# Sauna pronunciation **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 10, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221 "2010-07-10T15:26:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/1 "2010-07-10T15:26:50Z")
‘Sauna’ is mentioned in another thread. How do you pronounce ‘sauna’? My mother’s husband was from Finland, so I pronounce it the way they did: ‘SOW-na’. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/2 "2010-07-10T15:40:35Z")
As an American who naturally knows better than others how to pronounce their own language, I’ve always said SAW-na. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/3 "2010-07-10T15:53:12Z")
Saw na. I’ve never heard it pronounced any other way. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/4 "2010-07-10T16:03:15Z")
I’ve never heard it Sow-na. I say saw-na I have heard plenty people say Sahna, with the first syllable rhyming with the word ‘con’. I probably say it that way sometimes, too. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/5 "2010-07-10T16:20:25Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > I’ve never heard it Sow-na. > I say saw-na > I have heard plenty people say Sahna, with the first syllable rhyming with the word ‘con’. > > I probably say it that way sometimes, too. Sawn doesn’t rhyme with con? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/6 "2010-07-10T16:21:54Z")
Close enough for the purposes of this poll. Sawn, con, sahn… Just differentiating between that pronunciation and ‘sow’, ‘how’, ‘cow’. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/7 "2010-07-10T16:28:01Z")
Ah. I see **Nzinga, Seated** is in Rochester, N.Y. Where “con” sounds the same as “can” or close enough to it. (I once had a friend who bought some shoes on the way through Buffalo. The clerk asked him if be wanted the “backs.” “The backs?” “Yes, the backs.” “What backs?” “The backs. Over there. The backs!” “The backs?” Ohhhhhhh… the BOX! ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/8 "2010-07-10T16:30:57Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Ah. I see **Nzinga, Seated** is in Rochester, N.Y. Where “con” sounds the same as “can” or close enough to it. > > (I once had a friend who bought some shoes on the way through Buffalo. The clerk asked him if be wanted the “backs.” > > “The backs?” > “Yes, the backs.” > “What backs?” > “The backs. Over there. The backs!” > “The backs?” > > Ohhhhhhh… the BOX! Haaa! That’s funny as hell! We do not talk that way! Do we? When I go to NYC, they tell me I talk like I’m from a farm. WTH? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/9 "2010-07-10T16:34:02Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Ohhhhhhh… the BOX! Reminds me when I was working retail and someone asked where to find the All. I was going to direct him to the laundry aisle, but somehow figured out he needed Automotive. ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/10 "2010-07-10T16:45:00Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Close enough for the purposes of this poll. Sawn, con, sahn… Just differentiating between that pronunciation and ‘sow’, ‘how’, ‘cow’. When you used “SOW-”, I assumed you meant the SOW that was pronounced like you’re SOWing seeds, which does not rhyme with COW. I really can’t imagine that anyone would rhyme the first syllable of sauna with COW. (I voted “SAW-na”) ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/11 "2010-07-10T16:49:09Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > As an American who naturally knows better than others how to pronounce their own language, I’ve always said SAW-na. It’s an English word as much as any other - we don’t have to stick with the Finnish pronunciation. In fact, unless you learnt the word from Finnish people (or people from other countries who pronounce it that way), like the OP did, it would sound a little pretentious to say sow-na. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/12 "2010-07-10T16:49:38Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > I really can’t imagine that anyone would rhyme the first syllable of sauna with COW. Listen to the second pronunciation [here](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sauna). ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/13 "2010-07-10T16:51:20Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > I really can’t imagine that anyone would rhyme the first syllable of sauna with COW. Nobody, except for 5 million Finns. And I’d guess most Swedes and Norwegians as well. Around here - the area in the US with the largest Finnish population - pronouncing it saw-na marks you as someone from out of town. We pronounce it sow-na, with the first syllable rhyming with cow. It’s the proper Finnish pronunciation. Saunas are very common in this area. I’ve rented college dives that have saunas, I have one in my house, and I’d say about 50-75% of the people I know have a sauna. It’s not at all uncommon for people to break in the middle of a social event and jump in the sauna, especially if the social event revolves around watching a sports game. “Come on over and watch the game - the sauna’s hot and the beer is cold” is pretty much what a large segment of the population here thinks of as a good time. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/14 "2010-07-10T16:54:57Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > It’s an English word as much as any other - we don’t have to stick with the Finnish pronunciation. In fact, unless you learnt the word from Finnish people (or people from other countries who pronounce it that way), like the OP did, it would sound a little pretentious to say sow-na. Depends on where you are. Sow-na is the most common pronunciation in my area of the country, and if there’s any pretension, it’s for people who pronounce it saw-na, because it marks you as either an outsider who doesn’t know how to say it, or someone from here who wants to appear to be from elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/15 "2010-07-10T17:05:36Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Nobody, except for 5 million Finns. And I’d guess most Swedes and Norwegians as well. Nope, it’s “bastu” in Swedish and “badstue” in Norwegian. We’ve had them around for long enough to create our own words for them, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/16 "2010-07-10T17:05:44Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > When you used “SOW-”, I assumed you meant the SOW that was pronounced like you’re SOWing seeds, which does not rhyme with COW. > > I really can’t imagine that anyone would rhyme the first syllable of sauna with COW. > > (I voted “SAW-na”) No, it is SOW that rhymes with COW, na. Sowna. I guess it is going to depend upon where you live. I live in an area with a lot of Finns and Norwegians (married to second generation Norwegian, Viking red hair and all) and they all pronounce it sowna, rhymes with cowna. I would be interested in hearing from another area with a large Scandinavian heritage, like Minnesota. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/17 "2010-07-10T17:17:48Z")
> [@Telperion](#): > > Nope, it’s “bastu” in Swedish and “badstue” in Norwegian. We’ve had them around for long enough to create our own words for them, I guess. I screwed up - I was thinking of Finns from Finland, and Americans with Swedish/Norwegian heritage. Obviously that’s not what I wrote, and equally obvious is that there are words for sauna in Swedish and Norwegian. > [@ghardester](#): > > I would be interested in hearing from another area with a large Scandinavian heritage, like Minnesota. Read my posts. I’m in Michigan’s UP - the only area of the country where the predominant minority is Finn. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/18 "2010-07-10T19:25:06Z")
I knew exactly how Athena would vote before coming in. I do imagine Finland, the UP and maybe surrounding parts in Wisconsin will comprise the bulk of that pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/19 "2010-07-10T19:52:01Z")
Saw-na. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221/20 "2010-07-10T19:57:27Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I knew exactly how Athena would vote before coming in. I do imagine Finland, the UP and maybe surrounding parts in Wisconsin will comprise the bulk of that pronunciation. Coincidentally, the areas you list are probably the only areas where they have real Finnish saunas (that is, wet saunas, not the icky dry-heat ones you find in bad hotels all over the US.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sauna-pronunciation/546221.md?page=2)