ICANN Releases Version 6 of Root Zone Label Generation Rules — Key Updates Unveiled

On 25 September 2025, ICANN officially rolled out Root Zone Label Generation Rules Version 6 (RZ-LGR-6) along with Maximal Starting Repertoire Version 6 (MSR-6). These specifications define which Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) labels and their variant forms are permissible in the DNS root zone. The MSR serves as the foundational set of characters from which local communities propose script-specific rules.

MSR-6 was prepared following a public comment period and is upward compatible with its predecessor, MSR-5. Among its key updates are a shift in Unicode version from 11.0 to 16.0 and refinements to character sets for the Arabic, Ethiopic, Khmer, and Tibetan scripts. The changes aim to broaden and modernize script support.

Integration of New Scripts and Enhancements

With RZ-LGR-6, ICANN has incorporated the Thaana script, following its own public comment review process. In addition, improvements have been applied to the RZ-LGRs for Devanagari, Bengali (Bangla), Khmer, and Japanese scripts, reflecting community proposals vetted by Generation Panels.

At present, RZ-LGR-6 encompasses a total of 28 scripts, including (but not limited to) Arabic, Armenian, Chinese (Han), Cyrillic, Gujarati, Hebrew, Kannada, Latin, Tamil, Thai, and many others. Over time, remaining scripts not yet included may be added in future versions as their proposals mature.

Community Process and Governance

The development and maintenance of RZ-LGR is governed by a defined procedure — “Procedure to Develop and Maintain the Label Generation Rules for the Root Zone in Respect of IDNA Labels.” Script communities propose language-specific rules through Generation Panels (GPs), which are reviewed through public comment and integration into future root zone versions.

Following the activation of version 5, the Thaana script community completed its proposal and it was integrated in this sixth iteration. Through public comment and expert input, the latest version ensures that national and linguistic communities can more reliably obtain top-level domain delegations in their native scripts.

Why This Matters

By publishing RZ-LGR-6 and MSR-6, ICANN strengthens the technical foundation that enables top-level domains (TLDs) to operate securely and stably across a wide range of scripts and languages. This enhances global language diversity on the internet and ensures that domain names in non-Latin scripts can function just as robustly as Latin ones.

In essence, this update represents a crucial step toward a more inclusive, multilingual DNS architecture — one where more communities can meaningfully participate in the naming of internet resources in their native writing systems.