CJK compatibility ideograph F9DD

Yes: both encode the same Han character.

Unicode maps 利 to 利 as a compatibility variant: an extra encoded form retained so older character-set conversions can be reversed without losing the original form. This code point belongs to a block kept for round-trip conversion with KS X 1001, a Korean character standard that encoded some identical-looking Hanja (Chinese characters used in Korean writing) more than once for different readings.

利’s earliest attested forms appear on oracle bones from the Shang period—animal bones and turtle shells used for divination. Later forms appear in Western Zhou and Warring States inscriptions and in seal script. Interpretations differ: one reads grain beside a knife as harvesting, while another sees a plough-like right side. Both connect the form to agriculture. Later Chinese and Japanese senses include sharp, useful, advantage, profit, and interest. Japanese katakana リ takes the right side of 利, while hiragana り descends from its cursive form.

Why does 利 turn into 利?

NFKC and NFKD can fold 利 into 利.

NFKC and NFKD are Unicode normalization modes that fold compatibility variants. That can help equivalent text match in search and indexing, but it removes the distinction between the two code points. If exact archival data or a conversion test matters, retain the original form before normalization.

Use 利 only when the old encoding matters

For new Chinese, Japanese, or Korean writing, use 利. Keep 利 when reproducing legacy data, testing a conversion path, or matching a source that explicitly contains this form. Using a compatibility form as decoration can make matching less predictable, and a font may lack its glyph.