What is Toki Pona? in 3 minutes

This is a script for an upcoming video, which I'll be adapting into a script for you to learn yourself!

toki a- mi jan Kekan San! I wanna tell you about the easiest language, Toki Pona.

Toki Pona is a constructed language, like Klingon in Star Trek, or Valyrian in Game of Thrones.

But Toki Pona isn't for fiction- it's for fun! And it's so simple, you could teach it to a rock.

But how does it work?

Toki Pona has very few words- 120 to 130, depending on who you ask.

And that works because all the words are broad like "bird" or "tool", rather than specific like "sparrow" or "jackhammer."

You might think that makes it hard to talk- but you already do this in English!

If somebody asked you, "Want some fruit?", then offers a bowl of fruits you've never seen before, you might look at everything in the bowl and say, "Sure, I'll have this red one."

They didn't need to name each fruit, and you didn't either.

The word "fruit" is broad, covering all kinds of fruit.

And all you needed to do was describe the fruit you wanted!

In Toki Pona, every word is like this: broad and descriptive!

This is true for the name of the language too:

"toki" describes talking, conversation, language, thinking, and many similar things.

"Pona" describes good things like being friendly, positive, trustworthy, and more.

Together, "Toki Pona" can refer to friendly conversation, positive thought, or "good language".

You can always use more words to be more specific, but a ton of fun comes from asking, "Can I say this more simply?"

Because of that, Toki Pona feels a bit like a puzzle or a game.

But Toki Pona isn't just for fun. It's a real language, and it's the easiest to start in.

You can learn all the words and have your first conversation in less than a week.

It still takes time to be skilled, like any language, but there's other good news:

If you've ever struggled to learn a language on Duolingo, you probably need more conversations!

But it's hard to have conversations in a language you're new to- you need people who are interested in talking to you, but also patient and willing to correct you.

With Toki Pona, everyone will be patient, helpful, and excited to talk, no matter your skill level.

And there are lots of other reasons to try Toki Pona.

I feel that Toki Pona made me a better teacher, and more thoughtful about how I use all language.

You can use it to grow as an artist, writer, or software developer-

Or to make new friends by sharing the language.

Many in the community are queer, neurodivergent, or both- and you'll find a home if that's you too.

If nothing else, Toki Pona is perfect as a secret language for you and twenty-nine of your closest friends.

If you wanna learn Toki Pona, check the description for lessons and communities, and ask questions in the comments!

If you already speak Toki Pona, show this video to the next person who asks, "What's that language?"

And thank you so much for watching! o toki pona!