Okay, So I'm learning a list of about 1000 EO words and these are some of them:

feliĉa - happy
gaja - happy, cheerful
Gxoji - to be glad, to rejoice

Gxusta - correct, exact
Justa - just, fair

bati - to hit, to beat
frapi - to hit, to strike

Is it a mistake on my part or is it simply that there are synonyms in EO? The first example being the most shocking.

I mean, I'm only up to 'i' and this wordlist is but a selection of the EO roots...

So, wtf?

Imar:is it simply that there are synonyms in EO?

Sure there are synonyms - who said that there weren't any?

There isn't an awful heap of them, that said sometimes the impression is given that no synonyms exist in EO, either due to propaganda like promotion or because the idea of simplicity seems to mean that synonyms don't exist.

I guess an example of something without synonyms would be Toki Pona, although I'd argue much to Sonya Keys' disagreement that it doesn't have enough -nyms let alone syno-nyms (a discussion for another day).

darkweasel:
Sure there are synonyms - who said that there weren't any?

I'm disappointed.

Esperanto has a few synonyms but they are very few.

...and they are not the words in your list. The words in your list all have different meanings. However, the English translations make them look more similar than they really are.

gaja is not the same as feliĉa, and they are both different from ĝoji

ĝusta (correct, not in error) is completely different from justa (morally right, upstanding)

bati and frapi are perhaps the most similar words on the list but they are also not exactly the same.

Imar:

darkweasel:
Sure there are synonyms - who said that there weren't any?

I'm disappointed.

No need to be disappointed. There are indeed synonyms from time to time in Esperanto, but not so many.

In the case of 'feliĉa' and 'gaja', for example, these two words do indeed represent slightly different meanings.

"feliĉa" conveys a deeper sense of happiness, one that is more of a general state of being, whereas 'gaja' is more a feeling in the given moment. For example:

"Ne naskiĝu riĉa, naskiĝu feliĉa." = Don't be born rich, but lucky. (you couldn't replace 'feliĉa' with 'gaja' in this sentence, unless you want to convey the idea of the baby popping out with a big happy party grin on its face.) - so here, 'feliĉa' means more like 'lucky' or 'favoured by destiny' etc...!

"Kvankam vi estas riĉa, mi dubas, ĉu vi estas feliĉa." = Although you are rich, I doubt you are happy. Again, 'gaja' wouldn't really work in this sentence, either. This is an example of the more generally inner feeling of 'happiness' expressed by 'feliĉa', rather than the more transient and outward feeling represent by 'gaja'.

"Feliĉaj estas tiuj, kiuj malsatas kaj soifas justecon!" = Happy are those who hunger and thirst for justice. Another example of a deeper feeling of 'happiness' or 'inner contentment'. If you said 'gajaj' here, it would sound pretty bizarre, like as if they were in the party mood celebrating their suffering and longing for justice like a bunch of nutcases!

"Havi feliĉan mienon" = to have a happy facial expression. Ok, so you could put 'gajan' in there, but the meaning would be a little different, following the same pattern as above. Context also helps...

"Mi ĝojas" = I'm glad

"Mi feliĉas" = I'm lucky or generally happy deep in my soul (depending on the context)

"Mi gajas" = I'm feeling happy, having fun and in a good mood right now (at a party etc)