tatami

noun

ta·​ta·​mi tä-ˈtä-mē 

ta-

plural tatami or tatamis

: straw matting used as a floor covering in a Japanese home

Examples of tatami in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Where to stay Stay at Furukawa in the center of Jozankei, a ryokan with indoor and open-air baths, multicourse kaiseki dinners, and 52 rooms with warm lighting, wooden and tatami flooring, and seating areas for sipping green tea. —Rob Goss, AFAR Media, 26 Aug. 2025

Meals run at least three hours and are served inside a traditional Japanese house with tatami floors and garden views. —Kaila Yu, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025

The elegant, minimalist light pendants feel very Japanese, as do the large tatami mat–slash–window seats and ceramic wall hangings repaired with gold à la kintsugi. —Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2025

Choose from sofa-style seats, cozy box seats and private tatami rooms that can accommodate up to six with mats, seating, tables and big windows from which to watch the landscape roll by. —The New York Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Japanese

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tatami

• salami
• thalami
• tsunami
• balmy
• brahmi
• commie
• mommy
• palmy
• rami
• saami
• swami
• swamy