# generaltranslation: General Translation Core SDK: getLocaleDirection
URL: https://generaltranslation.com/en-US/docs/core/functions/locales/get-locale-direction.mdx
---
title: getLocaleDirection
description: API reference for the getLocaleDirection function
---

## Overview

The `getLocaleDirection` function determines the text direction (left-to-right or right-to-left) for a locale without requiring a GT class instance.
It uses the `Intl.Locale` API to provide accurate direction detection for any valid BCP-47 locale code.

This function is most often used to set the `dir` attribute of an HTML element based on the locale.

```typescript
import { getLocaleDirection } from 'generaltranslation';

const direction = getLocaleDirection('ar-SA');
console.log(direction); // "rtl"

const englishDirection = getLocaleDirection('en-US');
console.log(englishDirection); // "ltr"
```

---

## Reference

### Parameters

<TypeTable
  type={{
    "locale": {
      type: 'string',
      optional: false,
    }
  }}
/>

### Parameters description

| Parameter | Description |
|-----------|-------------|
| `locale` | BCP-47 locale code to check text direction for |

### Returns

`'ltr' | 'rtl'` - Text direction for the locale:
- `'ltr'`: Left-to-right (most languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, etc.)
- `'rtl'`: Right-to-left (Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Urdu, and other Semitic/Middle Eastern languages)

---

## Behavior

### Direction detection algorithm

The function uses the `Intl.Locale` API's `textInfo.direction` property:
1. Creates an `Intl.Locale` object for the provided locale
2. Accesses the `textInfo.direction` property for language-specific direction
3. Returns `'rtl'` for right-to-left languages, `'ltr'` for all others
4. Defaults to `'ltr'` if the locale is invalid or causes an error

### RTL language recognition

Automatically detects RTL languages including:
- **Arabic** (`ar`, `ar-SA`, `ar-EG`, `ar-AE`, etc.)
- **Hebrew** (`he`, `he-IL`)
- **Persian/Farsi** (`fa`, `fa-IR`)
- **Urdu** (`ur`, `ur-PK`, `ur-IN`)
- **Pashto** (`ps`)
- **Sindhi** (`sd`)
- **Kurdish Sorani** (`ckb`)
- And other RTL scripts

### Error handling

- Invalid or malformed locale codes default to `'ltr'`
- No exceptions thrown for invalid input
- Robust fallback behavior for edge cases

---

## Examples

### Basic direction detection

```typescript
import { getLocaleDirection } from 'generaltranslation';

// Left-to-right languages
console.log(getLocaleDirection('en-US')); // "ltr"
console.log(getLocaleDirection('es-ES')); // "ltr"
console.log(getLocaleDirection('fr-FR')); // "ltr"
console.log(getLocaleDirection('ja-JP')); // "ltr"
console.log(getLocaleDirection('zh-CN')); // "ltr"

// Right-to-left languages
console.log(getLocaleDirection('ar-SA')); // "rtl"
console.log(getLocaleDirection('he-IL')); // "rtl"
console.log(getLocaleDirection('fa-IR')); // "rtl"
console.log(getLocaleDirection('ur-PK')); // "rtl"
```

---

## Notes

- Returns `'ltr'` for all left-to-right languages (most languages worldwide)
- Returns `'rtl'` for right-to-left languages (Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, etc.)
- Uses the modern `Intl.Locale` API for accurate detection
- Works with all BCP-47 locale codes

## Next steps

- Use GT class method [`getLocaleDirection`](/docs/core/class/methods/locales/get-locale-direction)
- Get locale properties with [`getLocaleProperties`](/docs/core/functions/locales/get-locale-properties)
- Validate locales with [`isValidLocale`](/docs/core/functions/locales/is-valid-locale)
- Get locale emoji with [`getLocaleEmoji`](/docs/core/functions/locales/get-locale-emoji)