The Chinese word **桑拿** (sāngná) for "sauna" is a **phonetic loanword** formed through transliteration, where the two characters are chosen primarily for their sound rather than their meaning. It directly approximates the pronunciation of the Finnish word "sauna," with "桑" (sāng) capturing the "sau-" syllable and "拿" (ná) representing the "-na" sound. While the individual characters have their own meanings (桑 means "mulberry tree," and 拿 means "to take" or "to hold"), they are used here purely for their phonetic value, collectively creating a new term that represents the imported concept of a steam bath. This method of word formation is common in Modern Chinese for adopting foreign terms, especially those related to technology, culture, and lifestyle.