How would you pronounce Zana ?

[RoseApp]

My friend assumed people would pronounce her child’s name Zana like Zah-nah as in Suzanna but several people have pronounced it as Zar-na

Zay na

It’s very pretty when pronounced properly though!

If I saw it written down, Zane-a.
If I was told how to pronounce it then I would say it that way.

Zayna

Zay na

Neither Zay nor zar

I would say 'Zah - na'

I think it is a regional thing. Some accents put in an r where there isn't one. I'm Scottish and I would pronounce it as the parents would expect.

Zay na

zaynah or zarnah. Definitely not like suzanna

I would pronouce it "Zah-na"

Not like "zanna" in Suzanna, that has 2 ns, Zana has 1.

Is it a regional dialect. Lana being La-nah or Lar-nar sort of thing.

No. The OP is asking about the long or short vowel sound. The r in the spelling Zar is a red herring that always side tracks threads like this!
Forget the r people and think about the vowel sound

So is it a Zay-nah or Zah-nah issue? I maybe misunderstood.

FWIW OP I'd probably start with Zayna. I'd assume Zahna to be a possibility but not Zanna

Probably Zar-na? I'm southern. It would need to be spelled Zanna to get your friend's pronunciation.

Zarn-nah, but it’s the sort of name I’d read several times, panic how to pronounce it, try a few options in my head and then go for Zarn-nah, but I would say it tentatively.

Zan a

Same - I read it as the feminine version of Zane.

I think there are 3 possibles for the first vowel
Zay to rhyme with pay i.e zayna
Zah to rhyme with (Grand)pa
Zan to rhyme with can

OP has used zah to rhyme with Suzanna which has confused things as well as using the ar spelling which in some but not all accents rhymes with (Grand)pa

I would think probably Zarna (non rhotic accent), or possibly Zayna. It would need double N to be like in Susanna

I'd gues Zana-rhymes-with-Lana

Second guess would be Zay-na

Zah-na

I would say it like Zara but with an n.

I'd say it wouldn't be immediately obvious. I guess I'd go for 'zar-nah' then second guess 'zann-ah'. But I'd probably start by asking how they pronounce it.

If asked to guess I’d say Zay na. (So neither of the two options you give.)

If written Zanna then I’d automatically pronounce it as your friend wants.

However if I was told that it was Zah-na then I’d not think that was a particularly weird pronounciation. It rhymes with Lana (as in Turner) after all.

Zar-na