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<mb_str_padmb_strcut>
^Multibyte String FunctionsLast updated: Mon, 26 Oct 2026

mb_str_split

(PHP 7 >= 7.4.0, PHP 8)

mb_str_split — Given a multibyte string, return an array of its characters

Description

function mb_str_split(string $string, int $length = 1, ?string $encoding = null): array

This function will return an array of strings, it is a version of str_split() with support for encodings of variable character size as well as fixed-size encodings of 1,2 or 4 byte characters. If the length parameter is specified, the string is broken down into chunks of the specified length in characters (not bytes). The encoding parameter can be optionally specified and it is good practice to do so.

Parameters

string

The string to split into characters or chunks.

length

If specified, each element of the returned array will be composed of multiple characters instead of a single character.

encoding

The encoding parameter is the character encoding. If it is omitted or null, the internal character encoding value will be used.

A string specifying one of the supported encodings.

Return Values

mb_str_split() returns an array of strings.

Errors/Exceptions

As of PHP 8.0.0, a ValueError is thrown if encoding is an invalid encoding. Prior to PHP 8.0.0, an E_WARNING was emitted instead.

Changelog

Version Description
8.0.0 encoding is nullable now.
8.0.0 Now throws a ValueError if encoding is an invalid encoding. Previously, an E_WARNING was emitted and false was returned.
8.0.0 This function no longer returns false on failure.

See Also


<mb_str_padmb_strcut>
^Multibyte String FunctionsLast updated: Mon, 26 Oct 2026