IDN (Internationalized Domain Names) are domain names written in alphabets other than Latin (Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, etc.). Examples: компания.uz (Cyrillic), 文化.cn (Chinese), شركة.com (Arabic). DNS only accepts ASCII (Latin) characters, so IDNs get converted to a format called Punycode.
What is Punycode?
Punycode is an algorithm that converts Unicode (universal alphabet) characters into ASCII. With Punycode, any-alphabet domain name can work in DNS.
Example: компания.uz becomes xn--80aengtjjic4a.uz in Punycode. The browser shows компания.uz to the user, but DNS queries use xn--80aengtjjic4a.uz.
When to use IDN
For local audiences — if your customers prefer reading Cyrillic.
When the brand is in Cyrillic form and you want a domain in that form.
SEO — Google accepts IDNs but with some SEO limitations.
IDN drawbacks
User acceptance — typing a Cyrillic domain in an email address is hard (info@компания.uz).
Browser compatibility — older browsers may show Punycode instead of the original.
Homograph attacks — security risk. Example: paypal.com (Latin) vs. раураl.com (Cyrillic r, a, l look like Latin) — used for phishing. Chrome and Firefox have protections.
At SEO scale, international audience reach is limited.
Uzbek IDN status
The .uz registry supports IDN — you can register компания.uz, ҳаёт.uz, etc. But it's not recommended for new projects.
Uzbek Cyrillic ("сайт" for sayt.uz) or Latin spelling doesn't differ for DNS, but the user experience differs.
Sayt.uz practice
0.3% of Sayt.uz clients register IDN domains — mostly to hold a Cyrillic form of the brand as an additional registration. A rare use case. Tip: for a new project pick a Latin-alphabet domain — universal acceptance, professional email, good SEO.