writing-mode

The writing-mode attribute specifies whether the initial inline-progression-direction for a <text> element shall be left-to-right, right-to-left, or top-to-bottom. The writing-mode attribute applies only to <text> elements; the attribute is ignored for <tspan>, <tref>, <altGlyph> and <textPath> sub-elements. (Note that the inline-progression-direction can change within a <text> element due to the Unicode bidirectional algorithm and properties direction and unicode-bidi.)

Note: As a presentation attribute, writing-mode can be used as a CSS property. See the css writing-mode property for more information.

As a presentation attribute, it can be applied to any element but it has effect only on the following five elements: <altGlyph>, <text>, <textPath>, <tref>, and <tspan>

Usage notes

horizontal-tb

This value defines a top-to-bottom block flow direction. Both the writing mode and the typographic mode are horizontal.

vertical-rl

This value defines a right-to-left block flow direction. Both the writing mode and the typographic mode are vertical.

vertical-lr

This value defines a left-to-right block flow direction. Both the writing mode and the typographic mode are vertical.

Specifications

Browser compatibilityUpdate compatibility data on GitHub

See also

• css writing-mode