So you have a CipherLanguage or your characters write in {{Wingdinglish}}. But it needs to be made just a ''leeeettle'' bit more exotic. How would you do that?

Just mention someone writing it right to left, or top to bottom, or in other directions, and that instantly cements the language's foreignness! This writing order generally also carries over to illustrations or {{Feelies}}. The direction of writing is occasionally ([[HistoryMarchesOn now rarely]]) characterized to be a holdover from writing in ink or clay, the direction preventing a trailing sleeve from smudging the writing.

One particularly popular style of writing seems to be boustrophedonic writing (from the Classical Greek for "as the ox ploughs") in which the first line is written from left to right, the second line from right to left, the third line from left to right, the fourth line from right to left, and so on.


[[folder: Boustrophedonic writing]]
* Ancient Greek could be written [[ boustrophedon]] style, which, given that it's also all block capitals and written without punctuation, can be confusing to read.
* On Literature/{{Gor}} writing is done left-to-right for the first line, then right-to-left for the second, etc.
* [[Disney/AtlantisTheLostEmpire Atlanthean]] is also boustrophedonic.
* Occasionally, geneticists write the code for DNA boustrophedonically.

[[folder: Other strange writing styles]]
* The Fairies in Literature/ArtemisFowl are mentioned writing in spirals. Later {{Defied}} by having the green text horizontal and explaining that the spirals gave the fairies migraines.
* On ''Series/{{Fringe}}'', The Observer writes right to left in unintelligible symbols. The Child in the first season, who probably had some connection to the Observer, wrote in English upside down and backwards.
* Japanese is traditionally written from top to bottom, with the columns starting from the right. This is why manga is published "backwards", and why many Western manga-style comics (MegaTokyo and ScottPilgrim for example) will have a message printed on the last page reminding you to read the book starting from the other end [[WhereDoYouThinkYouAre because it's NOT from Japan.]]
** Chinese can be written vertically or horizontally, left-to-right or right-to-left.
** Nowadays Japanese and Chinese are often written left-to-right, in emulation of Western languages, in a sort of RealLife subversion of the trope.
* Korean was originally written using Chinese characters and read vertically. When the Korean alphabet, called "hangul", was introduced, it also was written vertically but modern Koreans write horizontally left-to-right. Also, Korean clusters its letters in syllables that, depending on the vowel used, must be read vertically, horizontally, or a combination of both. (If you're confused, look at how these syllables are constructed: da=다, dal=달, dalk=닭, do=도, dol=돌, dolm=돎.)

* "[[Theatre/MyFairLady And the Hebrews learn it backwards, which is absolutely frightening]]."
* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': the script used on Alternia is typed right-to-left.
** Not to mention that the [[UsefulNotes/{{Fonts}} font]], [[Franchise/TheElderScrolls Daedric]], is written upside down.
* A plot point in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Discworld/MovingPictures'': A book written in pictograms depicts a "man behind the door", which is translated as [[SealedEvilInACan "a prisoner"]]. When the Librarian start reading it and follows his read with his finger, the protagonist notices him reading backwards and understand the man is ''in front of'' the door, "a guardian".
** In ''Discworld/{{Mort}}'', the book Death uses to work out who's due to die is read spiralling out from the centre of the page.
* In one of the ProfessorBranestawm stories, the Professor is puzzled by a letter in mirror writing. While trying to decide what language it is, one that he mentions it definitely ''isn't'' is written around the edges of the paper.
* [[MagicTheGathering Phyrexian]] is written upon a continuous line which can go in any direction. A long vertical stroke marks the beginning of each sentence.
* The Lilliputians of Literature/GulliversTravels write "neither from the left to the right, like the Europeans; nor from right to the left, like the Arabians; nor from up to down, like the Chinese; nor from down to up, [[OverlyLongGag like the Cascagians]]; but aslant from one corner to the other, like [[TakeThat ladies in England]]."
* Arabic and jawi script of Malay language are written from right to left, but the numbers are written from left to right. While normal Arabic does not have vowel signs, Quranic verses must include them to prevent reading errors.
* In ''Literature/ACanticleForLeibowitz,'' the WanderingJew (well, ''[[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane a]]'' [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane wandering Jew]]) refers to ''Gentiles'' writing backwards when he reads what Brother Francis writes on a rock.
* In the ForgottenRealms, dwarves' runic script is often inscribed to circle around a central drawing, symbol or emblem.
* In ''Franchise/StarTrek'' [[ Vulcan]] is written vertically (with occasional links from one column to another) and [[ Ferengi]] branches from a central point at 60 degree angles.