# Why do we read from left to right **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [August 24, 1999, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215 "1999-08-24T12:00:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Topi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Topi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Topi)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 1999, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/1 "1999-08-24T12:00:00Z")
I came up with this question in archives. To me the answer lies in that we write from left to right. And that is easier for a righthanded person to do as you see what you’ve written as you write. * * * 1 July 2004 - This thread from 1999 has been bumped to the top, and I have no idea what Column **Topi** was referring to. We didn’t request links back then, and now you see why we do now. I’m going to assume [In a right-handed world, why is a man’s billfold pocket on the left side?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_395.html) because it’s on the front page this week. – CKDH ---
**Author:** ![Poto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@Poto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poto)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 1999, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/2 "1999-08-24T12:17:00Z")
Topi:Maybe you can help me with a question I posted in the General forum. Why do we run counterclockwise? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 1999, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/3 "1999-08-24T12:28:00Z")
Not all of “we” read/write from left to right. Hebrew reads from right to left; most Oriental languages (Japanese, Chinese, etc) read from up to down. Ancient writings often alternated – first line read from left to right, second line read from right to left, etc. This is called boustrophedon, writing the way an ox plows, alternating directions. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 1999, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/4 "1999-08-24T14:16:00Z")
It’s largely a question of writing implements. Scripts written with pens tend to go left-to-right. Scripts written with brushes tend to go right-to-left. Presumably, it depends on which way is less likely to smear when written by a right-handed person. Right-to-left was the original way, as far as the alphabet was concerned, but the Greeks changed to left-to-right, by way of boustropedon. * * * John W. Kennedy “Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.” – Charles Williams ---
**Author:** ![Pickman\_s\_Model](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Pickman\_s\_Model](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pickman_s_Model)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 1999, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/5 "1999-08-27T04:28:00Z")
I have heard that the reason Hebrew runs from right to left is because originally, it wasn’t written down----it was carved on stone with a hammer and chisel. Most people being naturally right-handed (and thus wielding the hammer in the right hand), this made it easier for the scribe to see what he’d already carved, and thus avoid repeating a letter twice. Of course, as you mentioned, if you’re using a brush, left-to-right is better, since that way you won’t smear what you’ve already written. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 1999, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/6 "1999-08-27T16:09:00Z")
Early examples of Hebrew that we _have_ are carved in stone, but that’s because stone lasts longer. Hebrew was probably originally written in mud with a stylus, like cuneiform (from which it descends). (Note that around the time of Christ, Hebrew writing changed radically, to the letter forms that we know today, obviously designed for writing with a brush. Earlier Hebrew looks like archaic Greek.) Anyway, using a _brush_, right-to-left works fine. It’s when you use a _pen_ that left-to-right becomes advantageous. * * * John W. Kennedy “Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.” – Charles Williams ---
**Author:** ![Patricinus\_Scriblerus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@Patricinus\_Scriblerus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patricinus_Scriblerus)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 1999, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/7 "1999-08-28T03:23:00Z")
Wouldn’t it be easier if we read alternating lines left to right and the others right to left. Has anyone tried writing this way? I would think it would be a whole lot more effective but it would take some getting used to. I guees it would go some thing like this: wouldn’t it be easier to read alternating to right others the and right to left lines left? I hope that works… * * * You sound reasonable…it must be time to up my medication ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 1999, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/8 "1999-08-28T03:42:00Z")
**Patricinus Scriblerus** > [@](#): > > wouldn’t it be easier to read alternating > to right others the and right to left lines > left? Well, the boustrophedon text mentioned by Dex was written: wouldn’t it be easier to read alternating ot thgir srehto eht dna thgir ot tfel senil left? They gave _that_ up becaue it was _not_ easier. I suspect that the format you asked about would also be more difficult. * * * Tom~ ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 1999, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/9 "1999-08-28T07:35:00Z")
Actually the above example isn’t that hard to read. I imagine it is what you are used to. ---
**Author:** ![Camilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Camilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Camilla)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 1999, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/10 "1999-08-28T12:41:00Z")
Perhaps people tend to race counterclockwise because observers see this as moving from left to right, which is, to left-to-right writers, the natural way for things to progress. To such an observer, someone running clockwise is running the wrong way. (Filmmakers play on this instinct, or so I was told by a film professor long ago–movement from right to left is used to disorient.) Perhaps running a footrace counterclockwise is physically easier than running one clockwise, if you are one of the right-footed many, because more pressure is exerted on your right leg, and because your left leg has to cover an ever so slightly less distance than your right leg. So was left-to-writing invented one slow day at the track? And when you go to the dog track in Jerusalem, do underfed dogs chase the clattering mechanical hare clockwise? ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 1999, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/11 "1999-08-29T14:27:00Z")
Boustrophedic writing is _not_ easy with either a brush or a pen. * * * John W. Kennedy “Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.” – Charles Williams ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 1999, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/12 "1999-08-30T22:06:00Z")
i remember an article, dont know where, that stated that the most efficent way of reading (according to the author) is having single words flashed to you on a screen at a time. When I read this I looked for a program to do this and found one called flashread? or something like that. it took txt format and flashed it on the screen, one word at a time, you can ajust the speed and pause. the program was crude but it worked. when cd-rom 1st became popular I got one with stories on it in txt format - they were just filler material. loaded call of the wild and it seamed I got through 1/2 of it in a hour. since the progran didn’t have a save function, i didn’t finish it. it was weird to read that way but I picked it up very fast. still the letters are l to r ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 1999, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/13 "1999-09-03T00:31:00Z")
Mayan Hieroglyphs are also read from top to bottom. Individual glyphs can be read in numerous ways (including an almost circular pattern) depending on how many prefixes and suffixes are attached to the glyph. ---
**Author:** ![Doobieous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Doobieous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doobieous)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 1999, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/14 "1999-09-04T02:37:00Z")
In Egyptian writing, it was mostly right to left (as all semitic scripts are) but sometimes for aesthetic purposes they would change direction. Sorry if the following quotes are too long! From this page: [Reading Hieroglyphics](http://hosting.netvision.be/egyptologica/e_les1.htm) - As a rule, the Egyptians never wrote from bottom to top, although it could occur that a sign was written below another sign, even if it belonged above it. This was usually done for aesthetic reasons, to obtain a good layout of the texts (without ugly white spaces). - To discover the direction of writing, you should look at the signs with an obvious front and back end (e.g. human forms and animals). These signs always look to the beginning of the text. - When the text is a legend to some picture (e.g. in wall paintings), the depicted god or person looks to the beginning of his/her text. The hieroglyphic signs are then oriented in the same direction as the figure they accompany. Alternately, the Meroe (a civilization that lived in the Sudan) wrote right to left, but did use some of the Heiroglyphics for their alphabet. ---
**Author:** ![Doobieous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Doobieous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doobieous)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 1999, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/15 "1999-09-04T03:49:00Z")
Ugh! Why did I include the Meroe, since they wrote in the direction the Egyptians usually did (right to left)? Sorry, brain fart there :). ---
**Author:** ![Konrad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f475e1/32.png) [@Konrad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Konrad)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 1999, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/16 "1999-09-21T00:52:00Z")
Camilla: Actually a right-legged person’s left leg is strong than his right so running counter-clockwise to save energy doesn’t make sense. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dec6dc/32.png) [@Joe\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Boy)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/17 "2004-07-02T00:27:06Z")
> [@Patricinus Scriblerus](#): > > Wouldn’t it be easier if we read alternating lines left to right and the others right to left. Has anyone tried writing this way? I would think it would be a whole lot more effective but it would take some getting used to. > > I guees it would go some thing like this: > > wouldn’t it be easier to read alternating > to right others the and right to left lines > left? > > I hope that works… > > * * * > > You sound reasonable…it must be time to up my medication Well, I think so, because when I am scanning something rapidly, I read it that way in order to find the key word or words I am seeking. It works fine, even though it was not originally printed to be read that way. Who knows? Maybe people on some other planets in a far away solar system do it that way. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/18 "2004-07-02T02:14:46Z")
Why would changing a pen to a brush change the direction of writing necessary to prevent smearing? I don’t get why it would make any difference. ---
**Author:** ![Foghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/76d3ee/32.png) [@Foghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foghead)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/19 "2004-07-02T12:24:44Z")
> [@Konrad](#): > > Camilla: Actually a right-legged person’s left leg is strong than his right so running counter-clockwise to save energy doesn’t make sense. Could you elaborate? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215/20 "2004-07-02T12:44:49Z")
**Joe Boy** , please note that you’ve responded to comments made in 1999. Generally, it would be better – that is, helpful to readers – if you started a new thread, providing a link to the column you’re commenting on. No biggie. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-read-from-left-to-right/215.md?page=2)