Punycode Converter - IDN Domain Encoder/Decoder

Convert internationalized domain names (IDN) to Punycode and back. Encode Unicode domains for DNS. Essential for multilingual web addresses.

Unicode Domain / Punycode

Result

Examples

Unicode	Punycode
münchen.de	xn--mnchen-3ya.de
北京.中国	xn--1lq90i.xn--fiqs8s
москва.рф	xn--80adxhks.xn--p1ai
日本語.jp	xn--wgv71a119e.jp
café.fr	xn--caf-dma.fr

Domain Analysis

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Frequently Asked Questions

Punycode is an encoding that converts Unicode characters to ASCII for use in domain names. It allows non-Latin characters (Chinese, Arabic, Cyrillic) in web addresses.

DNS only supports ASCII characters (a-z, 0-9, hyphen). Punycode converts Unicode domains like 'münchen.de' to ASCII 'xn--mnchen-3ya.de' that DNS can handle.

The 'xn--' prefix identifies a Punycode-encoded domain (ACE prefix - ASCII Compatible Encoding). Everything after it is the encoded Unicode text.

Browsers automatically convert displayed Unicode domains to Punycode for DNS lookup. You see 'münchen.de' but the browser queries 'xn--mnchen-3ya.de'.

No. While Punycode can encode any Unicode, registrars restrict allowed characters. Most permit their language's script plus ASCII letters and digits.

Attackers register domains using similar-looking characters (Cyrillic 'а' vs Latin 'a') to create phishing URLs. Browsers may show Punycode for suspicious domains.

Email addresses can use internationalized domains, but local parts (before @) have limited Unicode support. Many systems still require ASCII-only email addresses.

Each label (between dots) can be up to 63 characters in Punycode form. The encoded version is often longer than the Unicode original.

Yes. Punycode encoding is fully reversible. The original Unicode text can be perfectly recovered from the encoded form.

Some TLDs allow emoji domains (🍕.ws), encoded via Punycode. However, most registrars don't allow emoji, and they pose usability and security concerns.

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