włosy
/ˈvwɔ.sɘ/
The Polish word for the hair on a person's head is włosy.
włosy is used to refer to the collective mass of hair on a human head. You can use it in phrases like Jego włosy (His hair) or Jej włosy (Her hair). Related concepts include czesanie, which refers to the act of combing or styling hair.
Meaning: mass of such filaments on the human head (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
In Polish, włosy is a plural noun. Because it is plural, any adjectives used to describe it, such as siwe (gray), długie (long) or blond (blond), must also be in the plural form. While włosy refers to the mass of hair, the singular form włos is used specifically to refer to a single, individual strand of hair.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables, with the stress on the first syllable: /ˈvwɔ.sɘ/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the singular form włos to refer to the mass of hair on someone's head. In Polish, you must use the plural włosy when referring to the collective hair.
Did you know?
- The Polish word włosy is an etymological cousin to the Sanskrit word 'vāla', showing a deep prehistoric link between Slavic and Indo-Aryan languages.
- Polish distinguishes between the hair on your head włosy and the hair on your body or animal fur sierść. Using włosy for a dog's coat would sound unnatural to a native speaker.
- In Polish, the word for a wig is peruka, which shares a root with the English word 'peruke' used in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Examples in context
- Tom ma siwe włosy?Does Tom have gray hair?This sentence is useful for asking about the color of someone's włosy.Tatoeba #11581575 by tokzyk, translation #3109674 by CK
- Ona ma długie włosy.She has long hair.This sentence is useful for describing the length of someone's włosy.Tatoeba #367312 by zipangu, translation #315861 by CK
- Moje włosy są blond.My hair is blond.This sentence is useful for describing the color of your own włosy.Tatoeba #12716097 by kontomilosza, translation #9190943 by CK
- Rozważam zmianę koloru włosów.I'm considering changing my hair color.
- Znalazłem włos na swoim talerzu.I found a hair on my plate.
- 94 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Katarzyna and Paweł are talking about a new haircut.
- KatarzynaPaweł, bardzo podobają mi się twoje włosy!Paweł, I really like your hair!
- PawełDziękuję, ostatnio zmieniłem fryzurę.Thank you, I changed my hairstyle recently.
- KatarzynaMasz teraz dużo krótsze włosy.You have much shorter hair now.
- PawełTak, chciałem coś nowego.Yes, I wanted something new.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry włosy, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
