What is a QR code?
A QR (“Quick Response”) code is a square pattern built for fast camera scans. It can hold a URL, a short message, Wi‑Fi setup text, and more. Most phone camera apps recognize it without a separate app.
2D barcodes and QR
Classic barcodes store data in one horizontal line; 2D barcodes store data in a grid, so they carry more information in the same printed area. QR is one 2D format, standardized as ISO/IEC 18004 and widely recognized. Others include Data Matrix and Aztec; QR is the most common for consumer use.
What characters can I encode?
This tool encodes your text as UTF-8 bytes in the QR payload. Latin letters, digits, spaces, Korean and other languages, many punctuation symbols, and most emoji are generally fine. Very unusual characters or long emoji sequences may render or scan differently depending on the reader OS and font. Avoid raw control characters. For critical use cases (payments, auth), prefer short URLs and test with the target scanner.
How much data fits? (bytes vs characters)
Capacity depends on QR version (grid size) and error-correction level (L/M/Q/H). Higher correction tolerates damage but reduces payload for the same version. Roughly speaking, maximum is on the order of thousands of bytes in favorable settings; Korean text often uses about three UTF-8 bytes per syllable, so byte count—not character count—hits the limit first. If generation fails, shorten the text or try a lower correction level.
How to use this tool
Type or paste text and the QR updates below. Choose error-correction level and image size, then save a PNG for slides, posters, or business cards. Character count and UTF-8 byte count help you estimate size.
Scanning and printing tips
For print, keep strong contrast and a physically large enough code. Prefer this page’s PNG export over blurry screenshots. If scanning fails, adjust length, correction level, or print size.