Last Call on Unicode 11.0 Review

The beta review period for Unicode 11.0 and related technical standards will close on April 23, 2018. This is the last opportunity for technical comments before version 11.0 is released in Q2 2018. Implementers and interested parties are encouraged to download data files, review proposed updates, and submit comments.

Unicode 11.0 adds seven new scripts, including Hanifi Rohingya, 66 additional emoji characters, including four new components for hair color (for a total of 157 emoj sequences). The set of Georgian Mtavruli capital letters has been added to support modern casing practices.

• For more information about testing the 11.0 beta, see unicode.org/versions/beta-11.0.0.html
• For the current draft summary of Unicode 11.0, see unicode.org/versions/Unicode11.0.0

In addition to the Unicode core specification, five Unicode Standard Annexes and two Unicode Technical Standards have significant specification and/or data file updates that are correlated with the new additions for Unicode 11.0.0. Review of those changes is strongly encouraged during the beta review period.

UAX #14, Unicode Line Breaking Algorithm

• Uses Extended_Pictographic property for future-proofing

UAX #29, Unicode Text Segmentation

• New support for Indic virama handling
• Uses Extended_Pictographic property for future-proofing
• A new table of formal regex definitions

UAX #31, Unicode Identifier and Pattern Syntax

• Refines the use of ZWJ in identifiers
• Broadens the definition of hashtag identifiers

UAX #38, Unicode Han Database (Unihan)

• Five new fields and improved regular expressions.
• Document extension of Unihan properties to non-Unihan

UAX #44, Unicode Character Database

• New property Equivalent_Unified_Ideograph
• New regular expressions Bidi_Paired_Bracket & Equivalent_Unified_Ideograph
• More discussion of emoji variation sequences
• Clarification of values allowed for the Age property

UTS #10, Unicode Collation Algorithm

• Updates data to Unicode 11.0
• Clarification of search tailoring in visual-order scripts

UTS #39, Unicode Security Mechanisms

• Updates data to Unicode 11.0
• Enhances discussions of joining controls & combining sequences

UTS #46, Unicode IDNA Compatibility Processing

• Updates data to Unicode 11.0
• Changes the format of the test file for arbitrary input settings
• Updates input setting for Transitional_Processing

UTS #51, Unicode Emoji

• Supplies Extended_Pictographic property for future-proofing
• Simplifies emoji sequence definitions
• EBNF and Regex expressions for loose matches
• More proposed guidelines: gender-neutral emoji, skin-tone modifiers, ZWJ visible fallbacks, hair-style components
• Mechanism for changing the “facing” direction for emoji

Please review the documentation, adjust your code, test the data files, and report errors and other issues to the Unicode Consortium by April 23, 2018. Feedback instructions are in each public review page. For more information, see the open public review issues.

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Over 130,000 characters are available for adoption, to help the Unicode Consortium’s work on digitally disadvantaged languages.

Announcing The Unicode® Standard, Version 9.0

Version 9.0 of the Unicode Standard is now available. Version 9.0 adds exactly 7,500 characters, for a total of 128,172 characters. These additions include six new scripts and 72 new emoji characters.

The new scripts and characters in Version 9.0 add support for lesser-used languages worldwide, including:

• Osage, a Native American language
• Nepal Bhasa, a language of Nepal
• Fulani and other African languages
• The Bravanese dialect of Swahili, used in Somalia
• The Warsh orthography for Arabic, used in North and West Africa
• Tangut, a major historic script of China

Important symbol additions include:

• 19 symbols for the new 4K TV standard
• 72 emoji characters such as the following

Smileys & people		ROLLING ON THE FLOOR LAUGHING
		FACE PALM
Hand gestures		HAND WITH INDEX AND MIDDLE FINGERS CROSSED
Animals		BUTTERFLY
Food		AVOCADO
		SHALLOW PAN OF FOOD
Drink		CLINKING GLASSES
Travel		MOTOR SCOOTER
Sports		PERSON DOING CARTWHEEL

For the full list, see emoji additions for Unicode 9.0. For a detailed description of support for emoji characters by the Unicode Standard, see UTR #51, Unicode Emoji.

Three other important Unicode specifications have been updated for Version 9.0:

• UTS #10, Unicode Collation Algorithm — sorting Unicode text
• UTS #39, Unicode Security Mechanisms — reducing Unicode spoofing
• UTS #46, Unicode IDNA Compatibility Processing — compatible processing of non-ASCII URLs

Some of the changes in Version 9.0 and associated Unicode technical standards and reports may require modifications in implementations. For more information, see Unicode 9.0 Migration and the migration sections of UTS #10, UTS #39, UTS #46, and UTR #51. For full details on Version 9.0, see http://unicode.org/versions/Unicode9.0.0/

Announcing The Unicode® Standard, Version 8.0

Version 8.0 of the Unicode Standard is now available. It includes 41 new emoji characters (including five modifiers for diversity), 5,771 new ideographs for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, the new Georgian lari currency symbol, and 86 lowercase Cherokee syllables. It also adds letters to existing scripts to support Arwi (the Tamil language written in the Arabic script), the Ik language in Uganda, Kulango in the Côte d’Ivoire, and other languages of Africa. In total, this version adds 7,716 new characters and six new scripts.

The first version of Unicode Technical Report #51, Unicode Emoji is being released at the same time. That document describes the new emoji characters. It provides design guidelines and data for improving emoji interoperability across platforms, gives background information about emoji symbols, and describes how they are selected for inclusion in the Unicode Standard. The data is used to support emoji characters in implementations, specifying which symbols are commonly displayed as emoji, how the new skin-tone modifiers work, and how composite emoji can be formed with joiners. The Unicode website now supplies charts of emoji characters, showing vendor variations and providing other useful information.

The 41 new emoji in Unicode 8.0 include the following:

Diversity	five emoji modifiers
Faces and Hands	NERD FACE, FACE WITH ROLLING EYES, ROBOT FACE
Food-Related	HOT DOG, TACO, CHEESE WEDGE, POPCORN
Sports	CRICKET BAT AND BALL, VOLLEYBALL, BOW AND ARROW
Animals	UNICORN FACE, LION FACE, CRAB, SCORPION
Religious	MOSQUE, SYNAGOGUE, PRAYER BEADS

(For the full list, including images, see emoji additions for Unicode 8.0.)

Phones and computers often need operating system updates to support new emoji, which may take some time. It is also now clear which existing characters, such as the often requested SHOPPING BAGS, can be used as emoji. Once phones and computers support these characters, people will be able to see colorful images such as the BOTTLE WITH POPPING CORK above.

Three other important Unicode specifications are updated for Version 8.0:

• UTS #10, Unicode Collation Algorithm — for sorting Unicode text
• UTS #39, Unicode Security Mechanisms — for reducing Unicode spoofing
• UTS #46, Unicode IDNA Compatibility Processing — for compatible processing of non-ASCII URLs

Some of the changes in Version 8.0 and associated Unicode technical standards may require modifications in implementations. For more information, see Unicode 8.0 Migration and the migration sections of UTS #10, UTS #39, and UTS #46. For full details on Version 8.0, see Unicode 8.0.

Proposed Update UAXes for Unicode 8.0

Proposed updates for several of the Unicode Standard Annexes for Version 8.0 of the Unicode Standard have been posted for public review. See http://www.unicode.org/review/ for details and links to the various documents.

UTS #10, Unicode Collation Algorithm has also been posted for public review. In this update, Cyrillic contractions have been removed. See the Modifications section of the draft document for further information.

Review periods for provision of feedback on these proposed updates close on October 20, 2014 for the November UTC meeting, but there will be further opportunities for feedback on the annexes after that November meeting.

To supply feedback on these issues, please see http://www.unicode.org/review/#feedback

Announcing The Unicode Standard, Version 7.0

Version 7.0 of the Unicode Standard is now available, adding 2,834 new characters. This latest version adds the new currency symbols for the Russian ruble and Azerbaijani manat, approximately 250 emoji (pictographic symbols), many other symbols, and 23 new lesser-used and historic scripts, as well as character additions to many existing scripts. These additions extend support for written languages of North America, China, India, other Asian countries, and Africa. For full details, see http://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode7.0.0/.

Most of the new emoji characters derive from characters in long-standing and widespread use in Wingdings and Webdings fonts. Additions to emoji characters include, for example:

Major enhancements were made to the Indic script properties. New property values were added to enable a more algorithmic approach to rendering Indic scripts. These include properties for joining behavior, new classes for numbers, and a further division of the syllabic categories of viramas and rephas. With these enhancements, the default rendering for newly added Indic scripts can be significantly improved.

Unicode character properties were extended to the new characters. The old characters have enhancements to Script and Alphabetic properties, and casing and line-breaking behavior. There were also nearly 3,000 new Cantonese pronunciation entries, as well as new or clarified stability policies for promoting interoperable implementations.

Two other important Unicode specifications are maintained in synchrony with the Unicode Standard, and have updates for Version 7.0. These will be released at the same time:

• UTS #10, Unicode Collation Algorithm — the standard for sorting Unicode text
• UTS #46, Unicode IDNA Compatibility Processing — for processing of non-ASCII URLs (IDNs)

Unicode 7.0 Annexes Available for Early Review

As technical work gets underway to prepare the publication of Unicode 7.0 (tentatively scheduled for June, 2014), the Unicode Technical Committee has posted proposed updates for several important specifications:

PRI #260, Proposed Update UTS #10, Unicode Collation Algorithm
PRI #261, Proposed Update UAX #15, Unicode Normalization Forms
PRI #262, Proposed Update UAX #44, Unicode Character Database

In UTS #10, collation weights are discussed more generically, with fewer references to the 16-bit weights used in the DUCET. Section 6.3.2, Large Values for Secondary or Tertiary Weights was merged into Section 6.2, Large Weight Values. In UAX #44, the derivation of the Alphabetic property has been updated and the discussion of @missing in Section 4.2.10 @missing Conventions has been simplified to reflect the revised conventions in the UCD data files, which eliminated special edge cases.

Review periods for these new public review issues close January 27, 2014. For details about reviewing and commenting, please see the Public Review Issues page.

http://unicode-inc.blogspot.com/2013/12/unicode-70-annexes-available-for-early.html