What is .天主教?
.天主教 entered the DNS root zone on December 1, 2016, 9 years ago. It came out of ICANN's New gTLD Program, the 2012 application round that grew the root from 22 generic TLDs to well over a thousand.
In the DNS, .天主教 is stored as the ASCII string xn--tiq49xqyj (its "A-label"). Browsers and apps that support IDNs show the native script instead.
Pontificium Consilium de Comunicationibus Socialibus (PCCS) (Pontifical Council for Social Communication) also runs 3 other TLDs, including .catholic, .католик and .كاثوليك.
On the technical side, .天主教 is served by 6 authoritative name servers, every one of them reachable over IPv6. It is also DNSSEC-signed: the root zone carries a DS record for .天主教, which lets validating resolvers check its answers cryptographically. Registration data is published over RDAP and WHOIS (the WHOIS server is whois.nic.xn--tiq49xqyj).
Same registry, other endings
3 other TLDs share this operator.
.天主教 FAQ
What does .天主教 mean?
.天主教 is Chinese for "Catholic". It's a generic top-level domain, stored in the DNS as xn--tiq49xqyj.
What is .天主教 used for?
.天主教 is mostly used for community, nonprofit & causes. Like most gTLDs, it's a label of intent rather than a guarantee — check the site, not just the ending.
What country is .天主教?
None. .天主教 is a generic top-level domain, so it isn't tied to any country.
Who owns the .天主教 domain extension?
Pontificium Consilium de Comunicationibus Socialibus (PCCS) (Pontifical Council for Social Communication) operates .天主教 as its registry, under a registry agreement with ICANN.
When was .天主教 created?
.天主教 was delegated to the DNS root zone on December 1, 2016.
Is .天主教 a valid domain?
Yes. .天主教 is an active top-level domain in the DNS root zone, delegated in 2016, so .天主教 addresses work in every browser.
Can I buy a .天主教 domain?
.天主教 names are sold through ICANN-accredited registrars. Some gTLDs restrict who can register, so read Pontificium Consilium de Comunicationibus Socialibus (PCCS) (Pontifical Council for Social Communication)'s policy if you're unsure.
Is .天主教 DNSSEC-signed?
Yes, the root zone holds a DS record for .天主教.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed December 21, 2023. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
