Text to Unicode Converter

Convert text to Unicode codepoints (like U+1F600 or \uXXXX) and back, with a detailed character-by-character analysis.

Format Separator Keep ASCII as-is

Input (Text or Code)

Result

Characters exceeding U+FFFF, such as emoji or rare Hanja, are stored as surrogate pairs in JavaScript, occupying two UTF-16 code units. Choosing JavaScript format displays these characters as two code units, while ES6 or Unicode standard format displays them as a single codepoint. This tool iterates through codepoints, ensuring emoji are not split and are accurately converted and restored. You can see the actual composition in the UTF-16 column of the detailed table below.

In the Code → Text direction, the tool automatically recognizes U+ notation, JavaScript escapes, ES6 brace notation, HTML decimal (😀) and hexadecimal (😀) entities, and named entities (&hearts;), regardless of the selected format.

What is the Text to Unicode Converter?

Ever wondered about the identity of a broken character (□), special symbol (©), or emoji (😀)? This tool converts text into the unique numbers computers understand—Unicode codepoints—and vice versa. It's essential for developers embedding characters in code, or for designers and writers needing to safely display special characters on the web. More than just a converter, it provides a detailed analysis of every character, breaking it down into its codepoint, UTF-8 bytes, and Unicode category. With seven output formats like JavaScript (\uXXXX) and HTML (&#...;) and a "Keep ASCII as-is" option for readability, you get the exact code you need. And since all conversions happen in your browser, your data remains completely private.

How to use

Paste or type text into the "Input (Text or Code)" box on the left.
The conversion direction is set to "🔄 Auto-detect" by default, automatically handling text or code. You can also force a direction with "Text → Code" or "Code → Text".
When converting text to code, select your desired "Format", such as "\uXXXX — JavaScript (Surrogate Pairs)" or "&#NNNN; — HTML Decimal". Check "Keep ASCII as-is" to leave plain text readable.
The result appears instantly in the right panel. Click the "Copy" button to use it.
Below the result, examine stats like "Characters (Codepoints)" and a full "Character Details" table breaking down every single character in your input.

Text to Unicode Converter guide

How this tool is used in real work, and what to watch out for.

Why an Emoji Can Count as Two Characters

In JavaScript, `"😀".length` evaluates to 2. This isn't a bug; it's due to how strings are stored. JavaScript strings are UTF-16, and each UTF-16 code unit can only hold values up to U+FFFF. Characters beyond that, like most emoji, are stored in two code units called a "surrogate pair."

This is why the tool's stats show both "Characters (Codepoints)" and "UTF-16 Length" side by side. If your text includes an emoji, these two numbers will differ by one, and the "Surrogate Pairs" counter will show you how many such characters there are.

Character	Codepoint	UTF-16	Codepoints / UTF-16 Length
A	U+0041	0041	1 / 1
한	U+D55C	D55C	1 / 1
😀	U+1F600	D83D DE00 (pair)	1 / 2

This is a common source of bugs. A character limit counter might count an emoji as two characters, and `substring(0, 10)` might slice a surrogate pair in half, leaving a broken character. To slice strings safely, first convert the string to an array of codepoints with `Array.from(text)`. This tool uses the same method to ensure emoji are never split and are accurately converted back and forth.

Catching Invisible Characters

If you're sure you typed something correctly but search or string comparison fails, you might have an invisible character hiding in your text. Paste the problematic string into the tool and scan the Codepoint and Category columns in the character details table to expose the culprit.

Character	Codepoint	Common Sources
Non-breaking space (NBSP)	U+00A0	Copying from web pages, Word, or Excel. Causes syntax errors when pasted into code.
Zero-width space	U+200B	WYSIWYG editors and translation tools. Completely invisible.
BOM (Byte Order Mark)	U+FEFF	The start of a file. A frequent cause of JSON parsing failures.
Variation Selector	U+FE0F	Appended to an emoji to request a specific presentation (e.g., colorful).
Left-to-right/Right-to-left Mark	U+200E, U+200F	Documents with mixed scripts, like Arabic or Hebrew.

In the details table, spaces are shown as ␠, newlines as ␊, and control characters as a middle dot (·). You can immediately tell a regular space (U+0020) from an NBSP (U+00A0) by checking the Codepoint column.

The 7 Formats: When to Use Each One

When you change the format, the separator automatically switches to the conventional choice for that format. For example, `\u0041\u0042` is typically written without spaces, while `U+0041 U+0042` is written with them. Your own separator choice is preserved if you change it after the automatic switch.

Checking "Keep ASCII as-is" leaves English letters and numbers readable while escaping only Hangul, emoji, and special characters. This is the most practical combination for creating strings to embed in code.

Format	Example Result (😀)	Where to Use It
\uXXXX — JavaScript	\uD83D\uDE00	JS string literals, legacy codebases
\u{XXXXX} — ES6	\u{1F600}	Modern JS; the codepoint is readable
U+XXXX — Unicode Standard	U+1F600	Referring to a character in documents, issues, or chats
&#NNNN; — HTML Decimal	😀	HTML body, email templates
&#xHHHH; — HTML Hexadecimal	😀	Same as above, but makes the codepoint visible
HTML Named Entities	& · &hearts; etc.	Only for known symbols. Falls back to hex if none exists.
Decimal Codepoint	128512	When you just need the number

Decomposed Hangul — A Normalization Issue

If you unzip a file from macOS on Windows, you might see the characters in Korean filenames break apart. This happens because the same Hangul character, "한글" (Hangeul), can be stored in two ways. The precomposed form (NFC) uses a single codepoint per syllable, while the decomposed form (NFD) uses multiple codepoints for the initial, medial, and final consonants and vowels (*jamo*).

You can use this tool to determine which form you have. Paste the problematic text and look at the character count and the Category column.

If you see "Hangul Syllable" (U+AC00–U+D7A3) and the character count for "한글" is 2, it's precomposed (NFC). This is the standard form.
If you see multiple "Hangul Jamo" (U+1100–U+11FF) and the character count is 6, it's decomposed (NFD). This is the form macOS filesystems use.
If you see "Hangul Compatibility Jamo" (U+3130–U+318F), it means the letters were typed individually (like ㄱ and ㅏ on a keyboard), which is different from both NFC and NFD.

This tool does not perform normalization (NFC/NFD conversion). You can only use it to diagnose which form a string is in. For actual conversion, use `text.normalize("NFC")` in your code or find a tool that supports normalization. When comparing filenames or search terms, the rule is to normalize both sides to NFC before comparing.

Decoding vs. Auto-Detection

When converting from Code → Text, the tool recognizes all known notations, regardless of the selected format. You can mix `U+D55C`, `\uD55C`, `\u{D55C}`, `한`, `한`, and `&hearts;` in the same input.

However, auto-detection only identifies the input as code if prefixed notations (like `U+` or `\u`) cover the entire string. It won't automatically decode something like "D55C AE00" because that could just be plain text.

To decode prefix-less code, you must manually select the "Code → Text" direction.
If your values are hexadecimal, keep the format set to a hex-based option like JavaScript or U+XXXX.
To decode decimal codepoints (like 54620), you must change the format to "Decimal Codepoint" to make the tool read them as base-10 numbers.

There's no way to know if a bare number is hexadecimal or decimal, so the tool uses your format selection as a hint. For example, `55` is the character 'U' if read as hex, but '7' if read as decimal.

Frequently asked questions

Can this tool handle emoji?

Yes, perfectly. Emoji like 😀 are correctly converted to their codepoints (U+1F600) and back. The tool properly handles surrogate pairs, and the "Character Details" table even shows the UTF-16 structure.

Is my input text data secure?

Absolutely. This tool operates 100% within your web browser. No text you enter is ever sent to our servers, so you can safely convert sensitive or private information without any privacy concerns.

Which output format should I choose?

Use "&#...;" (HTML Decimal/Hex) for web pages, `\uXXXX` for JavaScript or JSON strings, and `U+XXXX` for technical documentation. The tool's format names suggest their common uses.

What does "Keep ASCII as-is" do?