Arabic Emails and Right-to-Left Design: A Practical Guide for Email Marketers

Arabic emails are not just English emails with translated text. Arabic runs from right to left, letters connect, numbers and English words can appear in mixed order and different email apps handle all of this differently. A well-built Arabic email looks natural and professional. A poorly built one shows text in the wrong order, misaligned buttons or broken punctuation.

This guide explains the main points of right-to-left email design and how to test them. Email clients change, so always test your own templates.

Set the direction in the code

• Set the text direction to right-to-left for Arabic emails using the dir attribute on the HTML element or on the main containers, and set the language to Arabic.
• Align text to the right where appropriate, and mirror layouts so that the reading flow starts on the right.
• Some email apps ignore certain direction settings, so add direction and alignment inline on important elements, not just in a global style.
• Test that the direction survives forwarding and replying.

Mirror the layout, not just the text

• In a two-column layout, place the main content column on the right and the secondary column on the left.
• Put image and text pairs in the order readers expect: image on the right and text on the left, or the reverse depending on design, but be consistent and intentional.
• Mirror arrows and icons that indicate direction, such as 'next'.
• Check padding and margins, which often need to switch sides.

Choose fonts that work

• Use web-safe fonts that support Arabic, such as Tahoma, Arial or Segoe UI, as a fallback in your font stack.
• If you use custom web fonts, remember that many email apps do not load them and will fall back. Make sure the fallback also looks good.
• Pick a size slightly larger than you would for English; Arabic often needs more size and line height to be comfortable.
• Avoid letter-spacing on Arabic text. It breaks the joins between letters.
• Avoid text in images for important content, as it is not accessible and may be blocked.

Mixed Arabic and English

Brand names, product names, URLs, numbers and codes often appear inside Arabic sentences. This can reorder punctuation and numbers unexpectedly.

• Test sentences that mix Arabic with English words, numbers, currencies and punctuation at the beginning and end.
• Use proper Arabic punctuation where relevant, such as the Arabic comma and question mark, if that is your style, and be consistent.
• Decide on Eastern Arabic numerals or Western numerals for prices and dates, and follow your brand's convention.
• For codes and URLs, keep them on their own line or in a button to avoid confusing the order.
• Wrap mixed segments with the correct direction markup where needed, and review results in several apps.

Subject lines and preheaders

• Write Arabic subject lines naturally and keep them short enough for phone screens.
• Check how emoji and punctuation appear at the start and end in Arabic subject lines.
• Use the preheader to add information, not repeat the subject.
• Test subject lines in several inboxes, since display differs.

Buttons and calls to action

• Make buttons large enough to tap and with clear Arabic text.
• Use bulletproof buttons built with tables or styled links that display consistently.
• Check that text is centred inside buttons and that arrows face the right way.
• Do not rely on images for buttons.

Images and alt text

• Write Arabic alt text for images, since many apps block images by default.
• Make sure the email still communicates if the images do not load.
• Keep image sizes small for fast loading on mobile.
• If an image contains Arabic text, provide the same text in the email body for accessibility.

Email client differences

Different email apps handle right-to-left content differently. Test at least in the apps your customers use most, such as Gmail on Android and iOS, Apple Mail, Outlook desktop and mobile and webmail. Some older versions of Outlook render layouts based on tables with their own quirks.

• Use table-based layouts for broad compatibility.
• Keep CSS simple and inline critical styles.
• Check dark mode, which can invert colours and affect logos and text.
• Check how links, tracking parameters and unsubscribes display in Arabic.

Plain-text version

Provide a plain-text alternative with correct Arabic encoding. Use UTF-8 so that characters display properly everywhere.

Sender name and address

• Use a sender name that customers recognise, in Arabic or English, and keep it consistent.
• Make sure Arabic sender names display correctly in common apps.
• Add your business details and unsubscribe link in Arabic where your audience is Arabic-speaking.

Content and tone

• Have a native writer produce Arabic content rather than translating word for word.
• Choose a register that fits your audience: formal, modern standard or a friendlier tone.
• Adapt examples, offers and imagery to the local context.
• Respect cultural and religious sensitivities, especially in seasonal campaigns.

Testing checklist

1. Send test emails to accounts in Gmail, Apple Mail and Outlook, on desktop and mobile.
2. Check text direction, alignment and line breaks.
3. Check mixed Arabic and English segments, numbers and punctuation.
4. Check buttons, links and images, with images blocked.
5. Check dark mode.
6. Check the plain-text version and the subject and preheader.
7. Check unsubscribe and footer text.
8. Ask a native speaker to proofread the final email on a real phone.

Segment by language

Ask for language preference when people subscribe and send them the matching version. If you send the same email in both languages, separate the sections clearly with headings and use the correct direction for each section. Our segmentation guide explains how to build language segments.

Common mistakes

• Pasting Arabic into an English template without changing direction.
• Left-aligned Arabic text.
• Using letter-spacing on Arabic.
• Relying on images for text.
• Not testing mixed content.
• Using fonts that fall back badly.
• Ignoring Outlook and dark mode.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a separate template for Arabic?

Usually yes, or a template designed to switch direction cleanly. Test it thoroughly.

Can I use emojis in Arabic emails?

Yes, but check placement at the start and end of lines and subject lines, where order can change.

Which email platform is best for Arabic?

Look for platforms with right-to-left support in the editor, and always test the output.

Our email team designs and tests Arabic and bilingual emails that work in all major email apps. Message us on WhatsApp or book a free 30-minute call.