Learn Tok Pisin Online with the Vocabo Chrome Extension
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Master Tok Pisin vocabulary while browsing the web. Free Chrome extension for language learners. Tok Pisin is spoken by 120,000 native, 4+ million total people. Tok Pisin is one of the fastest and most rewarding creoles for English speakers to pick up, and it is essential for travel or work anywhere in Papua New Guinea outside of English-medium settings.
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About Tok Pisin
Papua New Guinea has around 840 living languages, more than any other country on Earth, and Tok Pisin functions as the connective tissue between them, an official language alongside English and Hiri Motu that lets speakers of mutually unintelligible languages communicate nationwide.
Also known as: New Guinea Pidgin, Melanesian Pidgin, Neo-Melanesian
Speakers
120,000 native, 4+ million total
Language Family
English-based creole (with German, Malay, Portuguese, and Austronesian influences)
Writing System
Latin alphabet
Difficulty
Easy
Spoken in
Why Learn Tok Pisin?
Tok Pisin is one of the fastest and most rewarding creoles for English speakers to pick up, and it is essential for travel or work anywhere in Papua New Guinea outside of English-medium settings.
Common Tok Pisin Words
Start your Tok Pisin journey with these essential words and phrases.
Gude
Hello
GOO-day
Tenkyu
Thank you
TEN-kyoo
Nogat
No
no-GAT
wara
Water
WAH-rah
haus
House
wantok
Friend, kinsman (lit. 'one talk', someone who shares your language)
WAHN-tok
laikim
To love, to like
LAI-kim
kaikai
Food, to eat
KAI-kai
san
Sun
gras bilong het
Hair (lit. 'grass belonging to the head')
grahs bee-LONG het
Tok Pisin
The Tok Pisin language (lit. 'pidgin talk')
tok PIH-sin
History of Tok Pisin
Tok Pisin developed in the late 19th century among Pacific Islander laborers, many recruited or coerced from various Melanesian islands to work on Queensland and German New Guinea plantations, who needed a common language and built one primarily from English vocabulary with Melanesian grammar patterns. It was further standardized under German and then Australian colonial administration of New Guinea in the 20th century. Since Papua New Guinea's independence in 1975, Tok Pisin has become a genuine first language for many urban children, has its own Wikipedia edition and Bible translation, and is regularly used in Parliament and national media alongside English.
Is Tok Pisin Hard to Learn?
Most Tok Pisin vocabulary comes directly from English, so recognizing words is fast for English speakers, and the grammar is far simpler than English, with no verb tense endings and no obligatory plural marking. What takes some getting used to is how much work a small vocabulary is made to do through compounding and the multi-purpose linking words 'bilong' (of, for) and 'long' (at, in, to, with), so 'hair' becomes 'gras bilong het' (literally 'grass belonging to the head') and a bra becomes 'basket bilong susu'.
Learning Tok Pisin Online: FAQ
Can I learn Tok Pisin online for free?
Yes — Vocabo is a free Chrome extension that teaches you Tok Pisin vocabulary while you browse the web. It replaces words and short phrases on pages you already read with their Tok Pisin equivalents, so you pick up vocabulary passively — no sign-up, no ads, and no daily lesson grind.
Is Tok Pisin on Duolingo?
No — Duolingo doesn't currently offer a Tok Pisin course for English speakers. You can still learn Tok Pisin online for free: Vocabo supports Tok Pisin and builds your vocabulary naturally while you browse.
Similar Languages to Tok Pisin
If you're interested in Tok Pisin, you might also want to explore these related languages:
Start Learning Tok Pisin Today
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