tatami

American  

[tuh-tah-mee] / təˈtɑ mi /

noun

• tatami,
  plural
• tatamis
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tatami
  plural
• tatamis
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of tatami

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tatami

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

Baachan was crying, a string of drool falling to the tatami.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

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