桑拿
sāngná
In Mandarin, 'sauna' can be translated as 桑拿 (sāngná). Wiktionary also lists 桑拿浴 (sāngnáyù) and 三溫暖 / 三温暖 (sānwēnnuǎn).
Meaning: sauna room or house (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 桑拿 | sāngná |
| 桑拿浴 | sāngnáyù |
| 三溫暖 / 三温暖 | sānwēnnuǎn |
The term is used to refer to a sauna room or house.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 桑拿浴 is composed of 桑拿 (sauna) and 浴 (bath/to bathe).
Which one should you use?
桑拿 refers to the sauna facility itself, whereas 桑拿浴 specifically refers to the experience or the act of bathing in a sauna.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
蒸汽浴 is a formal way to say sauna and translates to steam bath. 三溫暖 is a common colloquial term for sauna/sauna facilities.
Is it said differently in some regions?
三温暖 is an informal way to say sauna that is commonly used in Taiwan. 三溫暖 is a common colloquial term for sauna/sauna facilities, often used in Taiwan and certain parts of mainland China.
How do you pronounce it?
sāngná
Did you know?
- The word 桑拿 is borrowed from English, which in turn took the word from Finnish.
- While 桑拿 is a direct phonetic loan from English, the characters themselves mean 'mulberry' and 'needle', which have no relation to heat or bathing.
- In a Chinese wellness context, a 桑拿浴 is often paired with a specialized massage, making the term a gateway to a broader ritual of 'health preservation' or 养生.
Examples in context
- 她喜欢去桑拿。She likes to go to the sauna.This sentence is useful for showing how to express a preference for going to the sauna using 桑拿.Tatoeba #9007599 by jacintoo, translation #2793979 by Hybrid
- 我最喜欢去公共桑拿放松身心。I love going to public saunas to relax.
- 这间桑拿很大。Zhè jiān sāngná hěn dà.This sauna is very large.
Example conversation
A couple is deciding on a relaxing activity at a spa.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen俊杰，我们去桑拿吧。Jùnjié, wǒmen qù sāngná ba.Junjie, let's go to the sauna.
- 俊杰 Junjie好啊，我也想去。Hǎo a, wǒ yě xiǎng qù.Okay, I want to go too.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen这里的桑拿环境不错。Zhèlǐ de sāngná huánjìng bùcuò.The sauna environment here is quite good.
- 俊杰 Junjie确实，感觉很舒服。Quèshí, gǎnjué hěn shūfu.Indeed, it feels very comfortable.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sauna” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 三溫暖, 桑拿, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
