во́лосы
vólosymasculine, plural, usually
The English word "hair" is translated into Russian as во́лосы (vólosy) (the mass on the head) or во́лос (a single strand). Wiktionary also lists волоси́нка (volosínka).
Meaning: mass of such filaments on the human head (noun)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| во́лосы | vólosy | masculine, plural, usually |
| во́лос | vólos | masculine |
| волоси́нка | volosínka | feminine |
In Russian, the word you choose depends on whether you are discussing the entire mass of hair on a person's head or one specific strand.
Which one should you use?
The plural form во́лосы is used when referring to the mass of hair on a person's head. In contrast, the singular form во́лос is used to refer to one individual strand of hair. The diminutive form волоси́нка is used to emphasize that a single hair is very small or thin, such as a single hair found in food.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form волоси́нка functions as a diminutive to describe a single, very small or thin hair.
How do you pronounce it?
vólosy
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the singular во́лос to refer to a person's entire head of hair. Instead, use the plural во́лосы when describing the mass.
Did you know?
- The Russian word for 'hair' во́лосы is a distant linguistic relative of the English word 'willow'. Both terms originate from an ancient root describing things that are long, thin and flexible.
- While English uses 'hair' for both head and body, Russian uses во́лосы for the head and шерсть for animals. Interestingly, шерсть is also used to describe very coarse, thick human body hair in a derogatory way.
- The phrase висеть на волоске, which literally means 'to hang by a hair', is used to describe a situation that is in extreme danger or barely surviving.
Examples in context
- У него выпал один волос.He lost one hair.
- У нее рыжая шевелюра.She has red hair.
- У неё очень длинные во́лосы.U neyo ochen' dlinnyye volosy.She has very long hair.
- Его во́лосы тёмного цвета.Yego volosy tyomnogo tsveta.His hair is dark-colored.
Example conversation
Sergey and Olga are talking about her new look at home.
- Сергей SergeyОльга, у тебя очень красивые во́лосы!Ol'ga, u tebya ochen' krasivyye volosy!Olga, your hair is very beautiful!
- Ольга OlgaСпасибо, Сергей, я недавно была у парикмахера.Spasibo, Sergey, ya nedavno byla u parikmakhera.Thanks, Sergey, I was at the hairdresser recently.
- Сергей SergeyТебе очень идёт эта причёска.Tebe ochen' idyot eta prichyoska.This hairstyle suits you very much.
- Ольга OlgaМне очень приятно это слышать.Mne ochen' priyatno eto slyshat'.I am very glad to hear that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hair” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
