diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index e834554d..3c6c9156 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -430,6 +430,17 @@ dependencies = [
  "windows-sys 0.60.2",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "displaydoc"
+version = "0.2.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "97369cbbc041bc366949bc74d34658d6cda5621039731c6310521892a3a20ae0"
+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "dlib"
 version = "0.5.2"
@@ -763,6 +774,67 @@ version = "0.5.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "fc0fef456e4baa96da950455cd02c081ca953b141298e41db3fc7e36b1da849c"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "icu_collections"
+version = "2.1.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "4c6b649701667bbe825c3b7e6388cb521c23d88644678e83c0c4d0a621a34b43"
+dependencies = [
+ "displaydoc",
+ "potential_utf",
+ "yoke",
+ "zerofrom",
+ "zerovec",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "icu_locale_core"
+version = "2.1.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "edba7861004dd3714265b4db54a3c390e880ab658fec5f7db895fae2046b5bb6"
+dependencies = [
+ "displaydoc",
+ "litemap",
+ "tinystr",
+ "writeable",
+ "zerovec",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "icu_properties"
+version = "2.1.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "e93fcd3157766c0c8da2f8cff6ce651a31f0810eaa1c51ec363ef790bbb5fb99"
+dependencies = [
+ "icu_collections",
+ "icu_locale_core",
+ "icu_properties_data",
+ "icu_provider",
+ "zerotrie",
+ "zerovec",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "icu_properties_data"
+version = "2.1.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "02845b3647bb045f1100ecd6480ff52f34c35f82d9880e029d329c21d1054899"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "icu_provider"
+version = "2.1.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "85962cf0ce02e1e0a629cc34e7ca3e373ce20dda4c4d7294bbd0bf1fdb59e614"
+dependencies = [
+ "displaydoc",
+ "icu_locale_core",
+ "writeable",
+ "yoke",
+ "zerofrom",
+ "zerotrie",
+ "zerovec",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "image"
 version = "0.25.6"
@@ -894,16 +966,16 @@ dependencies = [
 ]
 
 [[package]]
-name = "log"
-version = "0.4.27"
+name = "litemap"
+version = "0.8.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "13dc2df351e3202783a1fe0d44375f7295ffb4049267b0f3018346dc122a1d94"
+checksum = "6373607a59f0be73a39b6fe456b8192fcc3585f602af20751600e974dd455e77"
 
 [[package]]
-name = "matches"
-version = "0.1.10"
+name = "log"
+version = "0.4.27"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "2532096657941c2fea9c289d370a250971c689d4f143798ff67113ec042024a5"
+checksum = "13dc2df351e3202783a1fe0d44375f7295ffb4049267b0f3018346dc122a1d94"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "memchr"
@@ -1055,12 +1127,12 @@ checksum = "5be167a7af36ee22fe3115051bc51f6e6c7054c9348e28deb4f49bd6f705a315"
 name = "piet"
 version = "0.8.0"
 dependencies = [
+ "icu_properties",
  "image",
  "kurbo",
  "os_info",
  "pico-args",
  "png",
- "unic-bidi",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1236,6 +1308,15 @@ dependencies = [
  "miniz_oxide",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "potential_utf"
+version = "0.1.4"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "b73949432f5e2a09657003c25bca5e19a0e9c84f8058ca374f49e0ebe605af77"
+dependencies = [
+ "zerovec",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "powerfmt"
 version = "0.2.0"
@@ -1506,6 +1587,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "serde",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "stable_deref_trait"
+version = "1.2.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "6ce2be8dc25455e1f91df71bfa12ad37d7af1092ae736f3a6cd0e37bc7810596"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "static_assertions"
 version = "1.1.0"
@@ -1529,6 +1616,17 @@ dependencies = [
  "unicode-ident",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "synstructure"
+version = "0.13.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "728a70f3dbaf5bab7f0c4b1ac8d7ae5ea60a4b5549c8a5914361c99147a709d2"
+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "system-deps"
 version = "7.0.5"
@@ -1610,6 +1708,16 @@ dependencies = [
  "time-core",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "tinystr"
+version = "0.8.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "42d3e9c45c09de15d06dd8acf5f4e0e399e85927b7f00711024eb7ae10fa4869"
+dependencies = [
+ "displaydoc",
+ "zerovec",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "tinytemplate"
 version = "1.2.1"
@@ -1663,57 +1771,6 @@ dependencies = [
  "core_maths",
 ]
 
-[[package]]
-name = "unic-bidi"
-version = "0.9.0"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "1356b759fb6a82050666f11dce4b6fe3571781f1449f3ef78074e408d468ec09"
-dependencies = [
- "matches",
- "unic-ucd-bidi",
-]
-
-[[package]]
-name = "unic-char-property"
-version = "0.9.0"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "a8c57a407d9b6fa02b4795eb81c5b6652060a15a7903ea981f3d723e6c0be221"
-dependencies = [
- "unic-char-range",
-]
-
-[[package]]
-name = "unic-char-range"
-version = "0.9.0"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "0398022d5f700414f6b899e10b8348231abf9173fa93144cbc1a43b9793c1fbc"
-
-[[package]]
-name = "unic-common"
-version = "0.9.0"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "80d7ff825a6a654ee85a63e80f92f054f904f21e7d12da4e22f9834a4aaa35bc"
-
-[[package]]
-name = "unic-ucd-bidi"
-version = "0.9.0"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "d1d568b51222484e1f8209ce48caa6b430bf352962b877d592c29ab31fb53d8c"
-dependencies = [
- "unic-char-property",
- "unic-char-range",
- "unic-ucd-version",
-]
-
-[[package]]
-name = "unic-ucd-version"
-version = "0.9.0"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "96bd2f2237fe450fcd0a1d2f5f4e91711124f7857ba2e964247776ebeeb7b0c4"
-dependencies = [
- "unic-common",
-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "unicode-bidi-mirroring"
 version = "0.4.0"
@@ -2100,6 +2157,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "winapi",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "writeable"
+version = "0.6.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "9edde0db4769d2dc68579893f2306b26c6ecfbe0ef499b013d731b7b9247e0b9"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "xi-unicode"
 version = "0.3.0"
@@ -2117,6 +2180,29 @@ dependencies = [
  "pkg-config",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "yoke"
+version = "0.8.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "72d6e5c6afb84d73944e5cedb052c4680d5657337201555f9f2a16b7406d4954"
+dependencies = [
+ "stable_deref_trait",
+ "yoke-derive",
+ "zerofrom",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "yoke-derive"
+version = "0.8.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "b659052874eb698efe5b9e8cf382204678a0086ebf46982b79d6ca3182927e5d"
+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn",
+ "synstructure",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "zerocopy"
 version = "0.8.26"
@@ -2137,6 +2223,60 @@ dependencies = [
  "syn",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "zerofrom"
+version = "0.1.6"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "50cc42e0333e05660c3587f3bf9d0478688e15d870fab3346451ce7f8c9fbea5"
+dependencies = [
+ "zerofrom-derive",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "zerofrom-derive"
+version = "0.1.6"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "d71e5d6e06ab090c67b5e44993ec16b72dcbaabc526db883a360057678b48502"
+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn",
+ "synstructure",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "zerotrie"
+version = "0.2.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "2a59c17a5562d507e4b54960e8569ebee33bee890c70aa3fe7b97e85a9fd7851"
+dependencies = [
+ "displaydoc",
+ "yoke",
+ "zerofrom",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "zerovec"
+version = "0.11.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "6c28719294829477f525be0186d13efa9a3c602f7ec202ca9e353d310fb9a002"
+dependencies = [
+ "yoke",
+ "zerofrom",
+ "zerovec-derive",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "zerovec-derive"
+version = "0.11.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "eadce39539ca5cb3985590102671f2567e659fca9666581ad3411d59207951f3"
+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "zune-core"
 version = "0.4.12"
diff --git a/piet/Cargo.toml b/piet/Cargo.toml
index 741ba0de..055530de 100644
--- a/piet/Cargo.toml
+++ b/piet/Cargo.toml
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ kurbo = "0.11.3"
 pico-args = { version = "0.5.0", optional = true, features = ["eq-separator"] }
 png = { version = "0.17.16", optional = true }
 os_info = { version = "3.12.0", optional = true, default-features = false }
-unic-bidi = "0.9.0"
+icu_properties = "2.1.1"
 
 [features]
 samples = ["pico-args", "png", "os_info"]
diff --git a/piet/src/util.rs b/piet/src/util.rs
index e8cfee8e..472f97b5 100644
--- a/piet/src/util.rs
+++ b/piet/src/util.rs
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ use std::ops::{Bound, Range, RangeBounds};
 use crate::kurbo::{Rect, Size};
 use crate::{Color, Error, FontFamily, FontStyle, FontWeight, LineMetric, TextAttribute};
 
-use unic_bidi::bidi_class::{BidiClass, BidiClassCategory};
+use icu_properties::props::{BidiClass, EnumeratedProperty};
 
 /// The default point size for text in piet.
 pub const DEFAULT_FONT_SIZE: f64 = 12.0;
@@ -230,12 +230,22 @@ pub fn first_strong_rtl(text: &str) -> bool {
     text.chars()
         // an upper bound on how many chars we'll check
         .take(200)
-        .map(BidiClass::of)
-        .find(|c| c.category() == BidiClassCategory::Strong)
-        .map(|c| c.is_rtl())
+        .map(BidiClass::for_char)
+        .find(|c| is_strong_bidi_class(*c))
+        .map(is_strong_rtl_bidi_class)
         .unwrap_or(false)
 }
 
+fn is_strong_bidi_class(class: BidiClass) -> bool {
+    class == BidiClass::LeftToRight
+        || class == BidiClass::RightToLeft
+        || class == BidiClass::ArabicLetter
+}
+
+fn is_strong_rtl_bidi_class(class: BidiClass) -> bool {
+    class == BidiClass::RightToLeft || class == BidiClass::ArabicLetter
+}
+
 /// Returns the number of bytes needed to be read from the image buffer.
 pub fn expected_image_buffer_size(row_size: usize, height: usize, stride: usize) -> usize {
     if height == 0 {