Implement right-to-left (RTL) layouts for Hebrew web applications. Use when user asks about RTL layout, Hebrew text direction, bidirectional (bidi) text, Hebrew CSS, "right to left", or needs to build a Hebrew web UI. Covers CSS logical properties, the :dir() pseudo-class, Tailwind RTL, React/Next.j

Hebrew RTL Best Practices Instructions Step 1: Set Up Document Direction Always start with the HTML attribute (not just CSS): This tells browsers, screen readers, and CSS to use RTL as the base direction. Step 2: Use CSS Logical Properties NEVER use physical directional properties for layout: Physical (avoid) Logical (use) margin left margin inline start margin right margin inline end padding left padding inline start padding right padding inline end border left border inline start text align: left text align: start text align: right text align: end float: left float: inline start left: 10px inset inline start: 10px This ensures the layout automatically mirrors in RTL mode. When you genuinely need a direction specific rule that logical properties cannot express, prefer the :dir() pseudo class over [dir="rtl"] attribute selectors: :dir() is part of Selectors Level 4 and resolves the computed direction, so it also works for elements whose direction comes from dir="auto" or from an ancestor, where an attribute selector would miss them. Browser support: Chrome and Edge shipped it in version 120 (late 2023), Firefox has supported it for years, and Safari added it in 16.4, so it is now Baseline (widely available). For older browser support, keep an [dir="rtl"] fallback rule or use a logical property instead. Check current support at https://caniuse.com/css dir pseudo. Step 3: Handle Bidirectional Text When mixing Hebrew and English/numbers: Common bidi issues: Phone numbers appearing reversed: Wrap in <bdo dir="ltr" Punctuation at wrong end of sentence: Use unicode bidi: isolate URLs/emails in Hebrew text: Wrap in <span dir="ltr" Numbers and dates: Standalone numbers and DD/MM/YYYY dates inside Hebrew text usually render fine because digits are weak LTR, but a number that is immediately followed by a sign, currency, or a second number can flip. When a value must keep a fixed visual order, isolate it with <span dir="ltr" or unicode bidi: isolate rather than trusting the default bidi resolution. Format the value, then isolate it. Bidi isolation only stops a correct string from flipping; it does not produce the right string. Use Intl to format, then isolate: Intl.NumberFormat('he IL', { style: 'currency', currency: 'ILS' }) for shekel amounts and Intl.DateTimeFormat('he IL') for dates, and wrap the output in <span dir="ltr" (or unicode bidi: isolate ) if it sits inline in Hebrew prose. Devs commonly conflate the two and apply bidi fixes to a formatting bug (or vice versa). Form inputs need dir="auto" . Put dir="auto" on every <input and <textarea so each value resolves its own base direction. This is the most visible end user RTL bug: an email or an English word typed into a Hebrew form jumps to the wrong side without it. Note that the placeholder does not trigger auto detection, so set the resting direction with CSS if the empty field look matters. <bdi vs <bdo : use <bdo dir="ltr" only when you want to force a direction (it overrides the bidi algorithm). For user generated or unknown direction content, prefer <bdi , which isolates the content so its direction is auto detected and cannot leak into the surrounding text: For free text fields, dir="auto" (or unicode bidi: plaintext in CSS) lets the browser pick the base direction per value, which is the correct default for comments, names, and search queries where you do not know the language in advance. Shadows and gradients do not auto flip. CSS logical properties mirror layout, but box shadow , text shadow , and linear gradient offsets/angles are physical and stay fixed when direction flips. A shadow offset of 4px 4px that looks correct in LTR will point the "wrong" way relative to an RTL layout. The same physical not logical trap applies to transform origin , background position , and translateX based keyframe animations (slide in drawers, carousels, progress shimmer). Flip each explicitly with a :dir(rtl) (or [dir="rtl"] ) override when its direction is meaningful. Step 4: Mirror Directional Icons Icon mirroring is one of the highest frequency RTL bugs. The rule: mirror icons whose meaning is tied to reading direction, leave everything else alone. Mirror these (their direction encodes "forward/back/next/previous" relative to reading order): Navigation arrows, back/forward buttons, breadcrumb chevrons "Send" / submit arrows, carousel and pagination arrows Indentation, list nesting, and reply arrows Progress indicators that imply forward motion Do NOT mirror these (mirroring makes them wrong or unrecognizable): Logos and brand marks Checkmarks and X / close icons Media play buttons (a play button always points right, it refers to the timeline, not reading direction) Clocks and analog time icons (clockwise is universal) Icons depicting real world objects with a fixed orientation (a phone handset, a magnifying glass with the handle, most product icons) Technique, mirror with a horizontal flip transform: Many icon sets (for example Material Symbols) already ship RTL aware variants, prefer those over flipping when available, because a flipped icon can mis render fine detail or embedded text. Step 5: Hebrew Typography Recommended font stack: Typography settings: Step 6: Framework Specific Setup Tailwind CSS RTL (v4, current; logical utilities since v3.3): Prefer logical property utilities over rtl: / ltr: variants: Physical class Logical class CSS property ml 4 ms 4 margin inline start mr 4 me 4 margin inline end pl 4 ps 4 padding inline start pr 4 pe 4 padding inline end left 4 inset s 4 (was start 4 ) inset inline start right 4 inset e 4 (was end 4 ) inset inline end rounded l lg rounded s lg border start start radius + border end start radius rounded r lg rounded e lg border start end radius + border end end radius Reserve rtl: / ltr: variants only for cases logical properties cannot handle (e.g., directional icons, transforms). Tailwind v4 note: v4 (GA since early 2025, currently v4.3) uses CSS first configuration ( @import "tailwindcss" in CSS) instead of tailwind.config.js . Logical utilities work identically in both v3 and v4. As of v4.3 (May 2026) the logical inset utilities start / end are deprecated in favor of inset s / inset e (the old names still work); the margin/padding utilities ms / me / ps / pe are unaffected. Next.js App Router: next/font self hosts the font (no external Google Fonts requests, zero layout shift). React with MUI: Current MUI (v9 as of 2026) uses the official fork @mui/stylis plugin rtl , not the older community stylis plugin rtl package. The official fork fixes CSS layers issues and supports current Stylis versions; this has been the recommended setup since MUI v6. Confirm the exact import name and setup against the current MUI RTL guide (https://mui.com/material ui/customization/right to left/) for your MUI version. Portalled UI (modals, dropdowns, tooltips, toasts). Components rendered through a portal (React createPortal , Radix, MUI Menu, Floating UI) mount at document.body and inherit direction from there, but many libraries assume LTR. Set dir on <html AND pass the library's own direction setting: Radix needs a <DirectionProvider dir="rtl" wrapper, MUI needs direction: 'rtl' in the theme. Otherwise popovers open on the wrong side even when the rest of the page is correct. Step 7: Common Pitfalls to Check 1. Directional icons mirror them (see Step 4 for which icons to flip and which to leave) 2. Progress bars should fill from right to left 3. Sliders/carousels swipe direction should reverse 4. Form labels should be right aligned 5. Breadcrumbs separator direction should reverse 6. Tables columns reorder automatically, but force numeric, code, and date cells back to LTR with <td dir="ltr" or text align: end 7. Charts x axis may need to reverse for Hebrew readers (SVG has no logical properties, so use the charting library's reversed / rtl option, not CSS) 8. Shadows and gradients physical offsets/angles do not auto flip (see Step 3) 9. Fixed and sticky chrome (headers, toasts, FABs, drawers) hardcoded left: 0 / right: 0 does not flip; use inset inline start / inset inline end 10. Scrollbars sit on the left in RTL reserve space with scrollbar gutter: stable to avoid reflow; text wrap: balance improves Hebrew headings Step 8: Verify the RTL Layout Authoring rules are not enough, verify before shipping: Flip the whole app to dir="rtl" and scan for anything that did not move (it is still using a physical property). Test one canonical mixed string in every text surface: שלום John 050 1234567 ₪1,234 exercises Hebrew, Latin, a phone number, and a currency amount at once. Open every modal, dropdown, tooltip, and toast (portalled UI is the most common RTL miss). Check fixed/sticky chrome, charts/SVG, and form fields with dir="auto" . Examples Example 1: Convert LTR Component to RTL User says: "Make this card component work in Hebrew" Before (LTR only): After (RTL compatible): With Tailwind, replace ml 4 pr 3 text left border l 4 with ms 4 pe 3 text start border s 4 . Example 2: Bidi Text Issue User says: "Numbers are showing backwards in my Hebrew text" Use unicode bidi: isolate on the containing span for CSS only solutions. Example 3: Tailwind RTL Navigation User says: "My sidebar is on the wrong side in Hebrew" Bundled Resources References references/css logical properties.md Complete physical to logical CSS property mapping table (margin, padding, border, positioning, text alignment, sizing) plus Hebrew font stack recommendations for sans serif, serif, and monospace. Consult when converting any LTR stylesheet to RTL compatible logical properties or choosing Hebrew web fonts. Gotchas CSS text align: left is wrong for Hebrew. Use text align: start which respects the document direction. Agents frequently hardcode left alignment in CSS. margin left and padding right do not flip in RTL mode. Use CSS logical properties: margin inline start and padding inline end instead. Agents trained on LTR CSS will generate physical properties. Flexbox row direction auto reverses in RTL, but row reverse also reverses, causing a double flip back to LTR order. Agents may add row reverse thinking it creates RTL, but it actually creates LTR within an RTL context. Phone numbers, credit card numbers, and code snippets must remain LTR even inside RTL containers. Wrap them in <bdo dir="ltr" or use direction: ltr on the containing element. Agents often let these inherit RTL. Reference Links Source URL What to Check MDN CSS Logical Properties https://developer.mozilla.org/en US/docs/Web/CSS/CSS logical properties and values Full property list, browser support tables MDN :dir() pseudo class https://developer.mozilla.org/en US/docs/Web/CSS/:dir Syntax, behavior vs [dir] attribute selectors Can I use: :dir() https://caniuse.com/css dir pseudo Current browser support table MDN <bdi element https://developer.mozilla.org/en US/docs/Web/HTML/Reference/Elements/bdi Isolating user generated bidi content Tailwind CSS RTL Support https://tailwindcss.com/docs/hover focus and other states rtl support rtl: / ltr: variant syntax Tailwind Logical Properties https://tailwindcss.com/docs/margin ms , me , ps , pe utilities MUI Right to left https://mui.com/material ui/customization/right to left/ @mui/stylis plugin rtl setup for current MUI Google Fonts Hebrew https://fonts.google

hebrew-rtl-best-practices