RTL is part of the component contract.

Live scoped example

Implementation guidance

• Set the document direction at the root; use scoped Direction only for genuine mixed-direction content.
• Use inline/block logical CSS properties instead of left/right layout rules.
• Mirror directional icons and keyboard deltas, not culturally neutral symbols.
• Keep verification codes and other inherently LTR data in an explicit inner boundary.

Direction is more than mirrored spacing

A right-to-left page needs the correct document direction so inline start and end, text alignment, scroll position, disclosure motion, and directional keyboard behavior share one context. Individual strings still keep their own Unicode direction, which matters for mixed Arabic or Hebrew text containing URLs, email addresses, code, prices, dates, and identifiers. Isolate those values rather than forcing the whole interface back to left-to-right.

Product teams should review the meaning of icons instead of applying a blanket horizontal flip. Back and forward arrows usually follow reading direction; media playback, check marks, clocks, and brand marks generally do not. Charts and timelines need a decision based on the data model. Visual movement, focus order, DOM order, and spoken reading order must remain coherent after that decision.

What to verify before publishing an RTL locale

Exercise navigation, overlays, tables, forms, validation, calendars, sliders, pagination, carousels, breadcrumbs, and mixed-direction account data with native readers. Test keyboard arrows, home and end, zoom, narrow screens, dark mode, reduced motion, forced colours, and long translated labels. Transactional email and hosted identity or payment screens need the same scrutiny as the main site.

Gummy UI’s logical styles and direction-aware components provide a foundation, not certification of a consuming application. English is currently the only published site language. Persian, Hebrew, and Arabic remain fail-closed until their complete dictionaries, rendered pages, terminology, metadata, bidirectional behavior, and founder-review records pass the publication gates described on the language-status page.