Toki Pona was created by Canadian linguist Sonja Lang in 2001.

Toki Pona has around 120-137 words. The original version targeted 120 words, but the later Toki Pona Dictionary lists 137 essential words.

The community of Toki Pona speakers is estimated to be between 500 and 1,800 people2. The language has a small but dedicated following, with activity mainly taking place online.

Toki Pona words derive from languages across the world, from Japanese to Finnish to Tongan to English. 

here are several books published in Toki Pona, including a translation of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” released in 2024