---
name: "unicode_start"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "kbd"
version: "2.10.0-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/unicode_start"
---

# unicode\_start(1)

put keyboard and console in unicode mode

## NAME

unicode\_start - put keyboard and console in unicode mode

## SYNOPSIS

**unicode\_start** \[*font* \[*umap*\]\]

## DESCRIPTION

The **unicode\_start** command will put the keyboard and console into Unicode (UTF-8) mode.

For the keyboard this means that one can attach 16-bit U+xxxx values to keyboard keys using [**loadkeys**(1)](/loadkeys/1.md), and have these appear as UTF-8 input to user programs. Also, that one can type hexadecimal Alt-xxxx using the numeric keypad, and again produce UTF-8.

For the console this means that the kernel expects UTF-8 output from user programs, and displays the output accordingly.

The parameter *font* is a font that is loaded. It should have a built-in Unicode map, or, if it hasn't, such a map can be given explicitly as second parameter. When no font was specified, the current font is kept.

## NOTE

Unicode mode is a parameter with a value per virtual console. However, usually the font and keymap is common to all consoles.

## AUTHORS

Andries Brouwer \<aeb@cwi.nl\>

## SEE ALSO

[**dumpkeys**(1)](/dumpkeys/1.md), [**kbd\_mode**(1)](/kbd_mode/1.md), [**loadkeys**(1)](/loadkeys/1.md), [**unicode\_stop**(1)](/unicode_stop/1.md), [**utf-8**(7)](/utf-8/7.md), [**setfont**(8)](/setfont/8.md)