Fact · Languages and accents
The Unicode bidirectional algorithm calls the left-to-right and right-to-left bidirectional types strong types, and characters of those types strong directional characters.
Checked against its source on October 17, 2026
In the source's own words
“The bidirectional types left-to-right and right-to-left are called strong types”
Unicode Standard Annex #9: Unicode Bidirectional Algorithm, Unicode Consortium, Unicode Consortium, 2026, Section 3.2 Bidirectional Character Types.
Open the original- What it measures
- Each character has an implicit bidirectional type. Strong types decide the direction of the characters around them, while weak and neutral types, such as digits and punctuation, take their direction from context.
- What it does not show
- The standard describes how text is ordered. Each app displays the result with its own text engine, so the same text can look different in two programs.