cheloveka

Cheloveka is the transliterated genitive singular form of the Russian noun chelovek (человек), meaning a human being or a person. In English-language discussions of Russian grammar, cheloveka is often presented to illustrate how the word changes in the genitive case. The base meaning remains “a person” or “a human.”

In Russian, chelovek is a masculine animate noun. Its singular forms include nominative человек, genitive человека, dative человеку, accusative человека, instrumental человеком, and prepositional о человеке. The plural form is люди, with genitive plural людей. The genitive singular cheloveka is commonly used after negation (нет человека, без человека), in possessive or descriptive phrases (права человека, характер человека), and in various prepositional or verbal constructions.

Etymology and cognates: The word chelovek derives from Proto-Slavic roots related to other Slavic languages, with cognates such as Polish człowiek and Czech člověk. The root is often linked to a word meaning “face” or “forehead” (as in čelo), reflecting a historical notion of a person as someone with a face. Over time, the term came to denote a human being in general rather than a mere body part.

Usage notes: In modern Russian, chelovek is the standard term for a person in everyday and formal language. The genitive form cheloveka appears in many common expressions and remains essential for proper grammar in negation, possession, and certain prepositional constructions. For broader notions of personhood or individuality, other words such as lichnost’ (personality) or individual’ may be used depending on context.