How is the 🇩🇪 character represented in Swift strings?

Question

Like some other emoji characters, the 0x0001F1E9 0x0001F1EA combination (German flag) is represented as a single character on screen although it is really two different Unicode character points combined. Is it represented as one or two different characters in Swift?

Answer 1

With Swift 5, you can iterate over the unicodeScalars property of a flag emoji character in order to print the Unicode scalar values that compose it:

let emoji: Character = "🇮🇹"
for scalar in emoji.unicodeScalars {
    print(scalar)
}
/*
 prints:
 🇮
 🇹
 */

If you combine those scalars (that are Regional Indicator Symbols), you get a flag emoji:

let italianFlag = "🇮" + "🇹"
print(italianFlag) // prints: 🇮🇹
print(italianFlag.count) // prints: 1

---

Each Unicode.Scalar instance also has a property value that you can use in order to display a numeric representation of it:

let emoji: Character = "🇮🇹"
for scalar in emoji.unicodeScalars {
    print(scalar.value)
}
/*
 prints:
 127470
 127481
 */

You can create Unicode scalars from those numeric representations then associate them into a string:

let scalar1 = Unicode.Scalar(127470)
let scalar2 = Unicode.Scalar(127481)
let italianFlag = String(scalar1!) + String(scalar2!)
print(italianFlag) // prints: 🇮🇹
print(italianFlag.count) // prints: 1

---

If needed, you can use Unicode.Scalar's escaped(asASCII:) method in order to display a string representation of the Unicode scalars (using ASCII characters):

let emoji: Character = "🇮🇹"
for scalar in emoji.unicodeScalars {
    print(scalar.escaped(asASCII: true))
}
/*
 prints:
 \u{0001F1EE}
 \u{0001F1F9}
 */

let italianFlag = "\u{0001F1EE}\u{0001F1F9}"
print(italianFlag) // prints: 🇮🇹
print(italianFlag.count) // prints: 1

---

String's init(_:radix:uppercase:) may also be relevant to convert the scalar value to an hexadecimal value:

let emoji: Character = "🇮🇹"
for scalar in emoji.unicodeScalars {
    print(String(scalar.value, radix: 16, uppercase: true))
}
/*
 prints:
 1F1EE
 1F1F9
 */

let italianFlag = "\u{1F1EE}\u{1F1F9}"
print(italianFlag) // prints: 🇮🇹
print(italianFlag.count) // prints: 1

Answer 2

let flag = "\u{1f1e9}\u{1f1ea}"

then flag is 🇩🇪 .

For more regional indicator symbols, see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_Indicator_Symbol