Sitelen Kana (写太 / してれんかな / シテレンカナ)

Sitelen Kana is a way to write Toki Pona with the Japanese script. It was created in July 2026 by M.F. Albary, who worked with others to make this script, and developed tools to type the script.

There are several versions of this script: Sitelen Kansi (写字), which include one kanji for each word in Toki Pona, Sitelen Ilakana (してれんいらかな / シテレンカタカナ), which uses hiragana or katakana to represent the sounds of Toki pona. There is are also mixed versions of the script that combine Sitelen Kansi and Sitelen Ilakana.

Notable Features

Type of writing system: semanto-phonetic (Kanji), syllabic (Hiragana & Katakana)
Writing direction: left to right in horizontal lines.
Used to write: Toki Pona

Sitelen Kansi script

Sitelen Ilakana script

Download a script chart for the Sitelen Kana (Excel)

Notes

There are two punctuation glyphs, 期 for a period (full stop) and 結 ️ for a colon. Note that for aesthetic reasons a new line is often used to end a sentence.
For proper names, the 正 character is used to enclose a phonetic spelling of it, similar to the sitelen pona cartouche.
For example: jan Sonja = 人正新指本人強正 , which literally transliterates to jan _ sin o ni jan a _, but the words between the 正 character spell out the word in it, to read jan Sonja.
Due to convenience, it is not uncommon to see people online using latin for names (like 人 Sonja). While this is not recommended, it is generally accepted in the community.
In addition to these words that occur in Sonja Lang's book (pu), there are 12 words that have official emoji: apeja 恥 , kin 又 , kipisi 分 , leko 四 , linluwi 網 , majuna 古 , monsuta 怖 , namako 香 , oko 目 , pake 停 , powe 停 and tonsi 人

Sample text in Kansi

人全述来於方本結其述缶仁述缶行期
人全述来於同期
人全述持物缶乃感大期
人全述缶行物欲良其期
人全述欲行使方本結其述人良仁人違期

Sample text in Ilakana (Hiragana)

やんありりかまろんなしんに: おなりけんたわりけんはり.
やんありりかまろんさま.
やんありりよえけんひひりんすり.
やんありりけんはりえゐれほなおな.
やんありりゐれはりけへけんなしんに: おなりやんほなたわやんあんて.

Sample text in Ilakana (Katakana)

ヤンアリリカマロンナシンニ: オナリケンタワリケンハリ.
ヤンアリリカマロンサマ.
ヤンアリリヨエンケンヒヒリンスリ.
ヤンアリリケンハリエヰレホナオナ.
ヤンアリリヰレハリケヘケンナシンニ: オナリヤンホナタワヤンアンテ.

Sample text (mixed scripts)

人ありリ来ろんナシン本:オナ述けんタワ述けんハリ期
人ありリ来ろんサマ期
人ありリ持えケン乃ひりんスリ期
人ありリ缶はりエ欲ほなオナ期人ありリ欲はりケヘケン方に:其りヤン良たわヤン違.

Transliteration

jan ali li kama lon nasin ni: ona li ken tawa li ken pali.
jan ali li kama lon sama.
jan ali li jo e ken pi pilin suli.
jan ali li ken pali e wile pona ona.
jan ali li wile pali kepeken nasin ni: ona li jan pona tawa jan ante.

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

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