unicode encoding

noun

UK /ˈjuːnɪkəʊd ɪnˈkəʊdɪŋ/

US /ˈjunɪkoʊd ɪnˈkoʊdɪŋ/

A way for computers to store and share letters and symbols from all the world's languages.

The website uses Unicode encoding so it can show Chinese, Arabic, and English text on the same page.

SYNONYMS

character encoding text encoding Unicode transformation character set encoding

RELATED WORDS

UTF-8 UTF-16 code point character set font

OTHER MEANINGS

2. The process of converting text into Unicode code points and bytes.

Unicode encoding turned the emoji into a sequence of bytes the app could save.

3. A standard system that gives every character a unique number.

Because of Unicode encoding, the letter 'A' has the same number on every computer.

4. A method that lets one file hold text in many languages at once.

Unicode encoding made it possible to mix Japanese and Spanish in one document.