# Supporting Emoji in identifiers
**URL:** https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/supporting-emoji-in-identifiers/16838
**Category:** language design
**Created:** [June 17, 2022, 11:21pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/supporting-emoji-in-identifiers/16838 "2022-06-17T23:21:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@lemonjamesd](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/lemonjamesd)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2022, 11:21pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/supporting-emoji-in-identifiers/16838/1 "2022-06-17T23:21:00Z")
Have the ability to put emojis in identifiers
```nohighlight
fn ๐ณ() {}
```
Error:
```nohighlight
error: identifiers cannot contain emoji: `๐ณ`
--> src/main.rs:1:14
|
1 | macro_rules! ๐ณ {
| ^^
...
7 | fn ๐ณ() {}
| ^^
```
**I NEED THIS FEATURE.**
---
### Author:  [@josh](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/josh)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2022, 11:33pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/supporting-emoji-in-identifiers/16838/2 "2022-06-17T23:33:51Z")
We did consider this when considering Unicode identifiers, and intentionally decided against it. While it would be entertaining, it would also sacrifice maintainability. Sorry. ๐
---
### Author:  [@cuviper](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/cuviper)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2022, 11:41pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/supporting-emoji-in-identifiers/16838/3 "2022-06-17T23:41:20Z")
In case you're not aware, Rust follows the Unicode standard for `XID_Start` and `XID_Continue`:
[https://www.unicode.org/reports/tr31/](https://www.unicode.org/reports/tr31/)
... with the sole addition of `_` as a start character.
---
### Author:  [@lemonjamesd](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/lemonjamesd)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2022, 11:44pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/supporting-emoji-in-identifiers/16838/4 "2022-06-17T23:44:45Z")
Maintainability of libraries? Or something else?
---
### Author:  [@afetisov](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/afetisov)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2022, 1:15am UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/supporting-emoji-in-identifiers/16838/5 "2022-06-18T01:15:51Z")
It is indeed most unfortunate that legacy standards such as `XID_Start` and `XID_Continue` unicode properties prevent the use of perfectly cromulent and inclusive symbols such as emojies. Fortunately, at least we can get a partial workaround using even more ancient text standards, e.g. egyptian hieroglyphs. This is valid Rust code:
```rust
let ๐ = 1u32;
let ๐ฃ = 2u32;
let ๐ฌ = 3u32;
let ๐ธ = vec![๐, ๐ฃ, ๐ฌ];
let ๐ซ = ๐ธ.into_boxed_slice();
let ๐ญ = ๐ซ.len();
```
You just need to disable pesky `uncommon_codepoints` lints.
If you think that all the good stuff was in the past and they just don't make languages like the old ones anymore (just look at chinese, gosh! that's what I call a bloated language!), you can use the simple and natural cuniform from a more civilized age:
```rust
let ๐ฉ = 1u32;
let ๐ฏ = 2u32;
let ๐ = 3u32;
let ๐
= vec![๐ฉ, ๐ฏ, ๐];
let ๐ณ = ๐
.into_boxed_slice();
let ๐ซ = ๐ณ.len();
```
Even a child can write that one! And they said COBOL was archaic ๐ ๐ฆ
The learned ones may prefer something more exquisite, with subtle artistic expression in the stroke of every symbol:
```rust
let ๊ฆ = 1u32;
let ๊ฆฏเทฏ = 2u32;
let ๊งฎ = 3u32;
let ๊ฉถ = vec![๊ฆ, ๊ฆฏเทฏ, ๊งฎ];
let ๊ฌค = ๊ฉถ.into_boxed_slice();
let ๊ = ๊ฌค.len();
```
Ah, Unicode! You're a real treasure tr๊ฎve of beautiful artisanal code!
---
### Author:  [@cuviper](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/cuviper)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2022, 1:45am UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/supporting-emoji-in-identifiers/16838/6 "2022-06-18T01:45:18Z")
It seems I don't have the fonts for most of your symbols... ๐
---
### Author:  [@chrefr](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/chrefr)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2022, 11:52pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/supporting-emoji-in-identifiers/16838/7 "2022-06-18T23:52:59Z")
This will require us removing [this error](https://play.rust-lang.org/?version=stable&mode=debug&edition=2021&gist=cf826cb5d6ac4ebc2bef6317f4231d3d) ๐ญ
```rust
error: Ferris cannot be used as an identifier
--> src/main.rs:2:9
|
2 | let ๐ฆ = 0;
| ^^ help: try using their name instead: `ferris`
```
---
### Author:  [@lemonjamesd](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/lemonjamesd)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2022, 11:34am UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/supporting-emoji-in-identifiers/16838/8 "2022-06-19T11:34:11Z")
You could just allow everything but crab.
---
### Author:  [@toc](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/toc)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2022, 6:00pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/supporting-emoji-in-identifiers/16838/9 "2022-06-19T18:00:26Z")
It wouldn't work. Long term all emoji will converge to crab forms regardless.
---
### Author:  [@CAD97](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/CAD97)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2022, 8:59pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/supporting-emoji-in-identifiers/16838/10 "2022-06-19T20:59:33Z")
Someone should make an emoji font where all of the people emoji are crabs (and maybe other crustaceans via skin tone selectors?)
---
### Author:  [@tech6hutch](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/tech6hutch)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2022, 8:29pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/supporting-emoji-in-identifiers/16838/11 "2022-06-27T20:29:09Z")
Ok but could we maybe have this behind a permanently nightly feature gate? Please? ๐ฅบ ๐ฅบ ๐ฅบ
---
### Author:  [@cuviper](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/cuviper)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2022, 10:05pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/supporting-emoji-in-identifiers/16838/12 "2022-06-27T22:05:24Z")
Maybe someone could write a [Punycode](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punycode) mangler as a proc-macro.
---
### Author:  [@crlf0710](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/crlf0710)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2022, 2:44am UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/supporting-emoji-in-identifiers/16838/13 "2022-07-02T02:44:22Z")
This won't work currently. We'll need item name position macro and pattern position macros available before we get something like this to work๏ผ
```rust
fn sym!("โ
")() {
let sym!("โก") = 42;
}
```
---
### Author:  [@matt1985](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/matt1985)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2022, 3:23am UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/supporting-emoji-in-identifiers/16838/14 "2022-07-02T03:23:54Z")
Regarding that code, while the function name isn't a valid place for invoking a proc macro, patterns (such as in `let sym!("โก") =`) _are_ a valid place to call one.
[https://play.rust-lang.org/?version=stable&mode=debug&edition=2021&gist=1b7e42be0b334d08fdd1edc8df39f498](https://play.rust-lang.org/?version=stable&mode=debug&edition=2021&gist=1b7e42be0b334d08fdd1edc8df39f498)
```rust
use paste::paste;
fn main(){
let paste!([]) = 100;
println!("{foobar}");
}
```
prints
```rust
100
```
---
### Author:  [@cuviper](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/cuviper)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2022, 3:50pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/supporting-emoji-in-identifiers/16838/15 "2022-07-02T15:50:34Z")
While I was kidding, I was imagining it as an attribute macro that operates on an entire function or block to replace the identifiers within. I guess the complier would have to be able to tokenize that first though, so that won't really work.
Maybe instead, use a true preprocessor on ".๐ฆ" files to output plain ".rs" sources.
---
### Author:  [@scottmcm](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/scottmcm)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2022, 11:10pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/supporting-emoji-in-identifiers/16838/16 "2022-07-02T23:10:46Z")
> [@cuviper](#):
>
> ".๐ฆ"
That sounds like a great April Fools PR/RFC: accept `lib.๐ฆ` filenames.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://internals.rust-lang.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2022, 11:11pm UTC](https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/supporting-emoji-in-identifiers/16838/17 "2022-09-30T23:11:15Z")
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