Yezidi (Unicode block)

The Yezidi Unicode block is a block of characters in the Unicode Standard allocated for the Yezidi script. The script is used to write the Yezidi language, also known as Ezidki, an Indo-European language spoken primarily by the Yezidi people, an ethno-religious group primarily residing in northern Iraq, with communities also in Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, and Syria, as well as a significant diaspora.

The Yezidi script is relatively new, standardized and formalized only in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Before its standardization, the Yezidi language was primarily transmitted orally. The script is alphabetic and written from right to left.

The Yezidi Unicode block was introduced in Unicode version 13.0 in March 2020. It contains a range of characters representing the letters of the Yezidi alphabet, as well as various punctuation marks and other symbols used in the written language. The inclusion of the Yezidi script in Unicode enables the representation and processing of the language on computers and other digital devices, contributing to its preservation and promotion. The block facilitates the creation of digital content in Yezidi, including documents, websites, and educational materials.

Prior to the Unicode standardization, Yezidi was often written using modified versions of the Arabic or Latin scripts, which were not always accurate representations of the phonology of the Yezidi language. The dedicated Yezidi Unicode block provides a more precise and unambiguous representation of the language's written form.

The Yezidi block resides in the Supplementary Multilingual Plane (SMP).