Signed Toki Pona (toki pona luka) is a silent verison of Toki Pona that uses hand gestures. This can be useful, for exemple:
- in a quiet library or house of worship
- during covert ninja operations
- diving underwater for treasure, or
- while taunting rival Lojbanists with gang signs.
Each word and letter has his own sign. To from a sentence, perform each sign, after one and other, using the same grammar and word order you already know.
Elements of a Sign
Each sign can described using four elements:
- hand shape
- location on the body
- palm orientation
- whether one hand or both hands
Hand Shapes
There are nine basic hand shapes used in Signed Toki Pona.These describe the right hand
Locations on the Body
For each sign, the riht hand goes to a particular location.
- in the front of chest
- at side of forehead
- at side of chin
- at left shoulder
- at left elbow
- on top of left fist
- on stomach
- under left slanted forearm
Orientations
Most signs are described by direction that the palm of the right hand faces. A few signs are described by the orientation that a particular finger points.
- left
- up
- down
- forward
- back
One Hand or Both Hands
By deafult, perform a sign by placing your right hand in the given shape, location and palm orientation.
When a sign is described as "both hands", place your right hand as described. Then mirror the same gesture with your left hand.
Descriptions of Signs
- a: flat hand at side of chin, palm facing left
- akesi: 2 hand at left elbow, palm facing back
- ala: flat hand at left shoulder, palm facing down
- alasa: 1 hand at left shoulder, palm facing back
- ale: wiggling hand in front of chest, palm facing forward (both hands)
- anpa: bent hand in front of chest, palm facing down
- ante: bent hand on top of left fist, palm facing left
- anu: L hand in front of chest, palm facing down
- awen: L hand at left shoulder, palm facing back
- e: flat hand in front of chest, palm facing down
- en: L hand on top of left fist, palm facing down
- esun: bent hand in front of chest, palm facing up (both hands)
- ijo: thumb-fist in front of chest, palm facing down, thumb pointing Ieft
- ike: thumb-fist in front of chest, palm facing forward
- ilo: thumb-fist on top of left fist, palm facing up
- insa: L hand on stomach, palm facing back
- jaki: thumb-fist at side of chin, palm facing forward
- jan: 2 hand at left shoulder, palm facing back
- jelo: F hand on stomach, palm facing down
- jo: bent hand on top of left fist, palm facing up
- kala: flat hand at elbow, palm facing back
- kalama: wiggling hand at side of chin, palm facing left
- kama: bent hand in front of chest, palm facing back
- kasi: F hand on top of left fist, palm facing down
- ken: thumb-fist at left shoulder, palm facing back
- kepeken: L hand on top of left fist, palm facing left
- kili: thumb-fist at side of chin, palm facing left
- kiwen: thumb-fist on top of left fist, palm facing down
- ko: bent hand on stomach, palm facing down
- kon: wiggling hand in front of chest, palm facing left
- kule: F hand in front of chest, palm facing left
- kulupu: 2 hand at left shoulder, palm facing down
- kute: thumb-fist at side of forehead, palm facing left
- la: bent hand in front of chest, palm facing left
- lape: flat hand at side of forehead, palm facing left
- laso: F hand at left elbow, palm facing down
- lawa: flat hand at side of forehead, palm facing forward
- len: bent hand at left shoulder, palm facing back
- late: wiggling hand at left elbow, palm facing down
- li: flat hand in front of chest, palm facing left
- lili: 2 hand at side of chin, palm facing forward
- linja: 1 hand at side of forehead, palm facing left
- lipu: flat hand on top of left fist, palm facing up
- loje: F hand at side of chin, palm facing left
- lon: 1 hand on top of left fist, palm facing down
- luka: flat hand in front of chest, palm facing forward
- lukin: 2 hand in front of chest, palm facing down
- lupa: 0 hand in front of chest, palm facing left
- ma: flat hand in front of chest, palm facing down (both hands)
- mama: 2 hand on stomach, palm facing down
- mani: thumb-fist at left elbow, palm facing back
- meli: 2 hand on stomach, palm facing back
- mi: thumb-fist in front of chest, palm facing down, thumb pointing back
- mije: 2 hand on top of left fist, palm facing left
- moku: 0 hand at side of thin, palm facing back
- moli: L hand at side of forehead, palm facing back
- monsi: L hand in front of chest, palm facing forward
- mu: wiggling hand at side of thin, palm facing down
- mun: 0 hand at side of forehead, palm facing left
- musi: wiggling hand at side of forehead, palm facing left
- mute: flat hand in front of chest, palm facing forward (both hands)
- nanpa: 2 hand in front of chest, palm facing back
- nasa: thumb-fist at side of forehead, palm facing forward
- nasin: flat hand in front of chest, palm facing left (both hands)
- nena: bent hand on top of left fist, palm facing down
- ni: L hand at side of chin, palm facing back
- nimi: nothing under left slanted forearm
- noka: flat hand in front of chest, palm facing back
- o: wiggling hand in front of chest, palm facing down
- olin: wiggling hand on stomach, palm facing back
- ona: 1 hand in front of chest, index finger pointing left
- open: 0 hand at left shoulder, palm facing down
- pakala: thumb-fist on top of left fist, palm facing forward
- pali: thumb-fist on top of left fist, palm facing left
- palisa: 0 hand on top of left fist, palm facing left
- pan: F hand at side of chin, palm facing back
- pana: wiggling hand in front of chest, palm facing up
- pi: 0 hand in front of chest, palm facing forward
- pilin: F hand on stomach, palm facing back
- pimeja: F hand at left shoulder, palm facing down
- pini: 0 hand at left shoulder, palm facing up
- pipi: 1 hand at left elbow, palm facing back
- poka: L hand at left elbow, palm facing back
- poki: 0 hand in front of chest, palm facing down
- pona: thumb-fist in front of chest, palm facing left, thumb pointing up
- pu: wiggling hand on top of left fist, palm facing up
- sama: thumb-fist in front of chest, palm facing down (both hands)
- seli: wiggling hand at left shoulder, palm facing down
- selo: F hand at left elbow, palm facing back
- seme: flat hand in front of chest, palm facing up
- sewi: 1 hand in front of chest, palm facing left, index finger pointing up
- sijelo: flat hand on stomach, palm facing back
- sike: 0 hand on top of left fist, palm facing down
- sin: wiggling hand on top of left fist, palm facing left
- sina: 1 hand in front of chest, index finger pointing forward
- sinpin: L hand in front of chest, palm facing back (both hands)
- sitelen: F hand in front of chest, palm facing left (both hands)
- sona: bent hand at side of forehead, palm facing left
- soweli: flat hand at left elbow, palm facing down
- suli: 2 hand at side of forehead, palm facing forward
- suno: bent hand at side of forehead, palm facing forward
- supa: flat hand in front of chest, palm facing up (both hands)
- suwi: 2 hand at side of chin, palm facing left
- tan: bent hand at left elbow, palm facing back
- taso: L hand in front of chest, palm facing down (both hands)
- tawa: bent hand in front of chest, palm facing forward
- telo: wiggling hand in front of chest, palm facing down (both hands)
- tenpo: F hand on top of left fist, palm facing left
- toki: bent hand at side of chin, palm facing left
- tomo: bent hand in front of chest, palm facing left (both hands)
- tu: 2 hand in front of chest, palm facing forward
- unpa: 2 hand on top of left fist, palm facing down
- uta: 1 hand at side of chin, palm facing back
- utala: thumb-fist at left shoulder, palm facing forward
- walo: F hand at side of forehead, palm facing down
- wan: 1 hand in front of chest, palm facing forward, index finger pointing up
- waso 0 hand at side of chin, palm facing forward
- wawa: thumb-fist on stomach, palm facing back
- weka: 0 hand at left elbow, palm facing down
- wile: 0 hand on stomach, palm facing up
Alphabet
To spell out a proper name, use these letters. All letter signs are performed under the left slanted forearm.
- a: thumb-fist, palm facing back
- e: flat hand, palm facing back
- i: and j 1 hand, palm facing down
- k: bent hand, palm facing down
- l: L hand, palm facing back
- m: wiggling hand, palm facing back
- n: wiggling hand, palm facing down
- o: 1 hand, palm facing down
- p: F hand, palm facing down
- s: thumb-fist, palm facing down
- t: flat hand, palm facing down
- u and w: 2 hand, palm facing back