Developer

Unicode Escape Converter

Convert text to and from Unicode escape sequences (\uXXXX). Encode non-ASCII characters for JSON and source code, or decode escapes to text.

Last reviewed by the Radiatus Cloud team

Convert text to Unicode escape sequences (\\uXXXX) and back.

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Convert text to Unicode escapes

Unicode escape sequences represent characters by their code point in the form backslash-u followed by four hex digits, such as the escape for an accented e. They are used in JSON, JavaScript, Java and many other languages to write characters that are hard to type or that must be ASCII-safe. This converter encodes text into these escapes and decodes escapes back into readable text. By default it escapes only non-ASCII characters, keeping ordinary letters intact, but you can escape every character if you need a fully ASCII-safe string.

Characters above the basic plane, such as many emoji, are written as surrogate pairs of two escapes, matching how JavaScript and JSON represent them.

When escaping helps

Developers escape Unicode when embedding non-ASCII text in source code or data that must travel through ASCII-only channels, when debugging encoding problems, or when a system mangles raw characters. Decoding is just as useful for reading escaped strings found in JSON payloads, log files and configuration.

The decoder also understands the brace form backslash-u-brace for code points and the backslash-x form for bytes, so it handles the common escape styles. All conversion happens locally in your browser, so your text stays private.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Unicode escape sequence?

It is a way to write a character by its code point, as backslash-u followed by four hex digits, used in JSON, JavaScript, Java and other languages.

Does it escape normal English letters?

Only if you choose to escape all characters. By default ASCII letters are left as-is and only characters above code point 127 are escaped.

How are emoji handled?

Characters beyond the basic plane are written as surrogate pairs of two escapes, exactly as JavaScript and JSON represent them.

What escape forms can it decode?

It decodes the four-digit backslash-u form, the brace backslash-u-brace form for code points, and the two-digit backslash-x byte form.

Why use fully ASCII-safe output?

Some systems only transmit ASCII reliably. Escaping every non-ASCII character guarantees the string survives such channels without corruption.

Privacy & Security

Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

Data: None
Client-side-Side
Active
v1.0

How to Use

Enter text to escape, or escape sequences to decode.

Disclaimer: This tool is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Results are for educational and utility purposes.