ijo

Everything is within the semantic space of ijo. If a thing is a thing, it is an ijo. This could be anything or something. This could be a physical object, an idea, an action, a place, a sentient being, or any other thing. You are in the semantic space of ijo.

Some people refuse to use ijo for sentient things. They claim it has inanimate connotations. I don't see why this would happen unless toki pona speakers assumed it was the same as english "thing" or portuguese "coisa" etc. In reality, toki pona words don't have the history of dehumanization that words like "thing" in english have. In toki pona, humans are as ijo as a dog or a book or a galaxy.