English Translation
He’ll definitely go to the U.S.
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“ona”: This means “he/she/it.” The pronoun doesn’t differentiate gender or whether it’s a person or an object, so it could mean “he,” “she,” or “it,” depending on the context.
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“li”: This is a particle that separates the subject from the verb in a Toki Pona sentence. It is always used after the subject (unless the subject is “mi” for “I” or “sina” for “you”).
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“tawa”: This word has several meanings, including “to move,” “to travel,” “moving,” “mobile,” and can also be a preposition “to,” “towards.” In this context, it is most likely being used as a verb meaning “to travel” or “to move.”
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“kin”: This word is used for emphasis, similar to “also” or “still.” It reinforces the action or state described by the verb.
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“ma”: This word means “land,” “country,” “territory,” “region,” “outdoors,” or “area.”
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“Mewika”: In Toki Pona, names of places are adapted to fit the phonetic and syllabic structure of the language. “Mewika” is an adaptation of “America,” so it represents the United States of America. The “n” before a foreign word is often omitted in Toki Pona.
Putting it all together:
“Ona li tawa kin ma Mewika” translates to “He/She/It is still going to America” or “He/She/It continues to travel to America.” It implies that the person or thing referred to by “ona” was already moving or traveling before and is still doing so. The exact meaning, whether it is “he,” “she,” or “it,” and whether the movement is continuous or starting afresh, would depend on the broader context in which this sentence is used.
Remember that in Toki Pona, the context is crucial as each word can have multiple meanings, and there is often not a one-to-one translation between Toki Pona and English due to the simplicity and flexibility of Toki Pona’s vocabulary.