The following description of toki pona luka (Toki Pona sign language) is copied as it appears in Toki Pona: The Language of Good by Sonja Lang, the creator of Toki Pona.
Sign Language
Signed Toki Pona (toki pona luka) is a silent version of Toki Pona that uses hand gestures. This can be useful, for example:
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 its own sign. To form a sentence, perform each sign, one after an other, using the same grammar and word order you already know.
Elements of a Sign
Each sign can be described using four elements:
1. hand shape
2. location on the body
3. palm orientation
4. whether one hand or both hands
Hand Shapes
There are nine basic hand shapes used in Signed Toki Pona. These describe the right hand.
 |
 |
 | |
| flat hand |
thumb-fist |
bent hand |
 |
 |
 | |
| wiggling hand |
1 hand |
2 hand |
 |
 |
 | |
| O hand |
L hand |
F hand |
Locations on the Body
For each sign, the right hand goes to a particular location.
1. in front of chest
2. at side of forehead
3. at side of chin
4. at left shoulder
5. at left elbow
6. on top of left fist
7. on stomach
8. under left slanted forearm
Orientations
Most signs are described by the direction that the palm of the right hand faces. A few signs are described by the orientation that a particular finger points.
1. left
2. up
3. down
4. forward
5. back
One Hand or Both Hands
Most signs are performed with the right hand at the required location. A few signs are performed with both hands in a symmetrical way. In the description below, the hand shape, location and palm orientation of the right hand is given. Then, if the sign requires both hands, you must mirror the same gesture with the left hand.
Examples
 |
 |
kasi
F hand on top of left fist,
palm facing down |
o (letter)
O hand under left slanted forearm,
palm facing down |
 |
 |
tomo
bent hand in front of chest,
palm facing left (both hands) |
suli
2 hand at side of forehead,
palm facing forward |
Descriptions of Signs
| a or kin |
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 left |
| 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 left 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 |
| lete |
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 or oko |
2 hand in front of chest, palm facing down |
| lupa |
O 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 |
O hand at side of chin, 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 chin, palm facing down |
| mun |
O 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 |
O 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 |
O 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 |
O 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 |
O 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 |
O 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 |
O hand on top of left fist, palm facing down |
| sin or namako |
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 |
O hand at side of chin, palm facing forward |
| wawa |
thumb-fist on stomach, palm facing back |
| weka |
O hand at left elbow, palm facing down |
| wile |
O hand on stomach, palm facing up |