桑拿 sāngná sauna
(loanword) sauna
How to remember 桑拿: 桑 mulberry tree + 拿 hold = sauna.
Characters
How it is used
- Loanword for sauna - 洗桑拿 or 蒸桑拿 (zhēng sāngná) to take a sauna.
- 桑 and 拿 are pure phonetic borrowing here; don't read meaning into 'mulberry' + 'hold'.
- Everyday spoken word; often paired with 汗蒸 (hànzhēng, Chinese-style steam sweating room) in spa/bathhouse contexts.
Example sentences
- 她喜欢去桑拿。 Tā xǐhuān qù sāngná.She likes to go to the sauna.