Unicode 17.0 Beta Review Now Open: What You Need to Know​

🆕 Last updated: June 2025

The Unicode® Consortium has officially opened the beta review period for Unicode 17.0, running through July 1, 2025. This critical review is your chance to examine proposed character property data, algorithm specification updates, and a full draft of the core Unicode Standard text before the final release. In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know—from newly added scripts and CJK Unified Ideographs to key updates in Unicode Standard Annexes (UAX) and Unicode Technical Standards (UTS). By the end, you’ll understand how to participate, what’s changed, and why these updates matter for developers, linguists, and global text processing.

Overview of Unicode 17.0 Beta Review

The Unicode 17.0 beta review phase focuses primarily on verifying:

• Character Property Changes
  Updates to existing properties (e.g., general category, combining class, bidi class).
• Algorithm Specification Updates
  Proposed changes to algorithms in Unicode Standard Annex (UAX) documents (for example, line-breaking rules).
• Core Specification Draft
  A complete draft of the Unicode 17.0 Core Specification text is available for review.

At this stage, the character repertoire is considered stable—no new code points will be introduced. However, characters could still be removed or renamed if strong justification arises. With 4,847 new characters, the total encoded characters in Unicode 17.0 now reach 159,845. Most of these additions bolster CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) support, but you’ll also find modern and historic scripts, plus a brand-new currency symbol.

New Scripts Added in Unicode 17.0

Unicode 17.0 introduces five entirely new scripts, reflecting both modern usage and historical writing systems:

1. Beria Erfe

A modern West African script used primarily in parts of Chad and neighboring regions. Ideal for cataloging contemporary literature and digital content in Beria Erfe.

2. Chisoi

A modern script from northeast India. Supports minority language preservation efforts, enabling better digital communication in local dialects.

3. Tolong Siki

Another northeast Indian modern script, used by tribal communities. Facilitates the documentation of oral traditions and local texts.

4. Tai Yo

The traditional script of the Tai Yo communities in northern Vietnam. Ensures that literary works and cultural heritage in Tai Yo are accurately encoded.

5. Sidetic

A historic ancient Anatolian script dating back several millennia. Critical for historians, archaeologists, and digital epigraphy projects.

Each script block in Unicode 17.0 comes complete with character names, code points, and property definitions. For full details on code-point assignments, see the “delta code charts” linked on the Unicode 17.0 Beta landing page.

Massive Expansion: CJK Unified Ideographs Extension J

One of the headline features of Unicode 17.0 is the CJK Unified Ideographs Extension J block:

• 4,298 new CJK unified ideographs are added, pushing the total number of CJK characters past 100,000.
• Additionally, nearly 2,500 existing CJK ideographs receive horizontal extensions to add regional source references (China, Korea) and updated glyph shapes.

Why This Matters for SEO and Text Processing:
Web developers and font designers can leverage the new CJK Extension J block to ensure proper display of rare or region-specific ideographs. Linguists working on machine learning models for East Asian languages will benefit from the enriched dataset of character variants.

New Currency Symbol: Saudi Riyal Sign

A notable single-character addition is the SAUDI RIYAL SIGN (﷼), created in collaboration with the Saudi Central Bank. This currency symbol:

• Expands Unicode’s support for global financial systems.
• Ensures that e-commerce platforms, banking software, and international payment gateways can encode and display the Saudi riyal without resorting to custom workarounds.

Key Algorithm & Property Updates

Beyond new characters, Unicode 17.0 features important updates to existing algorithms and property assignments. Two major changes stand out:

1. Line Breaking Algorithm (UAX #14)

• A proposed update to UAX #14 introduces a brand-new Line_Break property value, alongside revised line-breaking rules.
• This change aims to improve text wrapping in multilingual environments, particularly for scripts with complex line-breaking patterns (e.g., Thai, Khmer).
• Developers should review the updated Unicode Line Breaking Algorithm draft to ensure their layout engines implement these new break points correctly.

2. Unicode Security Mechanisms (UTS #39)

• UTS #39 (Unicode Security Mechanisms) outlines recommended practices for secure identifier handling (e.g., in usernames, domain names).
• In Unicode 17.0, there are extensive changes to the Identifier_Type property values, refining which characters are allowed or disallowed in security-sensitive contexts.
• Software engineers should revisit this update to prevent spoofing attacks and ensure that their applications enforce the latest recommended identifier profiles.

For a complete list of property and algorithm changes, refer to the Unicode 17.0 Beta landing page and Public Review Issue #526.

How to Participate in the Beta Review

If you work with fonts, text rendering engines, or language data, your feedback is crucial. Here’s how to get involved:

1. Download the Draft Core Specification
   Grab the full Unicode 17.0 Core Specification draft from the beta landing page. Review the new chapters, updated tables, and recommended algorithms.
2. Examine Character Property Data
   Use the delta code charts to inspect newly added characters, scripts, and property assignments. Pay special attention to any changes that might affect your software’s handling of bidirectional text, grapheme clusters, or normalization.
3. Review Annex & Technical Standard Updates
   For UAX #14, test how line breaks occur in long passages—look for unexpected breaks in languages such as Khmer or Lao. For UTS #39, verify that identifiers in your systems conform to the updated security profiles (Identifier_Type values).
4. Submit Feedback Before July 1, 2025
   All comments, bug reports, or suggestions should be filed under Public Review Issue #526 via the Unicode Contact Form. Provide clear evidence (e.g., code samples, font screenshots) to support any proposed changes or corrections.

Participating in beta reviews not only helps catch errors before final publication but also ensures that the Unicode 17.0 release aligns with real-world needs—from mobile apps to desktop publishing and web browsers.

Why Unicode 17.0 Matters for SEO and Digital Communication

• Expanded Script Coverage: By encoding Beria Erfe, Chisoi, Tolong Siki, Tai Yo, and Sidetic, Unicode 17.0 boosts support for underrepresented languages and improves global content indexing. Search engines can now crawl and index content in these scripts more accurately.
• Enhanced CJK Support: With over 100,000 CJK ideographs, websites catering to Chinese, Japanese, and Korean audiences can display rare characters correctly—crucial for e-commerce, literature, and scholarly archives.
• Up-to-Date Algorithms: Implementing the latest line-breaking and security guidelines ensures that your website’s multilingual text renders cleanly, improving user experience and reducing bounce rates. Google’s NLP algorithms favor pages that follow best practices for text rendering and security.
• New Currency Symbol: Support for the Saudi Riyal Sign means online merchants, banking portals, and financial news sites can present pricing and financial data correctly, enhancing user trust and SEO relevance.

Next Steps and Resources

• Visit the Unicode 17.0 Beta Landing Page
  Access code charts, specification drafts, and detailed change logs.
• Review Public Review Issue #526
  Track existing feedback, read discussions, and submit your own comments.
• Subscribe to Unicode Mailing Lists
  Stay informed about final release announcements, telcon summaries, and future roadmap items.

By engaging in the Unicode 17.0 beta review, you help create a more robust, inclusive, and secure text-encoding standard that underpins modern computing—from web development to mobile apps and beyond. Don’t miss your chance to influence the final release before July 1, 2025.