Bijoy vs Unicode: The Difference and Which One to Use
If you have ever opened a Bangla document and seen evsjv‡`k instead of বাংলাদেশ, you have met the Bijoy versus Unicode problem. Both can show perfect Bangla on screen, but they store the text in completely different ways. This guide explains the difference in plain words and tells you which one to use for print, web, phones and forms.
Bijoy is a font trick, Unicode is a standard
Bijoy (with fonts such as SutonnyMJ, made popular by Mustafa Jabbar's Bijoy keyboard software in the 1990s) stores Bangla as ordinary English letter codes. The letter ক is saved as the Latin letter K. It only looks like Bangla because the SutonnyMJ font draws a Bangla shape for that code. Remove the font and the text collapses into gibberish. This is called ASCII or ANSI encoding.
Unicode gives every Bangla letter its own permanent code. ক is always U+0995, whatever font or device shows it. Avro Keyboard, Google's Bangla keyboards, iPhones, Android, Facebook, WhatsApp and every website use Unicode.
Side by side
| Bijoy (SutonnyMJ) | Unicode (Avro, Kalpurush, Noto) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it works | Only where the SutonnyMJ font is installed: mostly Word, InDesign, Photoshop on Windows | Everywhere: web, phones, email, Google Docs, databases |
| Search and copy | Search fails, copying to a web form produces junk | Search works, copy-paste is safe |
| Print quality | Excellent, the reason print shops still use it | Excellent with modern fonts (Kalpurush, SolaimanLipi, Noto Serif Bengali) |
| Typing | Bijoy keyboard layout, must be learnt | Phonetic (type bangla, get বাংলা) or Bijoy-style layouts |
| Long-term safety | Files become unreadable if the font is lost | Permanent |
Which one should you use?
- Website, blog, Facebook, email, forms, PDF that people will search: Unicode. Always.
- A newspaper, book or leaflet going to a print shop that asks for SutonnyMJ: write in Unicode, then convert the final text with the Unicode to Bijoy converter just before sending it.
- Old Bijoy documents you want to reuse: convert them once with the Bijoy to Unicode converter and keep the Unicode version.
- Government forms that still say "Bijoy": most now accept Unicode fonts such as Nikosh. When they really need SutonnyMJ, convert only the final copy.
How to tell which one you have
- Select the Bangla text and change the font to Arial.
- If it turns into Latin gibberish like
Avgvi †`k, it is Bijoy. If it stays Bangla, it is Unicode. - Another test: paste it into a Google search box. Unicode stays readable, Bijoy does not.
Common problems and fixes
"My converted text has broken letters"
Bijoy text often carries stray codes from the keyboard. Convert it, then run the result through the Bangla text fixer to repair split vowel signs and letter order.
"Word shows boxes instead of Bangla"
The Unicode font is missing or Word's complex-script support is off. Install a Unicode Bangla font (Kalpurush or Noto Sans Bengali) and select it for the text.
"I only know the Bijoy keyboard layout"
Avro Keyboard and Google Input Tools both offer a Bijoy-style Unicode layout. You keep your finger memory and get Unicode output. Or type phonetically on our Bangla typing page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bijoy going away?
Slowly. New systems are Unicode-only, but Bangladesh's print industry still runs on SutonnyMJ, so converters will be needed for years.
Is Avro the same as Unicode?
Avro is a keyboard program. What it produces is Unicode text. "Avro font" is a common misnomer for any Unicode Bangla font.
Can a converter be 100 percent accurate?
Almost. Bijoy has no fixed rules for a few conjuncts and vowel-sign orders, so one or two words per page may need a manual check. The text fixer catches most of them.
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