ta·ta·mi | \ tä-ˈtä-mē 
, ta- \
, ta- \ plural tatami or tatamis
Definition of tatami
: straw matting used as a floor covering in a Japanese home
Examples of tatami in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web Before her, an audience of hundreds sits on tatami mats.
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Ben Dooley, New York Times, "In Rural Japan, a 370-Year-Old Tradition Falls to One Child," 13 Apr. 2020 The roadway was a river of fire, with homes and their contents, tatami mats, futons, rucksacks, all in flames.
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Brad Lendon And Emiko Jozuka, CNN, "History's deadliest air raid happened in Tokyo during World War II and you've probably never heard of it," 7 Mar. 2020 Osaka is not known for its relaxing onsen or graceful tatami-floored ryokan.
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Adam H. Graham, Condé Nast Traveler, "Osaka Is a Food-Obsessed City Unlike Anywhere Else in Japan," 16 Nov. 2019 Traditional Japanese rectilinear designs had gable roofs and rooms matching the dimensions of tatami mats.
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Davina Jackson, Quartzy, "A Balinese school is leading a global renaissance of bamboo architecture," 18 Sep. 2019 Fortress says its improvements, such as replacing tatami mats with flooring and adding feature-rich Japanese toilets, have lifted the occupancy rate at all its buildings to 56% currently from 33% in 2017.
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Kosaku Narioka, WSJ, "Fortress Becomes Japan’s Biggest Private Apartment Landlord With $1 Billion Bet," 18 June 2019 Diners remove shoes, step on to tatami flooring and sit on a cushion before a low table.
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The Seattle Times, "Hungry? Tokyo’s food meets visitor appetites for history and modernity," 7 Sep. 2018 He initially was placed in a room of three tatami mats, about 80 square feet, and was sleeping on a futon, but was moved to a larger room with a bed, the lawyer said.
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Peter Landers, WSJ, "After 50 Long Days in Jail, Ghosn Is Sharp as He Prepares His Defense," 8 Jan. 2019 Born into a poor family of tatami-mat makers, the legally blind Asahara drew thousands of followers into his sect, which prophesied an imminent Armageddon in which its followers would seize power and achieve salvation.
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Author: Stuart Biggs, Gearoid Reidy, Anchorage Daily News, "Japan executes cult leader and 6 others for deadly 1995 sarin attack," 6 July 2018
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tatami.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for tatami
The first known use of tatami was in 1614
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