hello (general greeting)
- Origin:
- from English g'day
Papua New Guinea
Tok Pisin Dictionary: Common Words, Meanings & Examples
A source-checked list of Tok Pisin words with English meanings, example sentences, grammar notes and everyday Papua New Guinea vocabulary.
Spoken in
Papua New Guinea
Status
One of three official languages, with English and Hiri Motu
Users
Between five and six million people use it to some degree
Type
English-based creole; English supplies most of the vocabulary
Other names
New Guinea Pidgin, or simply Pidgin in Papua New Guinea English
Language code
ISO 639-3: tpi
Spelling
Latin alphabet of 21 letters; current standard introduced in 1955
Start here: greetings and polite phrases
| Tok Pisin | Meaning |
|---|---|
| gude[wp][wv] | hello (general greeting) |
| moning[wv][om] | morning; good morning |
| apinun[wv][om][wb] | afternoon; also used as a greeting |
| gut nait[wv][om] | good night |
| tenkyu[wv] | thank you |
| plis[wv] | please |
| sori[wv][om] | sorry |
| nogat[wv] | no |
| gutbai[wv][om] | goodbye |
| yu stap gut?[wv][om] | how are you? |
| husat nem bilong yu?[wv] | what is your name? |
| lukim yu bihain[wv] | see you later (informal goodbye) |
Tok Pisin grammar in six rules
1. Pronouns mark singular, dual, trial and plural
Tok Pisin pronouns distinguish exactly how many people are involved, including a dual form for two and a trial form for three, and the first person splits into an exclusive form (not including the listener) and an inclusive form (including the listener).
| Person | Singular | Dual | Trial | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person exclusive | mi (I) | mitupela (he or she and I) | mitripela (both of them, and I) | mipela (all of them, and I) |
| 1st person inclusive | none | yumitupela (you and I) | yumitripela (both of you, and I) | yumipela or yumi (all of you, and I) |
| 2nd person | yu (you) | yutupela (you two) | yutripela (you three) | yupela (you four or more) |
| 3rd person | em (he, she, it) | tupela (they two) | tripela (they three) | ol (they four or more) |
2. -im marks a verb that takes an object
The suffix -im (from English him) marks a transitive verb, one that takes an object. Luk means "look", while lukim means "see".
3. -pela attaches to adjectives, numerals and determiners
-pela (from English fellow) is added to adjectives, numerals and determiners, as in wanpela (one) and tupela (two) — dispela boi means "this bloke". Liklik (little) is an exception.
4. bilong and long cover most prepositions
Bilong (from English belong) means "of", "from" and some uses of "for" — ki bilong yu means "your key". Long (from English along) is a general-purpose preposition used for place and other relations, as in Mipela i bin go long blekmaket, "we went to the black market".
5. bai, bin, pinis and stap mark tense and aspect
Bai (from "by and by") marks the future, and bin (from "been") marks the past. Once an action is complete, pinis (from "finish") shows it, as in Em i lusim bot pinis, "he had got out of the boat". Stap (from "stop") means to stay or be somewhere, and also marks a continuing action: Em i slip i stap means "he or she is sleeping".
6. the marker i sits before the verb
A short i is often placed before the verb after a third-person subject. It is not a pronoun or a verb itself — Kar i tambu long hia literally means "car forbidden here", i.e. "no parking".
Word list by topic
Greetings and polite phrasesPronounsGrammar wordsEveryday verbsPlaces and thingsPeople, family and cultureFeelings and descriptionConnectors and set phrases
Greetings and polite phrases
morning; good morning
- Note:
- Also heard as moning tru and moning nau.
afternoon; also used as a greeting
good night
tenkyu[wv]
interjectionthank you
plis[wv]
interjectionplease
sorry
Mi sori tumas.
I am very sorry.
nogat[wv]
interjectionno
goodbye
how are you?
Mi stap gut.
I am fine.
husat nem bilong yu?[wv]
phrasewhat is your name?
lukim yu bihain[wv]
phrasesee you later (informal goodbye)
Pronouns
mi[wp]
pronounI, me
- Origin:
- from English me
yu[wp]
pronounyou (singular)
- Origin:
- from English you
em[wp]
pronounhe, she, it
- Origin:
- from English him
mipela[wp]
pronounwe (exclusive: not including the person spoken to)
- Literally:
- me fellow
yumi[wp]
pronounwe (inclusive: including the person spoken to)
- Origin:
- from English you me
- Note:
- Also yumipela.
yupela[wp]
pronounyou (plural)
- Literally:
- you fellow
ol[wp]
pronounthey
- Origin:
- from English all
Grammar words
-im[wp]
suffixmarks a transitive verb, one that takes an object
- Origin:
- from English him
luk / lukim
look / see
-pela[wp]
suffixadded to adjectives, numerals and determiners
- Origin:
- from English fellow
- Note:
- Examples: wanpela (one), tupela (two). Liklik (little) is an exception.
dispela boi
this bloke
bilong[wp]
prepositionof, from, and some uses of for
- Origin:
- from English belong
Ki bilong yu
your key
long[wp]
prepositiona general-purpose preposition, used for place and other relations
- Origin:
- from English along
Mipela i bin go long blekmaket.
We went to the black market.
bai[wp]
tense markermarks the future
- Origin:
- from English by and by
Nil nabaut bai i ros.
If you take just any nails that happen to be around, those will rust.
bin[wp]
tense markermarks the past
- Origin:
- from English been
Na praim minista i bin tok olsem.
And the prime minister spoke thus.
pinis[wp]
aspect markerfinished; marks a completed action
- Origin:
- from English finish
Em i lusim bot pinis.
He had got out of the boat.
stap[wp]
verbto stay, to be somewhere, to live; also marks a continuing action
- Origin:
- from English stop
Em i slip i stap.
He or she is sleeping.
i[wp]
predicate markera marker often placed before the verb after a third-person subject; it is not a pronoun or a verb
Kar i tambu long hia.
No parking (literally: car forbidden here).
pasin[wp]
nounway, custom; also used to turn words into nouns
- Origin:
- from English fashion
pasin tumbuna
culture (literally: practice of the ancestors)
Everyday verbs
to see
- Literally:
- luk (look) plus the -im suffix
Lukim yu bihain.
See you later.
kaikai[wp]
noun, verbfood; to eat; to bite
- Origin:
- an Austronesian loanword
Hem kaikai stap.
He is eating.
kisim[wp]
verbto get, to take
- Origin:
- from English get them
kamap[wp]
verbto arrive, to become
- Origin:
- from English come up
to know; to do habitually
- Origin:
- ultimately from a Portuguese-influenced lingua franca
Mi no save gut long Tok Pisin.
I can't speak Tok Pisin well.
pasim[wp]
verbto close, to lock, to fasten
- Origin:
- from English fasten
bagarap[wp]
verb, adjectivebroken; to break down
- Origin:
- from English bugger up
- Note:
- Commonly used in Tok Pisin without a vulgar undertone.
tok[wp]
noun, verbtalk, word, speech, language
- Origin:
- from English talk
Places and things
haus[wp]
nounhouse, building
- Origin:
- from German Haus and/or English house
haus sik[wp]
noun phrasehospital
- Literally:
- house sick
haus kaikai[wp]
noun phraserestaurant
- Literally:
- house food
haus moni[wp]
noun phrasebank
- Literally:
- house money
toilet, bathroom
- Literally:
- small house
Smolhaus i stap we?
Where is the toilet?
guria[wb]
nounearthquake
bird (specifically a pigeon or dove); aeroplane
- Origin:
- an Austronesian loanword
pisin[wp]
nounbird
- Origin:
- from English pigeon
- Note:
- Sounds the same as the second word in Tok Pisin, which comes from English pidgin.
sipsip[wp]
nounsheep
- Note:
- Formed by repeating sip (ship). Repetition keeps the two words apart.
diwai[wp]
nountree, wood, plant, stick
solwara[wp]
nounocean, sea
- Origin:
- from English salt water
lotu[wp]
nounchurch, worship
- Origin:
- from Fijian
People, family and culture
pikinini[wp]
nounchild
- Origin:
- ultimately from a Portuguese-influenced lingua franca
meri[wp]
nounwoman, female
- Origin:
- from the English name Mary
manki[wp]
nounsmall boy; young man
- Note:
- Also spelled mangi.
manmeri[wp]
nounpeople
- Literally:
- man and woman
bubu[wp]
noungrandparent or elderly relative; also grandchild
susa[wp]
nounsister
- Note:
- Now often replaced by sista.
raskol[wp]
nounthief, criminal
- Origin:
- from English rascal
someone who speaks your language; by extension a relative or community member bound to you by mutual obligation
- Literally:
- one talk
- Note:
- The wantok system is an informal network of reciprocal support in Papua New Guinea.
tambu[wp]
adjective, nounforbidden; also in-laws and other relatives one must not speak to or name in some Papua New Guinea customs
- Origin:
- from Austronesian languages, the same source as English taboo
Feelings and description
Connectors and set phrases
tasol[wp]
conjunction, adverbonly, just; but
- Origin:
- from English that's all
sapos[wp]
conjunctionif
- Origin:
- from English suppose
olgeta[wp]
adjective, pronounall
- Origin:
- from English all together
it doesn't matter; don't worry about it
- Origin:
- probably from German macht nichts
Maski long planti toktok!
Enough of all this talking!
what?; what's going on?; also an informal greeting
- Literally:
- like what
Yu olsem wanem?
How are you?
bilong wanem[wp]
phrasewhy?
pasim maus[wp]
phraseshut up; be quiet
- Literally:
- close mouth
- Note:
- Blunt, like the English.
Yu pasim maus!
Shut up!
How Tok Pisin builds words
Tok Pisin often builds new words by combining two existing ones, describing an idea in plain, literal terms rather than borrowing a separate word for it. The compound's literal meaning usually still makes sense once you know the parts.
| Tok Pisin | English | Literally |
|---|---|---|
| haus moni | bank | money building |
| haus kaikai | restaurant | house of food |
| sik suga | diabetes | sugar disease |
| marasin bilong klinim tit | toothpaste | medicine for cleaning the teeth |
| pasin tumbuna | culture | practice of the ancestors |
| skru bilong han | elbow | screw of the arm |
| gras bilong het | hair | grass of the head |
Tok Pisin, Bislama and Pijin
Tok Pisin is closely related to Bislama (Vanuatu) and Pijin (Solomon Islands) — all three are English-based Melanesian creoles that share much of their vocabulary, but differ in some spellings and endings.
| Feature | Tok Pisin | Bislama / Pijin |
|---|---|---|
| Genitive preposition (of) | bilong | blong |
| Adjective ending | -pela | -fala |
| cancer | kensa | kansa |
| chair | sia | jea |
Frequently asked questions
Sources and review
Last reviewed:
- wpTok Pisin (Wikipedia)
- wvTok Pisin phrasebook (Wikivoyage)
- omUseful phrases in Tok Pisin (Omniglot)
- wbTok Pisin/Dictionary (Wikibooks)
- dfatCountry Information Report: Papua New Guinea, DFAT (2022)
- u4The wantok system in Papua New Guinea (U4)
Tok Pisin varies by region, so some words differ across Papua New Guinea.
Entries are cross-checked against published references and have not yet had a native-speaker review.
Report a mistake