# phpman > info > unicode_start

[UNICODE_START(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/UNICODESTART/1/markdown)            General Commands Manual           [UNICODE_START(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/UNICODESTART/1/markdown)

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 Uni-
       code (UTF-8) mode.

       For the keyboard this means that one can attach 16-bit U+xxxx values to
       keyboard  keys  using [loadkeys(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/loadkeys/1/markdown), 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.

SEE ALSO
       [dumpkeys(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/dumpkeys/1/markdown), [kbd_mode(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/kbdmode/1/markdown), [loadkeys(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/loadkeys/1/markdown), [unicode_stop(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/unicodestop/1/markdown), [utf-8(7)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/utf-8/7/markdown),  set-
       [font(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/font/8/markdown)

kbd                               3 Feb 2001                  [UNICODE_START(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/UNICODESTART/1/markdown)