Variation Selector 17

It requests a registered glyph variant after a Han character. An ideographic variation sequence (IVS) pairs a Han character—a Chinese-derived character used in East Asian writing—with this selector. The base character keeps its identity; the pair tells a supporting font which glyph form to draw.

The standards history around variation selectors includes earlier Mongolian free selectors recorded in a Unicode note from 2000 and a 2003 proposal to reuse the general selector pool for ideographic variants. The goal was plain-text typography: Japanese publishing needed to preserve distinctions between kanji forms that font choice alone could not guarantee. Adobe-Japan1, a collection of Japanese glyphs, was formally registered in 2007. Separate collections can specify different regional or institutional forms.

How do I type a complete IVS?

Use an IVS-aware input method to enter the registered pair. An IVS consists of its Han base followed by the selector; the font must also support that exact pair. OpenType fonts list supported pairs in a character-map table called Format 14. If a pair is undefined or unsupported, the base character remains and VS17 stays invisible.