tomo Pape (The Tower of Babel story, translated by Bryant J. Knight, 2005)
  jan ali li kepeken e toki sama.
  jan li kama tan nasin pi kama suno li kama tawa ma Sinale li awen lon ni.
  jan li toki e ni: "o kama! mi mute o pali e kiwen. o seli e ona".
  jan mute li toki e ni: "o kama! mi mute o pali e tomo mute e tomo palisa suli. sewi pi tomo palisa li lon sewi kon. nimi pi mi mute o kama suli! mi wile ala e ni: mi mute li lon ma ante mute".
  jan sewi Jawe li kama anpa li lukin e ma tomo e tomo palisa.
  jan sewi Jawe li toki e ni: "jan li lon ma wan li kepeken e toki sama li pali e tomo palisa. tenpo ni la ona li ken pali e ijo ike mute. mi wile tawa anpa li wile pakala e toki pi jan mute ni. mi wile e ni: jan li sona ala e toki pi jan ante".
  jan sewi Jawe li kama e ni: jan li lon ma mute li ken ala pali e tomo.
  nimi pi ma tomo ni li Pape tan ni: jan sewi Jawe li pakala e toki pi jan ali. jan sewi Jawe li tawa e jan tawa ma mute tan ma tomo Pape.
  
  
   
  wan taso (2003)
  ijo li moku e mi.
  
  mi wile pakala.
  
  pimeja li tawa insa kon mi.
  
  jan ala li ken sona e pilin ike mi.
  
  toki musi o, sina jan pona mi wan taso.
  
  telo pimeja ni li telo loje mi, li ale mi.
  
  tenpo ale la pimeja li lon.
   
  Alone
  I am devoured.
  
  I must destroy.
  
  Darkness fills my soul.
  
  No one can understand my suffering.
  
  O poetry! My only friend.
  
  This ink is my blood, is my life.
  
  And Darkness shall reign forevermore.
caption: A contract in sitelen sitelen writing system (2012)[36]
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