:dir()

Baseline 2023

Newly available

Since December 2023, this feature works across the latest devices and browser versions. This feature might not work in older devices or browsers.

The :dir() CSS pseudo-class matches elements based on the directionality of the text contained in them.

css
/* Selects any element with right-to-left text */
:dir(rtl) {
  background-color: red;
}

The :dir() pseudo-class uses only the semantic value of the directionality, i.e., the one defined in the document itself. It doesn't account for styling directionality, i.e., the directionality set by CSS properties such as direction.

Note: Be aware that the behavior of the :dir() pseudo-class is not equivalent to the [dir=…] attribute selectors. The latter match the HTML dir attribute, and ignore elements that lack it — even if they inherit a direction from their parent. (Similarly, [dir=rtl] and [dir=ltr] won't match the auto value.) In contrast, :dir() will match the value calculated by the user agent, even if inherited.

Note: In HTML, the direction is determined by the dir attribute. Other document types may have different methods.

Syntax

The :dir() pseudo-class requires one parameter, representing the text directionality you want to target.

css
:dir([ltr | rtl]) {
  /* ... */
}

Parameters

ltr

Target left-to-right elements.

rtl

Target right-to-left elements.

Examples

HTML

html
<div dir="rtl">
  <span>test1</span>
  <div dir="ltr">
    test2
    <div dir="auto">עִבְרִית</div>
  </div>
</div>

CSS

css
:dir(ltr) {
  background-color: yellow;
}

:dir(rtl) {
  background-color: powderblue;
}

Result

Specifications

Specification
HTML Standard
# selector-ltr
Selectors Level 4
# the-dir-pseudo

Browser compatibility

BCD tables only load in the browser

See also