Toki Pona · 26 October 2026
A word a day week
waso
WA-so · /ˈwaso/ · content word
- bird
- flying creature
- winged animal
French oiseau is heard and simplified into waso, a category happy to extend beyond strict ornithology when context wants wings.
Borrowed luggage
Where it came from
Frenchoiseau
Toki Ponawaso
Waso is borrowed from French oiseau, ‘bird’, with the initial glide and vowels adapted into two open syllables.
- French oiseau
Tiny sentence
waso li tawa lon sewi.
bird PRED move at high
“The bird moves in the sky.”
Sewi covers high, above, sky, and sacredness. Here the location selects the sky reading.
Receipts
Sources and cautions
The etymology records the sound source. The present category is defined by Toki Pona speakers and the needs of each phrase.