Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| холостя́к | xolostják | masculine |
| незаму́жняя же́нщина | nezamúžnjaja žénščina | |
| одино́чка | odinóčka | colloquial, feminine, masculine |
In Russian, the choice of word depends on the gender of the person and the specific context of being unmarried. For a man, you can use the term холостя́к (bachelor). If you want to say a man is 'not married', you can use the phrase Не женат. For a woman, the standard way to say she is an unmarried woman is незаму́жняя же́нщина or you can use the phrase Не замужем to specifically mean a woman is not married.
Which one should you use?
The term холостя́к refers specifically to a single man and cannot be used to describe a single woman. To describe a single woman, use незаму́жняя же́нщина. The word одино́чка can be used for both men and women to mean a single person or a loner.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase незаму́жняя же́нщина is the standard way to describe an unmarried woman. In contrast, одино́чка is colloquial and can carry a slightly derogatory connotation of being a social recluse.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the masculine noun холостя́к in a sentence requiring the accusative case (for example, 'I see a bachelor'), the ending changes to холостя́ка.
How do you pronounce it?
xolostják
Did you know?
- When describing a woman's marital status, Russians often use the phrase за му́жем, which literally translates to 'behind a husband'.
- Russian uses two entirely different verbs to describe getting married depending on gender: жениться for men and выходить замуж for women.
- The root of одино́чка comes from the word один, meaning 'one'. This is a direct linguistic link to the numerical concept of singularity.
Example sentences for Russian are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “single” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
