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Everything about UTF-16

Variable-width encoding of Unicode, using one or two 16-bit code units

UTF-16 (16-bit Unicode Transformation Format) is a character encoding that supports all 1,112,064 valid code points of Unicode. The encoding is variable-length as code points are encoded with one or two 16-bit code units. UTF-16 arose from an earlier obsolete fixed-width 16-bit encoding now known as UCS-2 (for 2-byte Universal Character Set), once it became clear that more than 216 (65,536) code points were needed, including most emoji and important CJK characters such as for personal and place names. Wikipedia →

🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path

  1. Read the overview: UTF-16A 5-minute orientation
  2. Skim a recent paper: Antifungal mechanisms of the antagonistic bacterium Bacillus mojavensis UTF-33 and its potential as a new biopesticideInfluential work since 2022
  3. Pick up a classic book: Introduction to Computing Using PythonThe most-reprinted book on the subject
  4. Read the landmark paper: Presumed pluripotency markers UTF-1 and REX-1 are expressed in human adult testes and germ cell neoplasmsCited 86 times
  5. Go sideways: UTF-32A closely related topic
  6. Go sideways: UTF-8A closely related topic

📖 Definitions

No dictionary entry for this exact phrase.

🗂️ The subject at a glance

  1. History
  2. Description
  3. Byte-order encoding schemes
  4. Efficiency
  5. Usage

🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)

🆕 Influential since 2022

📚 Books worth reading

Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.

🔗 Related topics