Toki Pona is a minimalist constructed language, created by polyglot Sonja Lang in 2001. Its core vocabulary of 120~140 words aims to capture “universal patterns” of human communication and, in Sonja’s words, “reflect on the meaning of life.”
I’ve been peripheral to the Toki Pona community since 2017, but only recently have I decided to learn the language in earnest. I’ve found it to be an extremely compelling creative and philosophical tool. Below is a sample of what’s emerged out of me playing with this wonderful little language.
(This is the English version of this page. sina wile e toki pona la o luka e ni!)
Videos
- I Tried Traveling With the World’s Smallest Language (2025)
- My single largest project to date! This video is a collaboration with the wonderful ijo Kesi, who wrote out directions for me to explore the city of Milwaukee – entirely in Toki Pona. It was quite a challenge!
- Speaking the World’s Smallest Language – Toki Pona (2025)
- A short introduction to the language and a tour of the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, entirely in Toki Pona. This was my first attempt at a toki pona taso (Toki Pona-only) video, and as such, it has quite a few errors – see my pinned YouTube comment for specific corrections.
Music
- the tokirap (nimi ale lon toki pona) (2021)
- My first foray into Toki Pona music – ironically, years before I decided to learn the language myself! This was a collaboration with YouTuber and noted Tokiponist jan Misali, who lists (almost) every word in Toki Pona (as of 2021), while I provided the instrumental.