Punycode Converter
Type a domain such as bücher.example to get xn--bcher-kva.example, or paste a Punycode name to see the real characters. URLs and email addresses are handled too.
Worked examples
Domains
bücher.example münchen.de 日本語.jp
xn--bcher-kva.example xn--mnchen-3ya.de xn--wgv71a119e.jp
Each non-ASCII label gets the xn-- prefix.
A URL
https://münchen.de/karte
https://xn--mnchen-3ya.de/karte
Only the host changes.
About Punycode Converter
Domain names are sent over the network using only letters, digits and hyphens. To allow names such as münchen.de or 日本語.jp, each label that contains other characters is converted to Punycode, a compact ASCII encoding, and given the prefix xn--. The conversion is defined in RFC 3492, and it is what a browser does before it looks up the name.
This converter encodes and decodes each label on its own, lower cases the result, and leaves labels that are already plain ASCII untouched. For a URL it changes only the host and leaves the path and query as they are, and for an email address only the part after the at sign. Paste a list, one per line. It does not apply the full set of mapping rules for unusual characters, so it is best for checking and reading names and not for deciding whether a name can be registered.
How to use Punycode Converter
- Choose To Punycode or To readable characters.
- Paste domains, URLs or email addresses, one per line.
- Read the converted list.
- Copy it into your DNS, certificate or configuration.
Common uses
- Setting up DNS or a certificate for an international domain
- Reading an xn-- name in a log
- Spotting look-alike domains that use letters from another alphabet
- Converting email addresses with international domains
Frequently asked questions
What does xn-- mean?
It marks a label as Punycode. The rest is the ASCII form of the original characters, so xn--bcher-kva decodes to bücher.
Does the path of a URL change?
No. Only the host is converted. The path and query are left as they are.
How can this help spot fake domains?
A name that mixes look-alike letters from another alphabet has a different Punycode form from the real one. Converting a suspicious domain shows the xn-- name and the real characters.
Is the result lower case?
Yes. Domain labels are case insensitive and the converter writes them in lower case before encoding.
Does it check that a name can be registered?
No. Registries apply their own rules about which characters and scripts are allowed. This tool only converts.