# How to read the pictograms in the Saluton course

Source: https://esperantopedia.org/learn/pictograms/
Language: en
Updated: 2026-10-10

> Every word in our Esperanto course has a pictogram. The drawing is the root, the frame is the ending, small marks are tense, plural and other word parts.

Esperanto builds words from parts: a root carries the meaning, the ending says what kind of word it is, and small extra parts change the meaning in regular ways. Our pictograms follow the same idea. Tap a picture below to see it drawn again.

## The drawing is the root

Each root has its own drawing, and two roots never share one. *kat-* is a cat, *hund-* a dog, *libr-* a book, *kant-* singing.

- *kat-* — cat
- *hund-* — dog
- *libr-* — book
- *kant-* — sing

## The frame shows the kind of word

The ending decides the frame around the drawing: a square for things (*-o*), a diamond for qualities (*-a*), a circle for actions (*-i* and all verb forms) and a pill shape for the manner of doing something (*-e*).

- *kato* — thing (-o)
- *bona* — quality (-a)
- *kanti* — action (-i)
- *bone* — manner (-e)

## A dot on the circle shows the time

Verbs keep the circle. A green dot on it shows the tense: at the top for now (*-as*), on the left for the past (*-is*), on the right for the future (*-os*). A dashed circle means "would" (*-us*), and a dot with rays is an order or a wish (*-u*).

- *kantas* — now (-as)
- *kantis* — past (-is)
- *kantos* — future (-os)
- *kantus* — would (-us)
- *kantu* — do it! (-u)

## More than one, and the object

A stack of frames means more than one (*-j*). A small green hook on the frame marks the object of the sentence (*-n*), the thing that something happens to. Both can come together.

- *katoj* — more than one (-j)
- *katon* — object (-n)
- *katojn* — more than one + object (-jn)

## Word building in pictures

The most common word-building parts change the drawing itself:

- *mal-* (the opposite) turns the drawing upside down;
- *-eg-* makes it bigger and *-et-* smaller;
- *-ar-* (a group) shows it three times;
- *-ej-* (a place) puts a roof over it.

Other parts appear as small green badges in the corner, for example *-ant-* (someone who is doing it) in *lernanto*, a learner.

- *malbona* — opposite (mal-)
- *domego* — big (-eg-)
- *dometo* — small (-et-)
- *arbaro* — group (-ar-)
- *lernejo* — place (-ej-)
- *lernanto* — another part: badge (-ant-)

## Colours

Green always means grammar: tense dots, the object hook, roofs and badges. The word itself is drawn in ink. Colour words are the exception: they show the colour itself instead of a drawing.

- *ruĝa* — red
- *blua* — blue

## Where you see them

On the course map, on the word cards in every step-by-step lesson, in the pictogram album and in the flashcards – here on the site and in our Saluton app. Start with the [course](https://esperantopedia.org/learn/course/).

## Sources

- The pictograms and the rules for reading them are Esperantopedia’s own work (CC BY-SA 4.0); the same code draws them on this site and in the Saluton app.
- Roots that have a pictogram are official roots: the [Fundamento de Esperanto](https://esperantopedia.org/about/fundamento/) (1905) and the Official Additions of the [Akademio de Esperanto](https://www.akademio-de-esperanto.org/).