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I can't find a specific word for "head hair" in English, other than hair, which is the general term for hairs all around your body.

Impressive_Craft_330
In many languages like French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian....there's the word hair which can be used for everything (your scalp hair, your facial hair, your body hair, eyebrow hair...) BUT there's also a specific word for the hair on your head, though using hair is ok. Those languages, like English, also have words to describe fine hair (vellus), or beard for the thick hair on your face, or eyebrows, etc... or also mane for a long mane of hair, or bun or ponytail...But when it comes to the physical thing, the strand of hair, lots of languages can use either "hair" or the other one (Cabello, Cheveux, Capello, etc....) In shampoos for example, those countries never use the umbrella word hair. They always use the specific word, let's call it "Scalpstrand" in English. For example "for oily scalp strands" or for curly "scalp strands" or for blonde "scalp strands", etc... I know it's a bit complicated for you English native speakers, hope you understand what I mean. I'd like to know if you always use hair. Examples: ITALIAN: Pelo (Hair, regardless of its location). Capello (Hair on your head). SPANISH: Pelo (Hair, regardless of its location). Cabello (Hair on your head). FRENCH: Poil (Hair, regardless of its location). Cheveux (Hair on your head). PORTUGUESE: Pêlo (Hair, regardless of its location). Cabelo (Hair on your head). RUSSIAN: Volosy (ВОЛОСЫ) (Hair, regardless of its location). Kabel'o (кабельо) (Hair on your head).

33 comments

vavverro•
Who told you that about Russian? It’s nonsense. There’s no specific word for head hair, it’s just volosy. The other word is made up.
DFrostedWangsAccount•
There isn't one. You could say "head hair" or more accurately, "the hair on your head." You do not always have to describe the location though, because if you say "hair" without specifying a location it's assumed to be on your head. Edit: There are also specific hairstyles usually only found on the head, for example you could refer to someone's bangs if that's their hairstyle. You could refer to someone's ponytail or crew cut or *massive low taper fade* and it would be clear you're talking about the hair on their head in most cases. It's about context though, if someone shaves their pubes into a mullet and also has a mullet hairstyle on their head, you would have to clarify. :)
plushieshoyru•
Unless there’s an old or medical term I’m unaware of, we use hair for all. You rely on context to know where on the body you mean. I speak French and some Spanish, so I’m familiar with the idea of different words for the two, but I’m unaware of one for English.
Meatloaf265•
"hair" on its own is already implied to be "head hair" when talking about a person. all other hair types you need to specify, such as "body hair" or "armpit hair."
la_espina•
English really only has the one word for hair. However, when referring to hair not on your head, you can say "body hair." edit: on second thought, the word "locks" only refers to someone's head hair, but i rarely, if ever, use it. to me it seems a bit outdated (also i didn't realize that other languages even made that distinction- it's very interesting, so thanks for posting this!)
OldTimeyBullshit•
You're correct. There is no specific single word for "head hair" in English.
zebostoneleigh•
Is there a question? In everyday English, there is (as you have noted) no specific word for head hair. For that matter, I can't think of any everyday usage words in English for any specific hair. Rather, we just modify it: • arm hair • leg hair • hose hair • ear hair • arm pit hair • pubic hair • butt hair • facial hair • head hair
jetloflin•
I don’t think there is a specific English term. When we mean other hairs we tend to specify them, saying things like “body hair”. Obviously we have the specific terms eyebrow, eyelash, beard, and mustache. Otherwise, “hair” on its own mostly means head hair, and everything else will be specified.
LancelotofLkMonona•
You could euphemistically call body hair "fur"- especially if it were thick Fur is usually reserved for other mammals. Head hair could be called a "mane" if it were thick.
AlannaTheLioness1983•
It’s just hair. You get more specific when talking about hair located in places other than the top of your head (arm hair, leg hair, facial hair, beard, etc.). But as a native speaker I would use hair to talk about the collective (my hair is long/short/brown/black/curly/straight/etc) and the individual (a hair is on my sweater).
SnarkyBeanBroth•
Yep, just hair. Also, the default assumption is "head hair" in English, unless said otherwise (arm hair, etc.). The adjective form, however, usually refers to body hair. Frank has a lot of hair. - Frank has a lot of hair on his head. Frank is very hairy. - Frank has a lot of hair all over his body.
ImprovementLong7141•
Correct, there’s just no word for it. We don’t find the distinction necessary because we only specify when we’re *not* talking about that. If I said “ugh my hair’s been impossible today”, it’s implicitly understood that I am only talking about my hair on my head. If I mean any other kind of hair (or all of the hair on my body) then I have to specify that.
aurora-s•
yeah when you say 'hair', it's almost always implied. If you want to refer to another type of hair, you'd usually use the more specific description
GrandmaSlappy•
You can also say "body hair" in general.
Background-Vast-8764•
It actually isn’t complicated at all.
Chase_the_tank•
There's "hairdo" for styled head hair and "haircut" for cut and/or styled head hair. I can't think of a word for head hair that hasn't been cut or styled. [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hairdo](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hairdo) [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/haircut](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/haircut)
Comfortable-Study-69•
Usually we just use adjectives or prepositional phrases to describe the location and type of hair. There’s only a few words used for specifics. Off the top of my head, beard and pubes (informal) are the only ones I can think of. And the hair on your head is usually just referred to as the hair on your head.
tomalator•
Hair, or head hair. As opposed to facial hair, body hair, chest hair, back hair, leg hair, ass hair, etc
ttpilot•
How about ‘locks’?
helikophis•
"Hair" /is/ the specific word for head hair. In a neutral context with no qualification it specifically means "head hair" and talking about other hair requires modification of some kind. This might not hold in specific contexts though (e.g. a waxing parlor, a medical office etc).
samjacbak•
An older, poetic term would be "Locks". "Your luscious locks were flaxen in the morning sun" Locks meaning "head hair".
ThaiFoodThaiFood•
You *can* use the word vellum and vellous (vellous hair) for body hair, but they're pretty archaic and/or scientific, needlessly so. Most people won't know so you'd have to explain, and by the time you've done that you might as well have used "body hair".
zoopest•
Hair, body hair, and “whiskers” or facial hair
Dorianscale•
Hair is the generic term, but it would be assumed in most contexts that you would be referring to head hair. If you are talking about other areas of the body you would usually specify the location. Body hair, facial hair, arm hair, armpit hair, pubic hair, leg hair, etc. The only generic usage I can think of where the generic form is not referring to head hair would be if you called someone hairy, you would be understood as talking about their body hair. Otherwise without context hair just means head hair.
taylocor•
“I know it’s a bit complicated for you English native speakers” is a ridiculously condescending thing to say. Contrary to popular opinion, English speakers are not idiots.
Someoneainthere•
As a Russian, I have never heard the word "Kabel'o". I couldn't find it in any of the dictionaries either. Are you sure it exists in Russian? Or am I just that bad at my native language?
t3hgrl•
I’ll also point out that hair is usually a non-count noun in English (I brush my hair). It is plural in French (Je me brosse les cheveux) (and I think many other languages). We do talk about hairs individually when we talk about them as individual strands (I found two arm hairs in my food. You have a (strand of) hair in your face.)
noonaneomuyeppiyeppi•
Very curious to know where you found that Russian word bc I'm a native speaker and I've never heard it in my life.
Bubbly_Occasion_2664•
The Russian one is wrong, there's no specific word for head hair
Philly_Supreme•
Lol condescending much? Also many places that speak spanish generally just use pelo for head hair.
losvedir•
I think your Latin-based native language might be confusing you here. "Hair" by itself is the word you're looking for. It means "head hair". Try googling "hair" by itself and notice the results. All the pictures, all the care tutorials, etc, are all about "head hair". If you want to talk about any other kind of hair specifically, you would say what kind, like "back hair", "nose hair", etc. It's possible to use "hair" to refer to all kinds of hair (as I just did right here), if it's clear from context, but that's not the typical usage.
carrimjob•
yep, just hair. you can say head hair, like you did, to be more specific, but we just say [adjective] hair. head hair, leg hair, arm hair, dog hair, cat hair, etc.
Suspicious_Bonus6585•
Huh. Thanks for educating me that there's specific head-hair words in other languages. /genuine