Breakdown of У него железный характер.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
характер
character, personality
железный
iron, made of iron
Questions & Answers about У него железный характер.
Why is the word есть omitted in this sentence?
In Russian, you drop есть when describing the specific quality of something a person has, rather than stating the mere fact of possession. Since everyone has a character, the important new information here is that his character is железный (iron).
I learned that 'him' is его. Why does it have an 'н' (него) here?
Whenever a third-person pronoun (like он, она, оно, они) immediately follows a preposition (like у, с, от), Russian adds an н- to the beginning of it. This makes it easier to pronounce, so у его becomes у него.
Does железный just mean 'made of iron', or is it a metaphor?
It means both! Its literal meaning is 'made of iron' (from the noun железо), but just like in English, it is very commonly used as a metaphor to describe someone who is unyielding, inflexible, or strong-willed.
Can I use характер to talk about a character in a book or movie?
No, that is a common false friend! In Russian, характер strictly refers to someone's personality, temper, or willpower. If you want to talk about a fictional character in a story, you need to use the word персонаж or герой.
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