KALIWE

Alphabet

Pronouns

A E I O U

˄ - = O V  

B G K L M N P S T W

> < K L \ / X Z + H

(Points can be written as curves, e.g. V can be U)

(Kaliwe alphabet not required to write the language)

ta = they (singular) / it

te = me

tu = you

Particles

a = but

e = (object marker)

o = or

u = (loanword prefix)

Locations

Nouns

Parts of Speech

ba = above / high / up

be = next to / beside

bi = in

bo = in front of

bu = location / place

ga = rock

ge = smell

gi = food

go = plant / stick

gu = fluid / liquid

ka = concept / (noun)

ke = what / (question)

ki = same as / (adjective)

ko = thing / (noun)

ku = do / (make verb)

Verbs

Numbers

Modifiers

la = to be / (verb marker)

le = give

li = make / create

lo = know

lu = feel / touch / perceive

ma = one / person

me = two / pair / duo

mi = three

mo = four

mu = five / hand

na  = no / (invert meaning)

ne = multiple

ni = with / and

no = of

nu = very

Adjectives

Intangible Nouns

Concepts

pa = lightweight / easy

pe = hot

pi = sharp / spiky / rough

po = big

pu = part / piece / fraction

sa = air / gas

se = sound

si = light (luminosity)

so = time

su = life

wa = good / yes / positive

we = from / origin / cause

wi = figurative

Grammar

Subject-Verb-Object

word order

Compound Words

Parts of Speech

“la” precedes verb
(alone, it means “to be”)

e.g. te la wa = I am good

“e” precedes object

e.g. te la luwa e gane =
“I (am) feel-good (at) rocks” = I like rocks

Particles not required in informal speech

e.g. te luwa gane 

To express more complex ideas, create compound words by attaching words together

Start with main word, then add descriptive words afterwards in order of importance.

e.g. kopepoba = thing-hot-big-above, can represent “sun”

Words can be used as nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs.

Can be inferred based on word order in most cases in informal speech.

For formal speech, required to precede each word with its part of speech: ka/ko for nouns, ku/la for verbs, ki for adjectives/adverbs

Word Order
(cont’d)

Compound Words
(cont’d)

Other

Adjectives always come after the word they’re describing.

However, “na” always comes BEFORE the word it’s describing. It only negates the word it directly precedes.

e.g. ganapipo = rock-not-smooth-big =

big rough rock

To re-group adjectives, use “no”

gugope = fluid-plant-hot = hot plant fluid (e.g. tea)

gunogope = fluid-of-plant-hot
= fluid of hot plant

If you’re just describing something instead of identifying it, separate it out as an adjective

gugo kipe = fluid-plant same-as-hot = plant fluid that happens to be hot

Punctuation works the same as English, but no capitalization is required.

Loanwords start with the u- prefix, then is approximated with kaliwe syllables (still following the rule of C+V, no double consonants or vowels).

If the part of speech is ambiguous, start the word with u + part of speech + no. e.g. ukono baketobalo OR ubaketobalo = basketball

Pronunciation

A = /a/ or /æ/

E = /ɛ/ or /e/

I = /i/

O = /o/

U = /u/

B = /b/

G = /g/ or /j/

K = /k/

L = /l/ or /r/

M = /m/

N = /n/

P = /p/

S = /s/ or /z/

T = /t/ or /d/

W = /w/ or /v/

Pronunciation (especially vowels) is not very strict, as long as they can be differentiated.

The first syllable of every word is emphasized in order to make words more differentiable in speech.

Summary

The first 100 words in any language account for about 50% of it, and 25 words for 33% (https://youtu.be/fCn8zs912OE?t=970). Kaliwe was made with multiple goals in mind, including reducing fluff and rule exceptions. I combined things I liked from different languages like Japanese, toki pona, and more to hopefully make the language very simple and universally easy to learn. The letters were chosen to be easy to pronounce for most languages, and the meanings have been sorted by letter to make the dictionary easier to learn. The core concept is to boil down words to the most basic building blocks, then put them together to form more complex concepts.

This is my first conlang, and I hope you all enjoy and find a use for it! This document will be constantly updated as I have new ideas, but I’m pretty happy with how it is right now. Huge thank you to SandwichDeer for help and feedback! L^H^!

Click for more background info!

Vocabulary Examples

Just like the words themselves, compound words are not restricted to one meaning and are dependent on context. However, these are some examples of compound words to help you get an idea of how they work:

Word

Literal Translation

Meaning

tene

me-multiple

us / we

note

of-me

my

buke

location-question

where?

kopepoba

thing-hot-big-above

sun

ganapeba

rock-not-hot-above

moon / month

lawa

be-good

hello / bye / take care

wanitu

good-with-you

thank you

kosu

thing-life

living thing / creature

gusu

fluid-life

water

lusi

feel-light

see

kaku

concept-do

activity

kipowi

adjective-big-figurative

important

konipimi

thing-with-sharp-three

triangle

Counting

Since precise measurements aren’t required in most conversational language, having more numbers wasn’t a priority, but you are still able to refer to higher numbers than 5. The number system works like this:

nako = 0 = nothing

ma me mi mo mu = 1 2 3 4 5

munima = 5 + 1 = 6

mumi = 5, 3 = 53

munimime = 5 + 3, 2 = 82

mamunimo = 1, 5+4 = 19

Base 6

A notable alternative is to use base 6! Since there’s only 5 numbers, it just needs a term for 6 in order to count. My suggestion is “kane” (concept-multiple, or “group”), or just “ne” for short, since it can be assumed to be a number based on context.

Counting is now like:

nako ma me mi mo mu ne = (b6) 0 1 2 3 4 5 10 = (b10) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

nema neme nemi nemo nemu mene = (b6) 11 12 13 14 15 20 = (b10) 7 8 9 10 11 12

For multiples of a higher digit, add the multiple before the power. me(no)ne = 2 x 6 = (b6)20

menema meneme menemi menemo menemu mine = (b6) 21 22 23 24 25 30

(ka)nenu = 100

(ka)menenu = 200

(ka)nenunu = 1000

5555 = munenunu munenu mune mu

Sentence Examples

Sentence

Meaning

Lawa! Tuluke?

Hello! How are you doing?

be-good! you-feel-what?

Tu la naponu.

You are very small.

you be not-big-very

Te la luwa e gane

I like rocks.

me feel-good (towards) rock-multiple

Ganapone bi gunokubune la kiwasi ni kilusinowa

Pebbles in rivers are shiny and good-looking.

rock-not-big-multiple in fluid-of-do-location-multiple be adj-good-light and adj-feel-light-of-good

A sample story can be found here if you would like more complex examples: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kOp5Nwf0-dtAM3LBDlKCoKEoYchqDHLWRyBydDjuel0/edit 

We also have Baka Mitai:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MVhjH90gUTS4OZa2cQkpsOGclJSOKdLGos9Wy3b6-Gk/ 


Base Word Breakdown

Just like toki pona, each word is wide in meaning, and has multiple uses. In some cases, there are also restrictions. I'll try my best to flesh out what I imagined for each word, but of course, power to the users as long as it's understood. I’m also including some word origins for anyone’s curiosity – any words that aren’t marked to have an origin were likely either made based off sound (“po” sounds bigger to me than “pi”) or to fill in the gaps based on my sorting method (“lu” used to be “lu-minosity”, but had to be moved because it wasn’t a verb).

T - Pronouns

These ones are pretty straightforward.

to is reserved solely for loanwords. ti isn't valid since it's invalid in toki pona for apparently being difficult to distinguish from si and ki.

ta

  • Means: they, them (singular), it, that
  • tane = they, them (plural), those
  • nota = their, theirs, its
  • Based on “they” and “them” from English

te

  • Means: me, I, myself
  • tene = we, us
  • note = my
  • Based on “me” from Ido / Elefen

tu

  • Means: you
  • tune = you (plural)
  • noti = your, yours
  • Based on “tu” from Spanish and “you” from English

Particles

a / o / e cannot modify nor be modified by words (e.g. naa / ano are invalid).

i is not a word since gi can also be pronounced yi, which would make it difficult to tell apart.

a / o

  • Means: but, or (respectively)
  • Just use these as the English equivalents for now. No restrictions.
  • Can create compound sentences with these
  • Based off Elefen / Ido’s: “ma”, “o”

e

  • Marks object of the sentence
  • e.g. ta la kugi e gigo = they are use-food (object) food-plant = they are eating fruit/vegetable
  • Can be omitted in casual speech
  • Previous sentence would be “ta kugi gigo”
  • Taken directly from toki pona

u

  • Marks loan words
  • Can directly precede the word itself, but in more formal writing it precedes the part of speech + “no” to mark what type of word it is
  • ukono Penu = (loan word)-object-of “penu” = pen
  • ubuno Kanata = (loan word)-place-of “kanata” = Canada
  • Informally, “uPenu” / “uKanata” work as well
  • Was chosen partly because it wasn’t taken, and partly because it allowed my character Ube’s name to make sense within kaliwe

B - Locations

ba

  • Means: up, above, high
  • bawi = holy, head (of operation/group), etc.
  • naba = below
  • Comparable to “baba” from Tagalog?

be

  • Means: next to, beside, close, sideways
  • nabe = far, distant
  • pobe = long
  • Based off “beside” in English

bi

  • Means: in, inside, inner
  • nabi = outside

bo

  • Means: in front of
  • nabo = behind

bu

  • Means: location, place
  • In some contexts, "here"
  • Can convert something to a place
  • e.g. bunogosunu = place-of-stick-life-many = forest

G - Nouns

These can't be inverted with na- unless it's converted into an adjective first.

ga

  • Means: rock, stone, (possibly) metal
  • kiga = rocklike, hard

ge

  • Means: smell, scent
  • kige = smellable

gi

  • Means: food
  • kigi = edible

go

  • Means: stick, pole, plant
  • kigo = plantlike
  • gosu = plant (unambiguously)
  • gigo = vegetable, fruit

gu

  • Means: fluid, liquid
  • kigu = fluidlike
  • gugi = drink (noun)
  • gigu / kugigu = drink (verb)
  • kigigu = drinkable
  • Based off Japanese “mogu mogu” … which is a drink but apparently it actually refers to the sound of chewing, oops
  • Has a resemblance to English “goo”

K - Parts of Speech

ka

  • Means: concept, idea
  • Converts the word into a noun, representing a concept or idea instead of a place, thing, or object
  • Does NOT mean idea like something that pops into your head
  • Cannot be appended after a word. If you want to describe something in terms of another concept, use "no" before using "ka"

ke

  • Means: what, (question particle)
  • Append this to the end of whatever you're asking
  • e.g. buke = place-what = where?
  • Comparable to “seme” from toki pona
  • Based off “qué” in Spanish and “ka” in Japanese

ki

  • Means: same as
  • Append to the beginning to convert into adjective
  • naki = different
  • Recommended to use after “la” if you’re describing something
  • e.g. te la po
  • Can be used for comparisons

ko

  • Means: thing, object, noun
  • Append to the beginning to convert into object
  • Can define objects not included in the vocabulary by describing them in detail
  • kogapope = thing-rock-big-hot = volcano, meteor, etc.
  • nako = nothing, zero
  • Happens to resemble “cosa” from Spanish

ku

  • Means: do, act, use
  • Append to the beginning to convert into verb
  • If preceding a noun, it implies “use”

L - Verbs

la

  • Means: to be
  • Marks something as a verb when used after a subject

le

  • Means: to give
  • nale = take
  • Based on “lend” from English

li

  • Means: make, create
  • nali = destroy
  • koli = creator

lo

  • Means: know
  • kolo = head, brain
  • kalo = knowledge

lu

  • Means: feel, touch, perceive
  • Used for the 5 senses – see (lusi), smell (luge), hear (luwe), taste (lugi), touch (lu)
  • kalu = feeling
  • Can refer to physical touch sensations or just feelings like mood. Use wi/nawi to unambiguate.

M - Numbers

M ended up being the numbers purely because I needed a consonant to have all 5 numbers, and M happened to be the only one that I couldn’t come up with words for.

ma

  • Means: one, person
  • Can mean "one" in the English sense (e.g. "I fear no one")
  • koma = person (unambiguous)
  • kama = one, the number (unambiguous)
  • OR kima = one (quantity of preceding noun)

me/mi/mo

  • Literally just numbers 2, 3, 4

mu

  • Means: five, hand?
  • komu = hand (less ambiguous)
  • ngl i’m stealing that meaning from toki pona

N - Modifiers

na

  • Means: no, not
  • Inverts the meaning of a word, doesn't create absence
  • e.g. nape doesn't mean "not hot" (lack of heat), it means cold
  • This is important because this is how kaliwe derives so much of its vocabulary with such a low number, which is otherwise inaccessible
  • na comes before the word it modifies because it ONLY modifies that word
  • The alternative is having the meaning carry over to multiple words, including other na's, which would be incredibly confusing
  • I personally translate it to English "-n't" because that makes it easier. lightn't, hotn't, highn't
  • Based on “nah” from English

ne

  • Means: multiple, -s
  • Turns anything plural when tacked on at the end
  • nenu = many

ni

  • Means: with, and
  • Can mean “have” depending on context
  • e.g. ga la nituke? = rock is with-you-? = do you have rock?

no

  • Means: of
  • Helps reorder adjectives (a la toki pona's pi)
  • e.g. gugipe = hot drink (maybe tea or coffee), gugi no pe = drink that is hot
  • Unlike toki pona it also just means "of"
  • Can denote ownership
  • e.g. ga no te / ga note = my rock
  • Based on “no” from Japanese

nu

  • Means: very
  • Exaggerates the word it's after, mainly for adjectives
  • ponu = very big, huge, humongous

P - Adjectives

pa

  • Means: lightweight, easy
  • The idea was that a lightweight task = an easy task
  • napa = heavy, difficult

pe

  • Means: hot, warm
  • nape = cold

pi

  • Means: sharp, spiky, rough
  • napi = smooth, round

po

  • Means: big
  • napo = small

pu

  • Means: part, fraction
  • napu = whole

S - Nouns (Intangible)

sa

  • Means: air, gas
  • Considering other meanings “essence, soul” definitions from toki pona’s “kon” for "sawi"

se

  • Means: sound
  • senisu = music

si

  • Means: light (luminosity), white
  • nasi = dark, black

so

  • Means: time
  • sobo = time-front = future
  • sonabo = time-behind = past
  • sobe = now

su

  • Means: life
  • kosu = living thing (generally animals or people)
  • kalusu = energy

W - Concepts

If you find old documents or posts with kalibe, the current se/si/so/su = old we/wi/wo/wu.

wo and wu were removed based on toki pona’s criteria – they are awkward to pronounce/distinguish in speech from o and u.

wa

  • Means: good, positive, yes
  • nawa = bad, negative
  • Based on furry red panda slang “Wah!” which is very good

we

  • Means: from, by, origin, cause
  • Equivalent to toki pona’s “tan”
  • nawe = cause / effect / for

wi

  • Means: figurative, hypothetical
  • nawi = literal, real
  • Works as modifier to create a figurative or "higher level" meaning
  • e.g. bawi (above-figurative) can mean something like holy
  • Can also create "if" statements by creating a hypothetical
  • e.g. nowi tu luweke te, tu liwe!
    = of-hypothetical you feel-sound-? me, you make-sound!
    = if you can hear me, make a sound!

KONOKANE NO SENOMANE

** A more full dictionary! These word combinations most likely refer to these definitions if you’re not sure what they mean, but again, if there’s enough context for it, it is still possible to use a word combination to mean something else. Please do not treat this as an end-all-be-all.

Word

Literal Translation

Meaning

tane

they-multiple

them

tene

me-multiple

us

tune

you-multiple

you (plural)

notu

of-you

your

buba

location-above

on / about

bube

location-next to

nearby

buke

location-question

where?

gapoba

rock-big-above

moon

ginale

food-not-give

eat

gonomane

plant-of-person-multiple

crops

guwu

fluid-life

water

gubikowu

fluid-in-thing-life

blood

kaku

concept-do

activity

kakunapa

concept-do-not-lightweight

difficult activity/task

kali

concept-create

creation

kalo

concept-know

knowledge, knowing

kalopu

concept-know-part

thoughts / theories

kalu

concept-feel

feeling

kaluwapa

concept-feel-good-lightweight

cheerful / hopeful

kalunawapa

concept-feel-not-good-lightweight

lightheaded

kiga

same as-rock

rocky / hard

kiwanapo

same as-good-not-big

cute

kikapo

same as-concept-big

important

kolo

thing-know

head / brain

koku

thing-do

tool

komu

thing-five

hand

konipimi

thing-with-sharp-three

triangle

konipimo

thing-with-sharp-four

square

kopepoba

thing-hot-big-above

sun

kosu

thing-life

living thing, creature

kuba

do-above

raise

kube

do-next to

move aside

kuge

do-smell

smell (verb)

kupo

do-big

grow

kubu

do-location

move / go

kuni

do-with

use

lawa

be-good

hello / bye / take care

lani

be-with

have

laninasi

be-with-not-light

sleep

lekaluwa

give-concept-feel-good

give thanks

lima

make-person

give birth

lise

make-sound

talk / say / speak

lopu

know-part

think

lusi

feel-light

see / look

lunani

feel-not-with

want

lunanige

feel-not-with-food

hungry

lunaninu

feel-not-with-very

need

luse

feel-sound

listen / hear

malima

person-make-person

parent

make

person-what

who

mane

person-many

people

naba

not-above

below / low

nabe

not-next to

far

nabi

not-in

out / outside

nabo

not-in front of

behind

nasi

not-light

dark

nakigu

not-same as-fluid

solid

naki

not-same as

different

nako

not-thing

nothing

nala

not-be

isn’t

nale

not-give

take

nali

not-make

destroy

nalo

not-know

not know

nani

not-with

not with / without

nanu

not-very

not very / barely / a little

napa

not-lightweight

heavy

nape

not-hot

cold

napi

not-sharp

smooth / round

napo

not-big

small

napu

not-part

whole, all

nawa

not-good

bad

nabu

not-location

nowhere

nase

not-sound

silence

nasu

not-life

death

nenu

multiple-very

many

nene

multiple-multiple

more

nunu

very-very

very much

poba

big-above

tall

pobe

big-next to

long

wanitu

good-with-you

thank you

wenisu

sound-with-life

music

silu

light-feel

color

silusi

light-feel-light

white

silunasi

light-feel-not-light

black

silupe

light-feel-hot

red / orange

silunape

light-feel-not-hot

blue / green

silupepu

light-feel-hot-part

yellow

silunapepu

light-feel-not-hot-part

purple

sobo

time-in front

future / later

sonabo

time-not-in front

past / earlier

sosi

time-light

daytime

sonasi

time-not-light

nighttime

soke

time-what

when?

weke

origin-what

why? / how?

wibe

figurative-beside

close (relationship)

wipo

figurative-big

important

wipi

figurative-spiky

unfriendly, irritable

wilu

figurative-feel

hunch

Extra Notes

Some notes on Kaliwe that I couldn’t fit anywhere else in the document: