scope:

ISO/IEC 10646 specifies the Universal Multiple-Octet Coded Character Set (UCS). It is applicable to the representation, transmission, interchange, processing, storage, input, and presentation of the written form of the languages of the world as well as of additional symbols. This document: specifies the architecture of ISO/IEC 10646, defines terms used in ISO/IEC 10646, describes the general structure of the coded character set; specifies the Basic Multilingual Plane (BMP) of the UCS, specifies supplementary planes of the UCS: the Supplementary Multilingual Plane (SMP), the Supplementary Ideographic Plane (SIP) and the Supplementary Special-purpose Plane (SSP), defines a set of graphic characters used in scripts and the written form of languages on a world-wide scale; specifies the names for the graphic characters of the BMP, SMP, SIP, SSP and their coded representations; specifies the four-octet (32-bit) canonical form of the UCS: UCS-4; specifies a two-octet (16-bit) BMP form of the UCS: UCS-2; specifies the coded representations for control functions; specifies the management of future additions to this coded character set. The UCS is a coding system different from that specified in ISO/IEC 2022. The method to designate UCS from ISO/IEC 2022 is specified in clause 16.2. A graphic character will be assigned only one code position in the standard, located either in the BMP or in one of the supplementary planes.