View source for ISO 15924

{{Short description|Defines two sets of codes for a number of writing systems}}
'''ISO 15924''', '''''Codes for the representation of names of scripts''''', is an [[ISO standard|international standard]] defining codes for [[writing systems]] or <dfn>scripts</dfn> (a "set of graphic characters used for the written form of one or more languages"). Each script is given both a four-letter code and a numeric code.<ref name=ISO-15924:2004>{{cite web|title=ISO 15924:2004|url=http://unicode.org/iso15924/|access-date=2011-06-21}}</ref>

Where possible the codes are derived from [[ISO 639-2]], where the name of a script and the name of a language using the script are identical (example: [[Gujarati script|Gujarātī]] ISO 639 guj, ISO 15924 Gujr). Preference is given to the 639-2 Bibliographical codes, which is different from the otherwise often preferred use of the Terminological codes.<ref name=ISO-15924:2004 />

4-letter ISO 15924 codes are incorporated into the [[IANA Language Subtag Registry]] for [[IETF language tag]]s and so can be used in file formats that make use of such language tags. For example, they can be used in [[HTML]] and [[XML]] to help [[Web browser]]s determine which [[typeface]] to use for foreign text. This way one could differentiate, for example, between [[Serbian language|Serbian]] written in the [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]] (<code>sr-Cyrl</code>) or [[Latin script|Latin]] (<code>sr-Latn</code>) script, or mark [[romanization|romanized]] or [[transliteration|transliterated]] text as such.

==Maintenance==
ISO appointed the [[Unicode Consortium]] as the [[Registration Authority]] (RA) for the standard. The RA is responsible for appointing a registrar who works with a Joint Advisory Committee (JAC) in developing and implementing the standard. The registrar from 2004 to 2018 was [[Michael Everson]], and from January 2019 the registrar has been Markus Scherer of [[Google]].<ref>{{Cite web | title=ISO 15924 Registration Authority | url=https://www.unicode.org/iso15924/ | publisher=[[Unicode Consortium]] | access-date=24 January 2019 }}</ref> The JAC consists of six members: one representative of the RA (Markus Scherer), one representative of [[ISO 639-2]] (Randall K. Barry of the [[Library of Congress]]), one representative of [[ISO/TC 37]] (Christian Galinski), one representative of [[ISO/TC 46]] (Peeter Päll), and two representatives of [[ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 2]] (Rick McGowan and Jan Kučera, both affiliated with the Unicode Consortium).<ref name="JAC info">{{cite web | title=Joint Advisory Committee ISO 15924/RA-JAC | url=http://unicode.org/iso15924/iso15924jac.html | publisher=[[Unicode Consortium]] | access-date=24 January 2019 }}</ref>

==Script codes==
===Numeric ranges===
*{{mono|000–099}} [[Hieroglyphic]] and [[cuneiform]] scripts
*{{mono|100–199}} [[Right-to-left alphabetic]] scripts
*{{mono|200–299}} [[Left-to-right alphabetic]] scripts
*{{mono|300–399}} [[Alphasyllabary|Alphasyllabic]] scripts
*{{mono|400–499}} [[Syllabary|Syllabic]] scripts
*{{mono|500–599}} [[Ideogram|Ideographic]] scripts
*{{mono|600–699}} [[Undeciphered writing systems|Undeciphered scripts]]
*{{mono|700–799}} [[Shorthand|Shorthands]] and other notations<ref>
In July, 2010, [[Duployan shorthand]] was assigned code 755, even though the 700-799 range still carried its original designation of (unassigned). Shortly thereafter, Revision 1.1 clarified that codes in the 700s were reserved for "Shorthands and other notations", although that revision is only provisional until it can be confirmed by governing committees.
</ref>
*{{mono|800–899}} (unassigned)
*{{mono|900–999}} [[Private Use Areas|Private use]], alias, special codes<ref>
{{cite web | title=ISO 15924:2004 Information and documentation — Codes for the representation of names of scripts | url=https://www.unicode.org/iso15924/standard/index.html | date=2004-01-09 | publisher=[[Unicode Consortium]] }}
</ref>

===Special codes===
*{{mono|Qaaa–Qabx (900–949)}}: 50 Codes reserved for private use (for example, {{mono|Qaag}} is defined in [[LDML]] to mark [[Burmese language|Burmese]] text encoded for the [[Zawgyi font]])<ref name="TR35">{{cite web |last1=Davis |first1=Mark |title=Unicode Locale Data Markup Language (LDML) |url=https://unicode.org/reports/tr35/#Unicode_Language_and_Locale_Identifiers |website=unicode.org |access-date=11 December 2023 |language=en |date=2023-10-25 |quote=Qaag is a special script code for identifying the non-standard use of Myanmar characters for display with the Zawgyi font. The purpose of the code is to enable migration to standard, interoperable use of Unicode by providing an identifier for Zawgyi for tagging text, applications, input methods, font tables, transformations, and other mechanisms used for migration.}}</ref>
*{{mono|Zsye 993}}: [[Emoji]]
*{{mono|Zinh 994}}: Code for inherited script{{efn|According to the [http://www.unicode.org/reports/tr24/tr24-31.html#Script_Values Unicode Standard, Annex #24, version 13.0.0] {{code|Inherited}} is the Unicode script property value of "characters that may be used with multiple scripts, and that inherit their script from a preceding base character. These include nonspacing combining marks and enclosing combining marks, as well as U+200C ZERO WIDTH NON-JOINER and U+200D ZERO WIDTH JOINER." The value {{code|Inherited}} is described as matching the ISO 15924 code {{code|Zinh}}.}}
*{{mono|Zmth 995}}: [[Mathematical notation]]
*{{mono|Zsym 996}}: [[Symbols]]
*{{mono|Zxxx 997}}: Code for unwritten documents
*{{mono|Zyyy 998}}: Code for undetermined script
*{{mono|Zzzz 999}}: Code for uncoded script

===Exceptionally reserved codes===

Two four-letter codes are reserved at the request of the [[Common Locale Data Repository]] (CLDR) project:<ref name="codelist">{{cite web|title=ISO 15924:2004 – Codes for the representation of names of scripts|url=https://www.unicode.org/iso15924/codelists.html|publisher=[[Unicode]]|year=2025}}</ref>
*{{mono|Root}}: Reserved for the language-neutral base of the CLDR locale tree
*{{mono|True}}: Reserved for the [[Boolean value]] "true"

==List of codes==
This list of codes is from the ISO 15924 standard.<ref name="codelist" />
{{ISO 15924 script codes and related Unicode data|state=uncollapsed}}

==Relations to other standards==
The following standards are referred to as indispensable by ISO 15924.
* [[ISO 639-2]]:1998 Codes for the representation of names of languages — Part 2: Alpha-3 code
* ISO/IEC 9541-1:1991 Information technology — Font information interchange — Part 1: Architecture
* [[ISO/IEC 10646-1:2000(E)|ISO/IEC 10646-1:2020]] Information technology — Universal Multiple-Octet Coded Character Set (UCS)

For definition of font and glyph the standard refers to
* ISO/IEC 9541-1:1991

Around 160 scripts are defined in '''[[Unicode]]'''. Through a linkpin called "Property Value Alias", Unicode has made a 1:1 connection between a script defined, and its ISO 15924 standard. See [[Script (Unicode)]].

==See also==
* [[List of scripts with no ISO 15924 code]]
==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=29546 ISO 15924:2004]
* [https://www.unicode.org/iso15924/ ISO 15924 Registration Authority] ([[Unicode]])
* [https://www.unicode.org/iso15924/codelists.html Official ISO 15924 code lists]
* [https://www.unicode.org/iso15924/codechanges.html Overview of changes in time]

{{ISO standards}}
{{Unicode navigation}}

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[[Category:ISO 15924| ]]
[[Category:ISO standards|#15924]]
[[Category:Writing systems]]
[[Category:2004 introductions]]