PHP 8 reference · Multibyte String Functions

PHP mb_strlen() Function

Return the number of characters in a string, counting é or 日 as one character. The UTF-8-safe version of strlen().

Create a free account to save this page, take notes and track your progress. Sign in

Syntax

mb_strlen(string $string, ?string $encoding = null): int

Parameter	Description
`string`	The input string.
`encoding` optional	The character encoding; defaults to `mb_internal_encoding()` (UTF-8).

The number of characters.

Characters, not bytesTry it yourself

<?php
$word = "naïve café";
echo strlen($word), "\n";    // bytes
echo mb_strlen($word), "\n"; // characters

Output

12
10

Validate a length limitTry it yourself

<?php
$bio = "Ich heiße Jürgen und wohne in Köln.";
echo mb_strlen($bio) <= 40 ? "fits" : "too long", "\n";

Output

fits

Use mb_strlen() whenever a length limit is shown to people, such as a 40-character bio: users count characters, not bytes.

Version	Change
PHP 4.0	Added

strlen() · Return the length of a string in bytes. Multibyte characters such as é count as several bytes; use mb_strlen() to count characters.
mb_substr() · Return part of a string by character position, so multibyte characters are never cut in half. The UTF-8 version of substr().
mb_str_split() · Split a multibyte string into an array of characters, or of chunks of n characters. The UTF-8-safe str_split().
PHP Strings · tutorial

Was this page helpful?