Does MySQL\'s Regexp Feature Support Unicode?

Unicode Compatibility of MySQL's Regexp Feature

While MySQL supports regular expressions (regex) for pattern matching, there has been some confusion regarding its compatibility with Unicode characters.

Does MySQL Regexp Support Unicode?

As indicated in MySQL's documentation, the REGEXP and RLIKE operators operate in a byte-wise fashion, meaning they are not multi-byte safe. Consequently, they may not accurately match Unicode characters, especially when dealing with accented or non-ASCII characters.

Alternative for Unicode Pattern Matching

Due to the limitations of regexp for Unicode matching, it is generally recommended to use the LIKE operator instead. The LIKE operator provides a more reliable and collation-aware approach for pattern matching with Unicode characters.

Leveraging Positional Matching with LIKE

Although MySQL's regex feature does not directly support positional matching for Unicode, it can be emulated using the LIKE operator. To match at the beginning or end of a string, use the following syntax:

• Beginning of string: WHERE foo LIKE 'bar%'
• End of string: WHERE foo LIKE '�r'

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