diff --git a/fish-rust/src/builtins/printf.rs b/fish-rust/src/builtins/printf.rs
index 55f662ee7..9b84f4230 100644
--- a/fish-rust/src/builtins/printf.rs
+++ b/fish-rust/src/builtins/printf.rs
@@ -53,9 +53,9 @@
 use std::result::Result;
 
 use crate::builtins::shared::{io_streams_t, STATUS_CMD_ERROR, STATUS_CMD_OK, STATUS_INVALID_ARGS};
-use crate::common::ENCODE_DIRECT_BASE;
 use crate::ffi::parser_t;
 use crate::locale::{get_numeric_locale, Locale};
+use crate::wchar::ENCODE_DIRECT_BASE;
 use crate::wchar::{wstr, WExt, WString, L};
 use crate::wutil::errors::Error;
 use crate::wutil::gettext::{wgettext, wgettext_fmt};
@@ -632,7 +632,7 @@ fn print_esc(&mut self, escstart: &wstr, octal_0: bool) -> usize {
                 self.fatal_error(wgettext!("missing hexadecimal number in escape"));
             }
             self.append_output(
-                char::from_u32(ENCODE_DIRECT_BASE + esc_value % 256)
+                char::from_u32(ENCODE_DIRECT_BASE as u32 + esc_value % 256)
                     .expect("Escape should be encodeable"),
             );
         } else if is_octal_digit(p.char_at(0)) {
@@ -649,7 +649,7 @@ fn print_esc(&mut self, escstart: &wstr, octal_0: bool) -> usize {
                 p = &p[1..];
             }
             self.append_output(
-                char::from_u32(ENCODE_DIRECT_BASE + esc_value % 256)
+                char::from_u32(ENCODE_DIRECT_BASE as u32 + esc_value % 256)
                     .expect("Escape should be encodeable"),
             );
         } else if "\"\\abcefnrtv".contains(p.char_at(0)) {
diff --git a/fish-rust/src/common.rs b/fish-rust/src/common.rs
index 0717accb3..b1a951142 100644
--- a/fish-rust/src/common.rs
+++ b/fish-rust/src/common.rs
@@ -107,16 +107,6 @@ fn drop(&mut self) {
         unsafe { ManuallyDrop::drop(&mut self.captured) };
     }
 }
-// These are in the Unicode private-use range. We really shouldn't use this
-// range but have little choice in the matter given how our lexer/parser works.
-// We can't use non-characters for these two ranges because there are only 66 of
-// them and we need at least 256 + 64.
-//
-// Note: We don't use the highest 8 bit range (0xF800 - 0xF8FF) because we know
-// of at least one use of a codepoint in that range: the Apple symbol (0xF8FF)
-// on Mac OS X. See http://www.unicode.org/faq/private_use.html.
-pub const ENCODE_DIRECT_BASE: u32 = 0xF600;
-pub const ENCODE_DIRECT_END: u32 = ENCODE_DIRECT_BASE + 256;
 
 /// A scoped manager to save the current value of some variable, and optionally set it to a new
 /// value. When dropped, it restores the variable to its old value.
diff --git a/fish-rust/src/wchar.rs b/fish-rust/src/wchar.rs
index 5e6be70b1..4e2f9f75f 100644
--- a/fish-rust/src/wchar.rs
+++ b/fish-rust/src/wchar.rs
@@ -61,8 +61,8 @@ macro_rules! L {
 // Note: We don't use the highest 8 bit range (0xF800 - 0xF8FF) because we know
 // of at least one use of a codepoint in that range: the Apple symbol (0xF8FF)
 // on Mac OS X. See http://www.unicode.org/faq/private_use.html.
-const ENCODE_DIRECT_BASE: char = '\u{F600}';
-const ENCODE_DIRECT_END: char = match char::from_u32(ENCODE_DIRECT_BASE as u32 + 256) {
+pub const ENCODE_DIRECT_BASE: char = '\u{F600}';
+pub const ENCODE_DIRECT_END: char = match char::from_u32(ENCODE_DIRECT_BASE as u32 + 256) {
     Some(c) => c,
     None => panic!("private use codepoint in encode direct region should be valid char"),
 };