---
title: "What Is IDN (Internationalized domain name)? | Grit Brokerage"
description: "A domain name that uses characters outside basic English letters, such as Chinese, Arabic, Cyrillic or accented Latin letters. Systems store it in an..."
url: https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/idn
publisher: Grit Brokerage
contact: https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/contact
offer: https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/inquiry
---

Domain types

# Internationalized domain name (IDN)

A domain name that uses characters outside basic English letters, such as Chinese, Arabic, Cyrillic or accented Latin letters. Systems store it in an ASCII form that begins with "xn--".

## Why it matters

An IDN lets a business use its name in its own script. For example, münchen.de is stored as xn--mnchen-3ya.de. Support in browsers, email and apps has improved but is still uneven. IDNs also bring lookalike risk, since some characters look alike across scripts. For buyers, an IDN can be a strong local brand asset. For sellers, the buyer pool is smaller and often regional. A common mistake is expecting an IDN to behave like an English name for email or search. Test it in the apps your customers use.

Source: [icann.org](https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/idn-2012-02-25-en)

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