diff --git a/moo/configure b/moo/configure
index 0ad318f..b4ccea9 100755
--- a/moo/configure
+++ b/moo/configure
@@ -1504,8 +1504,8 @@ Optional Features:
   --enable-ltdl-install   install libltdl
   --enable-debug          build the library in the debug mode (default. no)
   --enable-unicode        Use the unicode character type as the default
-                          character type. one of yes, no, ucs2, ucs4 (default.
-                          yes)
+                          character type. one of yes, no, yes:2, yes:4, no:2,
+                          no:4 (default. yes)
   --enable-cxx            build the library for C++ if a C++ compiler is
                           available (default. yes)
   --enable-dynamic-module enable dynamic module capability(default. yes)
@@ -22530,20 +22530,43 @@ else
 
 fi
 
-if test "${enable_unicode}" = "yes"
+if test "${enable_unicode}" = "yes:4"
 then
 
+$as_echo "#define MOO_UNICODE_SIZE 4" >>confdefs.h
+
+
 $as_echo "#define MOO_ENABLE_UNICODE 1" >>confdefs.h
 
-elif test "${enable_unicode}" = "ucs2"
+elif test "${enable_unicode}" = "yes:2"
 then
 
-$as_echo "#define MOO_ENABLE_UNICODE 2" >>confdefs.h
+$as_echo "#define MOO_UNICODE_SIZE 2" >>confdefs.h
 
-elif test "${enable_unicode}" = "ucs4"
+
+$as_echo "#define MOO_ENABLE_UNICODE 1" >>confdefs.h
+
+elif test "${enable_unicode}" = "yes"
 then
 
-$as_echo "#define MOO_ENABLE_UNICODE 4" >>confdefs.h
+$as_echo "#define MOO_UNICODE_SIZE 1" >>confdefs.h
+
+
+$as_echo "#define MOO_ENABLE_UNICODE 1" >>confdefs.h
+
+elif test "${enable_unicode}" = "no:4"
+then
+
+$as_echo "#define MOO_UNICODE_SIZE 4" >>confdefs.h
+
+elif test "${enable_unicode}" = "no:2"
+then
+
+$as_echo "#define MOO_UNICODE_SIZE 2" >>confdefs.h
+
+else
+
+$as_echo "#define MOO_UNICODE_SIZE 1" >>confdefs.h
 
 fi
 
diff --git a/moo/configure.ac b/moo/configure.ac
index e101640..47304b2 100644
--- a/moo/configure.ac
+++ b/moo/configure.ac
@@ -645,20 +645,31 @@ else
 	AC_SUBST(BUILD_MODE, "release")
 fi
 
-AC_ARG_ENABLE([unicode],
-	[AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-unicode],[Use the unicode character type as the default character type. one of yes, no, ucs2, ucs4 (default. yes)])],
+AC_ARG_ENABLE([unicode], 
+	[AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-unicode],[Use the unicode character type as the default character type. one of yes, no, yes:2, yes:4, no:2, no:4 (default. yes)])],
 	enable_unicode=$enableval,
 	enable_unicode=yes
 )
-if test "${enable_unicode}" = "yes"
+if test "${enable_unicode}" = "yes:4"
 then
+	AC_DEFINE([MOO_UNICODE_SIZE],[4],[Unicode character type size])
 	AC_DEFINE([MOO_ENABLE_UNICODE],[1],[Use the unicode character type as the default character type])
-elif test "${enable_unicode}" = "ucs2"
+elif test "${enable_unicode}" = "yes:2"
 then
-	AC_DEFINE([MOO_ENABLE_UNICODE],[2],[Use the unicode character type as the default character type])
-elif test "${enable_unicode}" = "ucs4"
+	AC_DEFINE([MOO_UNICODE_SIZE],[2],[Unicode character type size])
+	AC_DEFINE([MOO_ENABLE_UNICODE],[1],[Use the unicode character type as the default character type])
+elif test "${enable_unicode}" = "yes"
 then
-	AC_DEFINE([MOO_ENABLE_UNICODE],[4],[Use the unicode character type as the default character type])
+	AC_DEFINE([MOO_UNICODE_SIZE],[1],[Unicode character type size])
+	AC_DEFINE([MOO_ENABLE_UNICODE],[1],[Use the unicode character type as the default character type])
+elif test "${enable_unicode}" = "no:4"
+then
+	AC_DEFINE([MOO_UNICODE_SIZE],[4],[Unicode character type size])
+elif test "${enable_unicode}" = "no:2"
+then
+	AC_DEFINE([MOO_UNICODE_SIZE],[2],[Unicode character type size])
+else
+	AC_DEFINE([MOO_UNICODE_SIZE],[1],[Unicode character type size])
 fi
 
 AC_ARG_ENABLE([cxx], 
diff --git a/moo/lib/moo-cfg.h.in b/moo/lib/moo-cfg.h.in
index ab74a1e..a8923b3 100644
--- a/moo/lib/moo-cfg.h.in
+++ b/moo/lib/moo-cfg.h.in
@@ -542,6 +542,9 @@
 /* Define if socklen_t is signed */
 #undef MOO_SOCKLEN_T_IS_SIGNED
 
+/* Unicode character type size */
+#undef MOO_UNICODE_SIZE
+
 /* Define if dlsym() requires a leading underscore in symbol names. */
 #undef NEED_USCORE
 
diff --git a/moo/lib/moo-cmn.h b/moo/lib/moo-cmn.h
index 092e5c8..6c7fde7 100644
--- a/moo/lib/moo-cmn.h
+++ b/moo/lib/moo-cmn.h
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@ typedef unsigned char           moo_bchu_t; /* unsigned version of moo_bch_t for
 #define MOO_SIZEOF_BCH_T MOO_SIZEOF_CHAR
 #define MOO_SIZEOF_BCI_T MOO_SIZEOF_INT
 
-#if defined(MOO_ENABLE_UNICODE) && (MOO_ENABLE_UNICODE == 4)
+#if defined(MOO_UNICODE_SIZE) && (MOO_UNICODE_SIZE >= 4)
 #	if defined(__GNUC__) && defined(__CHAR32_TYPE__)
 	typedef __CHAR32_TYPE__    moo_uch_t;
 #	else