Chinese vertical text layout tool. Render horizontal text in traditional top-to-bottom, right-to-left columns. For classical poetry, calligraphy, traditional publishing, and posters.
Chinese Vertical Text Layout (中文竖排排版)
How to use
Enter text (one line = one column)
Each newline starts a new column. E.g. 4 lines = 4 right-to-left columns.
Adjust font + column width
Sliders give live preview. Classical layouts use larger characters with narrow column gaps.
Print or save PDF
Hit Print — your browser's native "Print → Save as PDF" handles the rest.
Best uses
Classical poetry, couplets (对联), calligraphy practice, traditional publishing, posters, greeting cards.
Vertical Layout: The Default Direction for 3,000+ Years of Chinese
Chinese vertical text (top-to-bottom, right-to-left) was the default writing direction for 3,000+ years. From oracle bone script (Shang dynasty), bamboo slips (Warring States), scrolls (Han-Tang), woodblock printing (Song-Qing), all the way to early-20th-century books and newspapers — all vertical. Horizontal layout is a modern Western influence: Mainland China formally switched in 1955, but Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Japan still preserve vertical layout in many domains.
When to use vertical layout
(1) Classical literature: classical poetry, the Book of Songs, Analects, Tang-Song-Yuan-Ming-Qing poetry — vertical layout restores the historical feel. (2) Couplets (对联): spring couplets (春联), longevity couplets (寿联) — must be vertical, left and right couplets paired. (3) Calligraphy: formal brush calligraphy remains overwhelmingly vertical. (4) Traditional publishing: some Taiwan/HK literary magazines and manga (e.g. 《漫画大王》) use vertical. (5) Design — posters, menus, logos: vertical conveys "traditional, classical, refined".
CSS implementation: writing-mode
Modern browsers support writing-mode: vertical-rl (vertical right-to-left) for this layout. The tricky parts are punctuation positioning (Latin comma rotates in vertical mode, but Chinese 。 must stay upright), character spacing (vertical has different visual density than horizontal), and print margins (vertical pages typically need a larger right margin). This tool uses CSS Grid + writing-mode for print-friendly rendering.
This tool requires no JavaScript libraries — pure CSS + a tiny JS controller (~80 lines). All rendering is in-browser.
10 Facts about Chinese Vertical Text
3,000+ years as the default. From oracle bone script (Shang dynasty, 1600-1046 BCE) onward, Chinese was always vertical. Horizontal layout is a change of the last ~100 years.
Mainland China switched in 1955 (《Guangming Daily》 led the change). Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau retain a mixed convention — newspaper headlines and literature often vertical, body text often horizontal.
Japan still leans vertical. 95%+ of Japanese novels, newspapers, and manga use vertical layout. This is why English-translated Japanese manga "flips pages" (right-to-left) — preserving the original reading direction.
"Couplets" (对联) are China's most iconic vertical-layout use — spring couplets (春联) at Lunar New Year, longevity couplets (寿联) at birthdays, elegies (挽联) at funerals — all two vertical scrolls in parallel pairs.
Right-to-left progression is key to vertical layout — historically because brush writing started from the top-right corner, unrolling right-handed scrolls. Left-to-right horizontal is a Western influence.
CJK punctuation in vertical layout has specific rules: full stop 「。」 and comma 「,」 stay upright; enumeration mark 「、」 hugs the previous character; book title brackets 「《》」 elongate into 「︽︾」. This tool renders by these conventions.
CSS3's `writing-mode` property (specified 2011) is what makes web vertical layout possible. Before that you needed images or complex SVG. All modern browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge) support it natively.
Typography note: classical vertical layouts have tighter character spacing than horizontal (about 80% of line height), and column spacing 2-3× character spacing. This tool's "Col width" slider controls this ratio.
Calligraphy in vertical layout remains the preferred format for formal Chinese writing — wedding invitations, funeral notices, greeting cards, certificates of achievement, typically use vertical brush calligraphy. The "ceremonial-grade" Chinese format.
Pairs with RT-CHN-037 (Simp/Trad), RT-CHN-038 (Full/Half-Width), and RT-CHN-040 (Text Cleaner) — the complete Chinese typography toolset.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Each newline opens a new column. A classical poem with 4 couplets = 4 columns. If a column gets too long, break it manually.
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The tool has print-specific CSS — controls, ads, menus all hidden during print, only the vertical text shown. Use your browser's "Print → Save as PDF". Great for paper posters, couplets, greeting cards.
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The tool uses system Chinese serif fonts (PingFang TC, STKaiti). For authentic brush calligraphy, you'd need a dedicated calligraphic font (Wang Xizhi, Mi Fu rubbings, etc.) — a licensing issue, not bundled with this tool.
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Mobile vertical text is scrollable but tiny on small screens. Recommend landscape mode + smaller font size, or use desktop.
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Couplets are typically 2 panels + a horizontal banner (横披). For the 2 panels: enter 2 lines (right + left). Then separately design the banner (horizontal, placed above).
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By default, Latin letters and digits rotate 90° counterclockwise (the vertical-layout convention). If you want them upright (e.g. "OK" or "2024" standing vertically), you'd need extra CSS `text-orientation: upright` rules.
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It's HTML/CSS-rendered real text — you can select and copy, but copy strips the vertical formatting (back to horizontal). Print to PDF preserves the vertical layout.
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Yes — simplified and traditional both work. Classical vertical layouts traditionally used traditional characters (pre-1955 simplification), so traditional is especially fitting.
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Simplest: screenshot (macOS Cmd+Shift+4, Windows Win+Shift+S). Or: Print → Save as PDF → use any PDF-to-JPG converter. Or a browser screenshot extension.
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Uses CSS `writing-mode: vertical-rl` (2011 standard). Chrome 48+, Safari 10+, Firefox 41+, Edge 12+ all support. IE 11 partially supports (basic display works). Modern browsers recommended.
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