Shipibo Foundations · Module 2: Describing the World · Lesson 3 of 5

Four kinds of beauty

By the end you can say that something is beautiful — and pick the right kind of beautiful.

4 new words · about 8 minutes

Kikín metsá! Very beautiful! — Kaná is with you for Module 2.

Where English says 'beautiful,' Shipibo distinguishes. Metsá — pretty. Sankén — intricately beautiful, the quality of fine designwork. Soí — lustrous, soft-shining beauty. Pené — bright, shiny. A culture that lives inside geometric design needs — and has — a precise vocabulary of beauty.
Culture note. Kené is the design; kewé is the design embroidered into cloth. The art section of this site is built on that distinction.
✓ sourced Module 1-1 Adjectives deck slides 9–12 · nothing invented

The words

Read each one. The next screen hides the meaning so you can test yourself.

metsápretty
sankénintricately beautiful
soílustrous, soft-shining beauty
penébright / shiny

Cover the meaning

Say it before you flip. Be honest — "again" brings it back.

tap to reveal
tap to flip back

Match the pairs

Tap a Shipibo word, then its meaning.

In a sentence

Try translating each line yourself before you tap.

Náto kewé ríki sankén.
tap to translate
This embroidery is intricately beautiful.
Náto kené ríki soí.
tap to translate
This design is lustrously beautiful.
Ja riki peneshaman bari!
tap to translate
That is a brilliantly shining sun!
Try it. Find one thing near you for each of the four beauty words.

Build the sentence

Tap the words into order.

Say:

Now you write it

Accents optional while you learn — jakon = jakón.

Check yourself

The beauty of intricate designwork is…
kewé is…
'lustrous, soft-shining beauty' is…
Kaná
✓

Lesson complete

Kaná approves — Jakonshaman!

You can now say that something is beautiful — and pick the right kind of beautiful.

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