Phi manualPart VIIReference

Module 5 of 9

Domain modules

Household and Daily Life

Yesterday's soup is in a jar on the shelf. Before anyone calls it waste, somebody lifts the lid, smells it, and decides whether it can become tonight's meal. In the next room, a blanket dries over two seats while the floor waits for the broom.

The Household and Daily Life module gives Phi speakers optional vocabulary for the small arrangements that keep a dwelling usable: rooms and storage, the work of washing, things kept on the bed, and the path from recipe to leftovers. These words use ordinary Phi grammar. A speaker who has not learned them can still ask for a core paraphrase, and learning the module does not decide who belongs in a home or who owes its work.

The chapter table below introduces 30 roots. Current classifications bring the learning list to 44 words; the complete machine-generated list is available under Household and Daily Life in the module lexicon. The JSON entries in vocabulary/content/ remain authoritative for each word's form and full definition.

Core vocabulary used by the module

The module words enter a crowded house. Phi already names the dwelling, its people and furnishings, the food on the table, and most of the work that makes those things last.

AreaCore Phi resources
Dwelling and companywomu home, menui dwell, manolu stay, shuroa shelter, lumani family, melu friend, phemi guest, phemila host, phewani neighbor
Interior and furniturenuroa kitchen, nuwera bed, wonepa table, meipa seat, ponu door, wira window, moru wall, tomae floor, toru roof, tholu space
Food and vesselsnuora food, napa bread, sulopa soup, phialu water, nuola eat, milau drink, pharelo cook, noru bowl, soeli cup, palu plate, tomi pot, lopha vessel, molu container, wiru basket
Cloth, rest, and temperaturewetha cloth, liru fabric, wethalu garment, wosanu absorb, nulae sleep, therilu rest, sukaro hot, sulae warm, wuloe soft, kurathi dry, wirua wet
Upkeep and repairsawa wash, hewe wipe, hiso clean, muhena dust, phuri brush, shiroka repair, talome restore, tenoa tool, thinu put, phelu hold
Choice and relationsmirewu private, kanu choose, lesawi consent, nawo agree, naweri refuse, theama care, phowe share, nuawe together
Plans and open matterswinora plan, hasoru pending, sirami record
Materials and conditionsmuralo material, panuri resource, howenu weather, phelure store
Pressure and reprisalkawhera coerce, whepelo retaliate

Work, Craft, and Repair can identify a domestic task and show who carries its burden. Ecological Systems and Material Life follows what happens to matter after household use. Commons and Collective Governance handles claims of property and institutional authority inside a home, while Accessibility and Participation tests whether the actual arrangement works for the person using it. The base rows keep those ordinary facts outside optional study. None of those module relations turns a household into an institution or a person into an assigned domestic role.

Additional roots in this learning path

Three more roots put a fire, a grooming tool, and one form of shared living into the household path.

PhiWorking senseWhy it belongs here
moelihearth; the fireplace at the center of a dwellingA hearth is a particular domestic fixture, while home and fire remain base words.
whilarucomb; a toothed tool used to untangle or arrange hairThe comb belongs among repeated household tools, with hair and bodily care still available outside the module.
shoraicommune; live communally with shared resources and dutiesThe domestic relation joins this module to Commons without treating every household as a commune.

Privacy belongs to shared core

mirewu private has no module field. A person may need privacy at home, in a clinic, or among friends. Meetings and public systems need the same boundary, so the word belongs in base vocabulary.

ha lokue mirewu nai.

PROX place private be.

(This place is private.)

Privacy is a chosen limit on access or attention. It can belong to a room with an ordinary door, a conversation that is not repeated, or a record held within agreed bounds. kupe hide concerns concealment, kupela secret concerns information deliberately untold, and sonu alone concerns company. None of them can do the exact work of mirewu.

Roots introduced in this chapter

PhiPart of speechWorking senseEssential contrast
womurinounhousehold sharing the keeping of a dwellingwomu is the home; womuri is the domestic unit living around it.
tholupinounbounded interior roomtholu is space in general; a room has the practical edge of an interior.
phemiruverbvisit a person or place for a bounded timemenui dwells; a visitor still has departure in view.
kiratonounlock holding a closure in placetapu closes; kirato is the mechanism that keeps it closed.
phelasinounshelf holding things above the floorA table invites use around it; a shelf keeps objects along an edge.
lirupanounflexible bag for carrying or keepingmolu is any container; a bag can collapse when empty.
molupanounrigid box made from flat sidesThe general container gains panels and a shape that stays.
lophaninounnarrow-necked bottlelopha is any liquid vessel; a bottle is shaped for keeping and pouring.
tapulonounwide-mouthed jar for storageA jar opens wider than a bottle and often meets a separate lid.
kolupenounopen handled bucket for carryingThe handle and repeated trip matter as much as the liquid it may hold.
tapurinounremovable lid fitted over an openingThe lid is the object; tapu is the act of closing.
munekinounlatrine or toilet placeThe word identifies the place, while the sanitation method keeps its own details.
phurilonounlong brush used as a broomphuri stays broad enough for paint, grooming, and close cleaning.
phurewaverbsweep loose material with repeated strokeshewe wipes through close contact; sweeping works through bristles.
sawathinounsoap used with water for cleansingsawa is the washing action; soap is the added material.
wethakinounabsorbent towel for wiping or dryingwetha is cloth in general; a towel is kept ready to receive moisture.
wethatenounlaundry gathered through washing and dryingA garment becomes laundry through the work currently being done to it.
lupakiverbfold one part of flexible material over anotherFolding places layers without separating the material.
wethamonounblanket laid over a person or bed for warmthA garment moves with the dressed body; a blanket lies over it.
komalunounpillow supporting the head or body at restThe bed is the sleeping place; the pillow supports one smaller point.
norupenounspoon with a small bowl at the end of a handlenoru is the separate bowl; a spoon carries its hollow in the hand.
nuromenounmeal eaten in one occasionnuora is food; a meal gathers some of it into a sitting.
pharemenouningredient chosen for a dish or drinkFood becomes an ingredient through its relation to a preparation.
thekopanounrecipe giving instructions for prepared foodnorae is any method; a recipe connects ingredients to a dish.
pheomunounleftovers remaining after a mealFood remains before anyone decides that it is waste.
mukesiverbspoil beyond the intended eating or usemorume describes decomposition; spoilage is the practical loss of use.
therapiverbboil liquid to sustained bubblingpharelo covers cooking broadly; boiling identifies the moving liquid state.
napakoverbbake food through surrounding dry heatBoiling works through liquid; baking works through the heated space around food.
welotuverbmix materials through one anotherInclusion is a relation within a set; mixing is a physical action.
selutoverbpour material from a containerselu is the material's flow; pouring begins and directs it.

A household shares daily life

womuri can be one person. It can also be people joined by kinship, friendship, partnership, or no short source label. The noun begins with what they keep together rather than with a family tree.

lo mia womuri nai.

PL 1SG household be.

(We are a household.)

Affection, permanence, and freedom of choice come from the surrounding sentences. womuri gives the domestic unit a name without settling those facts in advance.

Rooms, visits, and locks

tholupi is an interior room before anyone decides what the room is for. A kitchen keeps its own word, but a room used for sleep at night and weaving in daylight can remain tholupi throughout.

ha tholupi thiku nai.

PROX room small be.

(This room is small.)

A visitor crosses into that interior without becoming part of the household. phemiru names the bounded act of visiting; phemi names the guest as a person or role.

mia ha womu phemiru.

1SG PROX home visit.

(I visit this home.)

The door can be closed with tapu and held closed by kirato lock. A lock can protect privacy, confine someone, or deny them their own home. The noun identifies the mechanism; people and authority remain visible around it.

mia roe kira ha kirato phae.

1SG INS key PROX lock open.

(I open this lock with a key.)

Things kept above the floor

A shelf is not a small table pushed against the wall. Its job is keeping: the book waits there without asking anyone to sit down.

ha phelasi shelu phelu.

PROX shelf book hold.

(This shelf holds a book.)

lirupa bag and molupa box begin from two different kinds of container. The bag yields around what it carries and folds afterward. The box keeps its own edges.

mia mua ha lirupa nuora phelu.

1SG LOC PROX bag food hold.

(I keep food in this bag.)

ha molupa lo tenoa phelu.

PROX box PL tool hold.

(This box holds tools.)

The distinction does not decide material by itself. A leather case may behave like a box, while a tightly woven sack still behaves like a bag. Shape under use carries the choice.

Bottles, jars, buckets, and lids

lophani bottle narrows the general liquid vessel at its neck. The smaller opening helps it travel and pour, but the material and closure can change from one bottle to another.

ha lophani phialu phelu.

PROX bottle water hold.

(This bottle holds water.)

A hand or spoon can reach into tapulo jar. The jar may close under tapuri lid, though the fit itself still needs to be described when keeping food depends on it.

ha tapulo morisa phelu.

PROX jar salt hold.

(This jar holds salt.)

ha tapuri tomi tapu.

PROX lid pot close.

(This lid closes the pot.)

kolupe bucket carries its load from a handle and remains open for the next filling. That makes it useful for water, ash, garden soil, or laundry without turning every handled container into the same thing.

mia roe ha kolupe phialu kolua.

1SG INS PROX bucket water carry.

(I carry water with this bucket.)

Sweeping, washing, and sanitation

Dust on a floor needs a different motion from water on a plate. phurilo is the broom, and phurewa is the returning stroke that moves the dust.

mia roe ha phurilo tomae phurewa.

1SG INS PROX broom floor sweep.

(I sweep the floor with this broom.)

Soap enters an action Phi already knows. sawathi is the cleansing material; sawa remains the verb wash.

mia roe sawathi lo soeli sawa.

1SG INS soap PL cup wash.

(I wash the cups with soap.)

The wet cloth in the hand may be wethaki towel. Base wosanu says what the towel does when water enters and stays within it; wirua says that the water is now present. Once garments and household cloth are gathered into the washing cycle, they become wethate laundry, and the work can then be named with Work vocabulary if its assignment or burden matters.

wethaki phialu wosanu.

towel water absorb.

(The towel absorbs water.)

mia roe wethaki ha palu hewe.

1SG INS towel PROX plate wipe.

(I wipe this plate with a towel.)

mia ha wethate sawa.

1SG PROX laundry wash.

(I wash this laundry.)

Folding returns each piece from the gathered load to its next use.

mia ha wethalu lupaki.

1SG PROX garment fold.

(I fold this garment.)

muneki latrine gives ordinary sanitation a household noun. It covers the place or fixture, while source instructions carry any exact design, maintenance, or health requirement.

ha womu muneki phelu.

PROX home latrine hold.

(This home has a latrine.)

The bed after dark

The bed is already nuwera. wethamo blanket lies over the sleeper, and komalu pillow supports the head or whichever part of the body needs a smaller resting place.

ha wethamo sulae nai.

PROX blanket warm be.

(This blanket is warm.)

mia nia ha komalu koma thinu.

1SG ON PROX pillow head put.

(I put my head on this pillow.)

Neither object promises comfort. The blanket can be damp, and the pillow can be too firm. Phi says those conditions where the body meets them.

A meal has parts

nurome meal gathers food into one occasion. It can happen at any time of day, so morning and evening meals use ordinary time words rather than separate inherited schedules.

lo mia ha nurome nuola.

PL 1SG PROX meal eat.

(We eat this meal.)

The spoon carries its little bowl into the hand. A carved serving spoon and a small eating spoon are both norupe; size and use separate them when they sit together.

mia roe norupe sulopa nuola.

1SG INS spoon soup eat.

(I eat soup with a spoon.)

An ingredient is food seen from inside a preparation. The onion in the basket is nuora; the onion chosen for soup is also phareme ingredient.

mia ha phareme kanu.

1SG PROX ingredient choose.

(I choose this ingredient.)

thekopa recipe keeps the ordered knowledge of what happens next. It may live in a book, in speech, or in someone's practiced hands. Exact quantities and source wording stay beside the Phi account when changing them would change the dish.

mia ha thekopa theo.

1SG PROX recipe read.

(I read this recipe.)

Food after the meal

Food does not become waste because the meal ended. pheomu leftovers gives the remainder a name while its next use is still open.

ha pheomu mua tapulo nai.

PROX leftovers LOC jar be.

(These leftovers are in the jar.)

Condition can close that possibility. mukesi spoil is the practical judgment that a perishable thing no longer suits the intended eating or use. The reason may need more evidence than smell alone.

ha nuora to mukesi.

PROX food PST spoil.

(This food spoiled.)

Ecological morume decompose follows the material process, while mukesi follows the lost household use. A spoiled food may decompose, but the two claims answer different questions.

Heat, mixing, and flow

The broad verb pharelo cook still carries most kitchen work. Four narrower verbs help when the method changes the result.

therapi boil names the liquid state that can be heard and seen in the pot.

mia phialu therapi.

1SG water boil.

(I boil water.)

napako covers bread and other food cooked by surrounding dry heat.

mia napa napako.

1SG bread bake.

(I bake bread.)

welotu mix moves ingredients through one another. They may remain distinct, as beans and herbs do, or become one dough; the desired result says when the work is done.

mia lo phareme welotu.

1SG PL ingredient mix.

(I mix the ingredients.)

seluto pour gives direction to selu flow. The water moves, but the hand and vessel begin its path.

mia phialu seluto.

1SG water pour.

(I pour water.)

Useful transparent compositions

Some familiar objects and arrangements are clearer with their parts showing.

ConceptPhi strategyWhat the composition keeps visible
Chair, stool, bench, or sitting cushionmeipa seat with material, height, back, or shape where neededThe existing word already covers whatever is made for sitting.
General containermolu containerShape matters only when a bag, box, bottle, jar, bucket, or named vessel is intended.
Basketwiru basketIts woven, self-supporting construction already has a core word.
Cupboard, pantry, or closettholupi, phelasi, molupa, and tapu around the actual arrangementThe room, shelf, container, and closure remain separate enough to describe many designs.
Morning or evening mealnurome with kelua morning, howai evening, or another time phraseThe language does not impose one culture's meal schedule.
Household choreWork riporu task with the concrete actionAssignment, acceptance, workload, and drudgery stay available when the work is contested.
Frying, roasting, steaming, or another named methodpharelo cook with a Phi description or the source method preserved beside itThe heat source, vessel, liquid, and movement can be explained without pretending the methods are identical.
Bathing place or washing fixturesawa, tholupi, noru, molu, and source information as neededThe action, room, basin, water path, and exact fixture remain separate rather than implying one assumed design.
Household membership or domestic rolewomuri with Commons wemari member or sithora role when those relations are claimedSharing a dwelling does not silently assign authority or work.
Rent, tenancy, lease, or exact addressCommons relations beside the source document or addressThe legal category, exact terms, and identity of the place keep their source force.

Source material at home

A household meets source material constantly. An address may sit on an envelope and a medicine bottle keeps its own label; repair instructions, meter readings, food names, and an exact copied recipe do the same. Those artifacts stay outside the Phi passage when their spelling, value, or authority matters. Phi can say where the paper is, who read it, what action followed, and which word still needs explanation.

At night, the leftovers go into a jar and the dry towel returns to its peg. The lock turns, and behind the door, mirewu leaves one room unanswered until morning.