Unicode is a global standard that assigns a unique number to every character in every language so that text appears correctly on all computers, websites, and printed documents.Without Unicode, Sinhala, Tamil, and even English letters can become unreadable when viewed on a different computer, software or operating systems. Unicode ensures your documents display correctly everywhere. Unicode enables accurate searching, copying, and archiving of text and prevents character corruption in emails, PDFs, and websites

Example:

Character Unicode Code Point Description
A U+0041 Latin capital letter A
a U+0061 Latin small letter a
අ U+0D85 Sinhala letter අ
அ U+0B85 Tamil letter அ
😊 U+1F60A Smiling face emoji

The University of Colombo recommends the use of a Unicode-compatible font for all publicly available computerized documents and web pages. These fonts should be selectable text or embedded, ensuring compatibility with screen reader applications for accessibility by visually impaired individuals. While Unicode-compatible fonts are not limited to those listed below, these are some of the most popular and widely used fonts. There are many other fonts available that support Unicode.

Most Commonly Used Unicode Fonts

Language Fonts Description
English Calibri, Cambria, Arial, Times New Roman, Segoe UI Unicode fonts included in Microsoft Office and Windows
Sinhala Iskoola Pota Unicode Sinhala font included in Microsoft Windows [link]
Tamil Latha Unicode Tamil font included in Microsoft Windows [link]

Setting Up Unicode Typing in Windows 10/11

For Windows:

  • Open Settings and go to Time & Language → Language & Region.
  • If Sinhala or Tamil is already available, press Windows + Spacebar to toggle between languages, or click the language icon on the taskbar.
  • If the languages are not available, click Add a language.
  • Search for Sinhala or Tamil, click Next, then click Install.
  • You will now see the language icon on your taskbar.

For macOS:

  • Open System Settings and go to Language & Region.
  • If Sinhala or Tamil is already available, select it from the list or click the input menu in the top-right corner of the screen to toggle languages.
  • If the languages are not available, click the + button at the bottom left.
  • Search for Sinhala or Tamil, select the language, then click Add.
  • You will now see the language icon in the top menu bar, allowing you to switch between languages.