Internet address system expands with 4 suffixes

The oversight agency for Internet addresses says it has added four domain name suffixes -- the first of hundreds expected in the coming years in the online addressing system's largest expansion ever.

The first four are all in foreign languages to reflect a growing international population that still has to enter Latin characters for many websites. They are 游戏, Chinese for "game," شبكة, Arabic for "network" and онлайн and сайт, Cyrillic for "online" and "site," respectively.

People and businesses should be able to start registering names ending on those suffixes soon. The announcement Wednesday reflects the addition of those suffixes into the master database.

There are currently more than 300 suffixes, mostly codes assigned for specific countries. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has been taking bids for new ones in English and other languages.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.