mani
money, currency; thing of value e.g. gold, investment, livestock
mani speaks to things used in trade, such as fiat money, livestock, spices, or anything else being framed as a tool of bartering. anything can be mani, but by using mani for it you're throwing most of its other qualities to the side. For example, if I use mani to describe coriander, I am framing its culinary usage as irrelevant. I do not care if it will be cooked with. I only care that it will be used in an exchange.
lon
real, true, existing, present; (preposition) located at, located in
For many people, lon is core to the philosophy of toki pona. It's a key example that ties together the physical and metaphysical. lon is existence, lon is truth, lon is reality. lon is not only existing at a place, but also existing during a time, or in a context. lon's usage outside of a preposition mostly derives from this meaning of existing.
tawa
motion, e.g. walking, shaking, flight, travel; (preposition) to, for, going to, from the perspective of, for the purpose of
tawa is motion. tawa frequently has a destination, and when used as a preposition, it marks the word after it as this destination. a destination isn't critical to tawa though; speakers will use tawa for vibrating or shaking in place, or wandering. When tawa is used as a preposition, it marks that which the motion approaches. This can be physical, but metaphysically tawa can mark a recipient, beneficiary, point of perspective, etc.
tan
cause, origin; (preposition) from, because of
tan is some sort of point of origin. It can be a place or object, like a birthing parent or the source of a river, but it can also be a reason like a thrilling feeling or the fear of being yelled at. this corresponds with tan's use as a preposition, where it MARKS this point of origin, i.e. the word directly after prepositional tan is also some sort of point of origin in the same exact way.
sama
same, similar, alike; (preposition) similar to, same as
sama can be all qualities of similarities and samenesses. Two siblings are sama because they have a parent in common. two stringed instruments are sama because they both have strings. Two action figures of the same exact character are sama.
kepeken
(preposition) using, with, by means of
kepeken is using. it is usually used as a preposition and not as a transitive verb, and marks the word after it as the object of usage. For example, "mi kepeken ilo" can be "I use a tool," and "mi pali e tomo kepeken ilo" can mean "I build a house using a tool." when used as a noun, it can refer to a specific instance of using something or usage in general. For example, "kepeken ni ilo sina li ike" "the way you're using the tool is bad." Many speakers consider nasin a better choice for this.
lon, tawa, tan, sama, and kepeken are prepositions.
prepositions are used to express specific details about the predicate, like how or where. just like preverbs, prepositions can be negated by the word ala. the preposition is appended to the end of the sentence, followed by a phrase.
subject ( predicate object) preposition phrase
subject li ( predicate e object) preposition phrase
mi pali lon tomo moku
i work at a restaurant
the preposition can also be the predicate:
ona li lon tomo mi
they are at my house
prepositions can be stacked:
mi kama sona lon tomo sona sama sina
i learned in school like you
prepositions can also be used as regular words:
tawa sina li musi
your movements are amusing
mani mute li lon tomo mani
there's lots of money at the bank
jan li tawa tomo sina
a person goes to your house
mi pali e ijo mute kepeken ilo
i make lots of things with tools
mi toki e pona sina tan ni · mi olin e sina
i say good things about you because i love you
mi lon e tomo sina
i make your house exist
mi lukin pana e kasi tawa sina
i'm trying to give you a flower
ijo li awen sona e pona sina tan ni · sina awen pana e sona ni tawa ona
people remember how good you are because you keep reminding them
mi wile sona e tan
i wanna know the reasons
ijo mute li wile e ilo tawa tan ni · tomo pali ona li weka mute
a lot of people need a car because their place of work is far away
lipu wile li lon tomo sina
the document of wishes is at your place
the necessary papers are in your room
i saw someone who looked just like you
mi lukin e ijo · ona li sama sina tawa lukin
they wanna give you money
ona li wile pana e mani tawa sina
this house needs colourful flowers
tomo ni li wile e kasi pi kule mute
people work for bad reasons
ijo li pali tan ike
birds can learn a lot of things with books
waso li ken kama sona e ijo mute kepeken lipu
wile pi waso ike li ni · sina pana e mani ale sina tawa ona
the villainous bird's demand is that you give it all your money
ona li wile ala pana e ilo ona tawa sina
they don't want to lend you their tool
wawa mi li tan olin sina
my confidence comes from your love
lukin sina li sama lukin pipi
you eyes look similar to a bug's eyes
mi wile e mani tan toki pona mi
i want to be compensated for the great speech i gave