tatami

American  

[tuh-tah-mee] / təˈtɑ mi /

noun

plural

tatami, tatamis

1. (in Japanese houses) any of a number of thick, woven straw mats of uniform dimensions, about 3 feet by 6 feet (91 centimeters by 183 centimeters), the placing of which determines the dimensions of an interior.

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tatami British  

/ təˈtɑːmɪ, tæˈtæmɪ /

noun

1. a thick rectangular mat of woven straw, used as a standard to measure a Japanese room

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Etymology

Origin of tatami

From Japanese, dating back to 1895–1900; noun use of the verb: “to fold up”

Example Sentences

In the artist’s tea house, constructed from cardboard, wood and tatami mats, architecture is inseparable from ritual: visitors will soon be able to partake in a Japanese tea ceremony inside the installation, thereby participating in a choreography of attention not unlike the act of gliding an ink brush across a sheet of washi.

From Los Angeles Times

Sadako plopped down with a thud onto the tatami mat.

From Literature

The two young opponents, clad in crisp white karategi with coloured belts and protective headgear, circled each other on the tatami, the floor covering used for practising Japanese martial arts.

From Barron's

Guests sit on tatami mats with a view of a Japanese garden with a waterfall.

From Los Angeles Times

It's unclear whether it has worked – Mr Hakamata still paces back and forth for hours, just as he did for years in a jail cell the size of three single tatami mats.

From BBC