Why does only one label in a domain start with xn--?

Each label is encoded independently. 'münchen.de' becomes 'xn--mnchen-3ya.de' — only the non-ASCII label gets the xn-- prefix; pure-ASCII labels pass through unchanged.

Can I use the Unicode form directly in a browser?

Modern browsers display the Unicode form but send the Punycode form to DNS. Some contexts (email, certificates) may require the Punycode form explicitly for compatibility.

TASK

Decode a Punycode internationalized domain name to Unicode

Convert an ACE-encoded domain (xn--...) back to its readable Unicode form, and encode Unicode domains for DNS lookup.

1

DNS only accepts ASCII. Internationalized Domain Names (IDN) are encoded as Punycode: the Unicode label becomes xn--<ascii>. Decoding restores the original Unicode characters for display.
2

Punycode Decoder →
Paste an ACE label (e.g. xn--mnchen-3ya) to get the Unicode form (münchen). For a full domain, decode each label separately.
3

Punycode Encoder →
Reverse direction: paste a Unicode domain label to get the xn-- form safe for DNS resolution.
4

URL Parser →
Paste a full URL containing an xn-- host. The parser resolves the host label and lets you confirm the Punycode ↔ Unicode mapping.

Frequently asked questions

Why does only one label in a domain start with xn--?: Each label is encoded independently. 'münchen.de' becomes 'xn--mnchen-3ya.de' — only the non-ASCII label gets the xn-- prefix; pure-ASCII labels pass through unchanged.
Can I use the Unicode form directly in a browser?: Modern browsers display the Unicode form but send the Punycode form to DNS. Some contexts (email, certificates) may require the Punycode form explicitly for compatibility.