How to Type 髙 (Hashigodaka), 﨑 (Tatsusaki) and 𠮷 (Tsuchiyoshi), and Why They Garble

What 髙, 﨑 and 𠮷 are: platform-dependent characters and characters "not in Shift_JIS"

All three are variants of the everyday characters 高, 崎 and 吉, not traditional forms. They're handwritten shapes that spread and survived as surnames in family registers, and you also see them in company names and signs, such as the logos of Takashimaya (髙島屋) and Yoshinoya. On a computer, though, each of the three is handled differently.

The basis of Japanese character encoding is the JIS X 0208 standard, which contains about 6,300 Level 1 and Level 2 characters. 髙 and 﨑 weren't in this standard, so they've been used as characters that NEC and IBM added on their own for PCs (platform-dependent characters). Windows' character encoding (CP932) includes the IBM extension characters, so they display fine between Windows machines, but systems that assume only JIS X 0208 can't handle them.

𠮷 is even harder to handle: it isn't anywhere in Shift_JIS. Even in Unicode, it lies outside the range that contains commonly used characters (up to U+FFFF), in "CJK Unified Ideographs Extension B", and inside a computer it's represented as a "surrogate pair" that combines two code units. That's why 𠮷 garbles even more easily than 髙 or 﨑.

How to type them on a computer or phone

The easiest way is to convert the whole surname. IME dictionaries often include variants of common surnames, so try converting the surname's reading first.

If conversion just won't produce them, enter 高橋, 山崎 or 吉田 in the "Name Variants" tab of the Japanese Old Kanji and Variant Converter. Spellings containing 髙, 﨑 and 𠮷 are listed, so you can copy them directly. For people you write to often, registering the copied name in your user dictionary makes it easier next time.

When do they garble? 6 cases where they turn into "?"

Modern computers and phones handle text in Unicode, so simply displaying these characters on screen is rarely a problem. They garble when text is "converted to another character encoding" or "passes through a system built on old assumptions".

• 1. Exporting to a Shift_JIS CSV: 𠮷 isn't in Shift_JIS, so it's replaced with "?" the moment you save, and it can't be restored. 髙 and 﨑 can be saved in Windows' Shift_JIS (CP932), but they garble if the importing side only handles JIS X 0208.
• 2. Sending email as ISO-2022-JP: ISO-2022-JP, the traditional encoding for Japanese email, officially covers only the JIS X 0208 range. Most email software now sends UTF-8, but with older settings or software, 髙, 﨑 and 𠮷 can drop out.
• 3. Rejection by web forms: some application forms reject anything outside JIS Levels 1 and 2 with a message such as "platform-dependent characters can't be used". In that case you have no choice but to enter 高, 崎 or 吉.
• 4. Failure to save in a database: MySQL's old character set setting (utf8/utf8mb3) can only store characters up to 3 bytes, so 𠮷, which takes 4 bytes, fails to save or the string gets cut off at that point. Switching to utf8mb4 fixes it.
• 5. Being counted as 2 characters: 𠮷 is a surrogate pair, so counting with JavaScript's length and similar methods counts it as 2 characters, and an input limit such as "up to 10 characters" may count it as one extra.
• 6. Address printing, printers and old phones: if the font doesn't contain the character, it prints as a blank, a dot or a box. This is a common problem in New Year card software and company address label printing.

Data that was saved after being replaced with "?" or a dot can't be restored to the original character later. To tell whether garbled text can be recovered, see Can "�" and "?" garbled text be restored?; for choosing a CSV encoding, see How to fix CSV files that garble in Excel.

Other name characters that garble as easily as 髙, 﨑 and 𠮷

Among the characters used in names, there are others that are platform-dependent like 髙 and 﨑, or missing from Shift_JIS like 𠮷. Here's a summary of the results judged by the Japanese Old Kanji and Variant Converter.

驒 in Hida (飛驒) and 鷗 in the writer Mori Ogai (森鷗外) are the forms made standard for print by the 2000 list of character forms for kanji outside the Joyo list, but Shift_JIS only contains the abbreviated forms 騨 and 鴎. Situations involving names with traditional or variant forms are common, so it's reassuring to check once before handing data over.

What to do when you want a name handled correctly, or just need it not to garble

1. 1

   Check the other system's character encoding

   If the recipient supports UTF-8, you can use 髙, 﨑 and 𠮷 as they are. For a CSV that must be Shift_JIS, or a form that says "no platform-dependent characters", you need to substitute the everyday characters.

2. 2

   Find the characters that can't be used

   Paste a list or email text into the "Character Check" tab of the Japanese Old Kanji and Variant Converter, and it judges each character as JIS Level 1 or 2, platform-dependent (NEC special characters or IBM extension characters) or not in Shift_JIS, colours the risky ones and suggests replacements.

3. 3

   Keep the original spelling when you substitute

   Even when a system forces you to register 高橋, noting "official spelling is 髙橋" in a remarks field lets the person's own characters be used on mail and certificates. For lists, keeping two columns, one for display and one for matching, is recommended.

4. 4

   Standardise your own systems on UTF-8

   Use UTF-8 (with BOM) for CSV files, utf8mb4 for databases and UTF-8 for email, and you can handle almost every name, including 髙, 﨑 and 𠮷, as is. When counting characters, count a surrogate pair as one.

Related reading

• Traditional forms and which ones garble: What are kyujitai? A list of the traditional forms of Joyo kanji and why they were simplified
• Surname variants list: 斉藤, 斎藤, 齋藤 and 齊藤 and a list of surname variants
• Variants of 辺: 渡辺, 渡邊 or 渡邉?
• CSV character encodings: How to fix CSV files that garble in Excel

FAQ

How do I type hashigodaka (髙)?

On Windows, Mac and phones, converting "taka" or "takahashi" usually offers 髙 as a candidate (on Windows it's labelled [環境依存], platform-dependent). In Word you can type "9ad9" and press Alt+X, and in Excel use =UNICHAR(39641).

How do I type tatsusaki (﨑)?

Converting "saki" or "yamasaki" often offers 﨑 as a candidate. In Word, type "fa11" and press Alt+X; in Excel, use =UNICHAR(64017). If it doesn't appear, enter 山崎 in the Japanese Old Kanji and Variant Converter and copy 山﨑 for a sure result.

Why does 𠮷 (tsuchiyoshi) garble?

Because 𠮷 isn't in Shift_JIS, and even in Unicode it sits at U+20BB7, in the range that needs a surrogate pair. It's always lost in Shift_JIS CSV files and email, can't be stored in old databases, and some software counts it as 2 characters.

Are 髙 and 﨑 platform-dependent characters?

Yes. Neither is in JIS Level 1 or 2; both are IBM extension characters and are classed as platform-dependent. They display on Windows and recent phones, but can't be used in systems that assume only JIS X 0208 or in web forms that reject platform-dependent characters.

What can I do when a web form won't accept 髙?

If the form doesn't accept platform-dependent characters, you have no choice but to enter 高. If you want the correct character used on things like mail addresses, write "official spelling uses 髙" in a remarks field, or ask the help desk how to register it.