---
title: "What is the difference between NVARCHAR and VARCHAR?"  
description: "What is the difference between NVARCHAR and VARCHAR?"  
author: "Anubhav Sharma"  
published: 2025-08-20  
updated: 2025-08-20  
canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/161878/what-is-the-difference-between-nvarchar-and-varchar  
category: "SQL Server"  
tags: ["sql server", "sql"]  
reading_time: 1 minute  

---

# What is the difference between NVARCHAR and VARCHAR?

**What is the [difference](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/157114/good-news-or-bad-news-and-the-difference-is) between** `NVARCHAR` **and** `VARCHAR`**?**

## Replies

### Reply by ICSM Computer

### Note

- Use `VARCHAR` if you only store English (or a single code page).
- Use `NVARCHAR` if you need **multi-language support** or special characters.

#### Difference Between `VARCHAR` and `NVARCHAR`

| Feature | `VARCHAR` | `NVARCHAR` |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Data Type** | Non-Unicode | Unicode |
| **Storage** | 1 byte per character | 2 bytes per character (for most characters) |
| **Character Support** | Only ASCII / code page specific characters | Supports multilingual characters (Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, emojis, etc.) |
| **Max Length** | Up to 8000 characters (`VARCHAR(8000)`), or 2 GB with `VARCHAR(MAX)` | Up to 4000 characters (`NVARCHAR(4000)`), or 2 GB with `NVARCHAR(MAX)` |
| **Use Case** | When data is English-only and storage size matters | When data may include multiple languages or special symbols |
| **Prefix in Literals** | `'text'` (normal string) | `N'text'` (must prefix with `N` to store Unicode) |


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Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/161878/what-is-the-difference-between-nvarchar-and-varchar

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