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

Instead, he and his wife moved, with their three young children, to a nearby rice-farming village, where they lived in a Japanese-style house with tatami floor mats.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

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 • Nov. 17, 2025

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 • Dec. 20, 2024

“Not what is lost but what is found when you do safety meetings in two languages and you learn not to walk onto tatami mats with your utility boots.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 2024

She took students in her barracks cubicle, which was fitted out like a little Buddhist shrine, with tatami mats on the floor.

From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston