small tatami room
A compact Japanese-style room with tatami flooring, often used for intimate gatherings or as a private space in a home or restaurant.
We enjoyed a dinner meeting in the small tatami room of a traditional restaurant.
extension of the main room; alcove-like space
In traditional palatial-style architecture, a small room or alcove that extends from the main hall, often used for semi-private functions. Cross-referenced with 放ち出, a related architectural feature.
See also: 放ち出
small tea room; room under 4.5 tatami mats
In the context of tea ceremony, a room smaller than four and a half tatami mats, creating an intimate atmosphere for the ritual.
In shinden-zukuri architecture, a small extension room called a kozashiki was sometimes built out from the main hall.
In tea ceremony, a small room under four and a half tatami mats is sometimes specifically called a 'koma'.
Compound of 小 (ko, 'small') and 座敷 (zashiki, 'tatami room'). The term has been used historically in both residential and tea ceremony contexts.