Ways to say it
| Ukrainian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| воло́сся | volóssja | collective, neuter |
| во́лос | vólos | masculine |
| во́лоси | vólosy | masculine, plural |
The term refers to the mass of filaments on a human head. You can use it to describe various hair types and colors, such as пряме волосся (straight hair), хвилясте волосся (wavy hair) or кудряве волосся (curly hair). For colors, блонд is used for blond and світло-каштанове for light brown. When discussing a person's general look, the word зачіска can be used for hairstyle.
Which one should you use?
Use the neuter collective noun воло́сся when referring to the hair on someone's head as a single mass or a whole unit. In contrast, use the masculine singular во́лос when referring to a single, specific strand of hair.
How does it change in a sentence?
The collective noun воло́сся is a neuter noun and takes neuter adjective agreement. The plural form во́лоси is a masculine noun and takes masculine plural adjective agreement.
How do you pronounce it?
volóssja
Did you know?
- The word коса means both 'braid' and 'scythe', a linguistic quirk reflecting the similar physical shape of a braided lock of воло́сся and the curved blade of a tool.
- If someone has a 'head of hair' that is particularly unruly, a Ukrainian might colloquially refer to it as a чуб (tuft/forelock), a term historically linked to the distinct hairstyles of Cossacks.
- While воло́сся is the standard word for hair, the term коса refers specifically to a braid, which historically served as a vital symbol of a woman's marital status and purity in Ukrainian culture.
Examples in context
- Цей шампунь призначений для догляду за пошкодженим волоссям.This shampoo is designed for damaged hair care.
- Спеціаліст вивчає структуру волосин.The specialist is studying the structure of hair.
- У мене у горлі застряг волосок.I have a hair stuck in my throat.
- У неї дуже довге воло́сся.U neyi duzhe dovhe volós'sya.She has very long hair.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hair” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
