diff --git a/extensions/markdown-language-features/src/extension.ts b/extensions/markdown-language-features/src/extension.ts
index 812d61af9d5..254a3302074 100644
--- a/extensions/markdown-language-features/src/extension.ts
+++ b/extensions/markdown-language-features/src/extension.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,9 @@ export function activate(context: vscode.ExtensionContext) {
 	const previewManager = new MarkdownPreviewManager(contentProvider, logger, contributions);
 	context.subscriptions.push(previewManager);
 
+	context.subscriptions.push(vscode.languages.setLanguageConfiguration('markdown', {
+		wordPattern: /(\p{Alphabetic}|\p{Number})+/ug
+	}));
 	context.subscriptions.push(vscode.languages.registerDocumentSymbolProvider(selector, symbolProvider));
 	context.subscriptions.push(vscode.languages.registerDocumentLinkProvider(selector, new LinkProvider()));
 	context.subscriptions.push(vscode.languages.registerFoldingRangeProvider(selector, new MarkdownFoldingProvider(engine)));
diff --git a/src/vs/base/common/marshalling.ts b/src/vs/base/common/marshalling.ts
index 5acdcab444c..e479a2db973 100644
--- a/src/vs/base/common/marshalling.ts
+++ b/src/vs/base/common/marshalling.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
  *--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
 
 import { URI } from 'vs/base/common/uri';
+import { regExpFlags } from 'vs/base/common/strings';
 
 export function stringify(obj: any): string {
 	return JSON.stringify(obj, replacer);
@@ -24,8 +25,8 @@ function replacer(key: string, value: any): any {
 	if (value instanceof RegExp) {
 		return {
 			$mid: 2,
-			source: (<RegExp>value).source,
-			flags: ((<RegExp>value).global ? 'g' : '') + ((<RegExp>value).ignoreCase ? 'i' : '') + ((<RegExp>value).multiline ? 'm' : ''),
+			source: value.source,
+			flags: regExpFlags(value),
 		};
 	}
 	return value;
diff --git a/src/vs/base/common/strings.ts b/src/vs/base/common/strings.ts
index e3206199e6b..e46f0ee3937 100644
--- a/src/vs/base/common/strings.ts
+++ b/src/vs/base/common/strings.ts
@@ -188,6 +188,7 @@ export interface RegExpOptions {
 	wholeWord?: boolean;
 	multiline?: boolean;
 	global?: boolean;
+	unicode?: boolean;
 }
 
 export function createRegExp(searchString: string, isRegex: boolean, options: RegExpOptions = {}): RegExp {
@@ -215,6 +216,9 @@ export function createRegExp(searchString: string, isRegex: boolean, options: Re
 	if (options.multiline) {
 		modifiers += 'm';
 	}
+	if (options.unicode) {
+		modifiers += 'u';
+	}
 
 	return new RegExp(searchString, modifiers);
 }
@@ -236,6 +240,13 @@ export function regExpContainsBackreference(regexpValue: string): boolean {
 	return !!regexpValue.match(/([^\\]|^)(\\\\)*\\\d+/);
 }
 
+export function regExpFlags(regexp: RegExp): string {
+	return (regexp.global ? 'g' : '')
+		+ (regexp.ignoreCase ? 'i' : '')
+		+ (regexp.multiline ? 'm' : '')
+		+ ((regexp as any).unicode ? 'u' : '');
+}
+
 /**
  * Returns first index of the string that is not whitespace.
  * If string is empty or contains only whitespaces, returns -1
diff --git a/src/vs/editor/common/model/wordHelper.ts b/src/vs/editor/common/model/wordHelper.ts
index 46d2a719310..c08e53805de 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/common/model/wordHelper.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/common/model/wordHelper.ts
@@ -41,6 +41,9 @@ export function ensureValidWordDefinition(wordDefinition?: RegExp | null): RegEx
 			if (wordDefinition.multiline) {
 				flags += 'm';
 			}
+			if ((wordDefinition as any).unicode) {
+				flags += 'u';
+			}
 			result = new RegExp(wordDefinition.source, flags);
 		} else {
 			result = wordDefinition;
diff --git a/src/vs/editor/common/services/editorWorkerServiceImpl.ts b/src/vs/editor/common/services/editorWorkerServiceImpl.ts
index 3943f5f69fe..648c9e4ad0e 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/common/services/editorWorkerServiceImpl.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/common/services/editorWorkerServiceImpl.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import { EditorSimpleWorkerImpl } from 'vs/editor/common/services/editorSimpleWo
 import { IDiffComputationResult, IEditorWorkerService } from 'vs/editor/common/services/editorWorkerService';
 import { IModelService } from 'vs/editor/common/services/modelService';
 import { ITextResourceConfigurationService } from 'vs/editor/common/services/resourceConfiguration';
+import { regExpFlags } from 'vs/base/common/strings';
 
 /**
  * Stop syncing a model to the worker if it was not needed for 1 min.
@@ -413,7 +414,7 @@ export class EditorWorkerClient extends Disposable {
 			}
 			let wordDefRegExp = LanguageConfigurationRegistry.getWordDefinition(model.getLanguageIdentifier().id);
 			let wordDef = wordDefRegExp.source;
-			let wordDefFlags = (wordDefRegExp.global ? 'g' : '') + (wordDefRegExp.ignoreCase ? 'i' : '') + (wordDefRegExp.multiline ? 'm' : '');
+			let wordDefFlags = regExpFlags(wordDefRegExp);
 			return proxy.textualSuggest(resource.toString(), position, wordDef, wordDefFlags);
 		});
 	}
@@ -426,7 +427,7 @@ export class EditorWorkerClient extends Disposable {
 			}
 			let wordDefRegExp = LanguageConfigurationRegistry.getWordDefinition(model.getLanguageIdentifier().id);
 			let wordDef = wordDefRegExp.source;
-			let wordDefFlags = (wordDefRegExp.global ? 'g' : '') + (wordDefRegExp.ignoreCase ? 'i' : '') + (wordDefRegExp.multiline ? 'm' : '');
+			let wordDefFlags = regExpFlags(wordDefRegExp);
 			return proxy.computeWordRanges(resource.toString(), range, wordDef, wordDefFlags);
 		});
 	}
@@ -439,7 +440,7 @@ export class EditorWorkerClient extends Disposable {
 			}
 			let wordDefRegExp = LanguageConfigurationRegistry.getWordDefinition(model.getLanguageIdentifier().id);
 			let wordDef = wordDefRegExp.source;
-			let wordDefFlags = (wordDefRegExp.global ? 'g' : '') + (wordDefRegExp.ignoreCase ? 'i' : '') + (wordDefRegExp.multiline ? 'm' : '');
+			let wordDefFlags = regExpFlags(wordDefRegExp);
 			return proxy.navigateValueSet(resource.toString(), range, up, wordDef, wordDefFlags);
 		});
 	}
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostLanguageFeatures.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostLanguageFeatures.ts
index 81573591d3b..8f9f92b6d31 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostLanguageFeatures.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostLanguageFeatures.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import { ExtHostCommands, CommandsConverter } from 'vs/workbench/api/node/extHos
 import { ExtHostDiagnostics } from 'vs/workbench/api/node/extHostDiagnostics';
 import { asThenable } from 'vs/base/common/async';
 import { MainContext, MainThreadLanguageFeaturesShape, ExtHostLanguageFeaturesShape, ObjectIdentifier, IRawColorInfo, IMainContext, IdObject, ISerializedRegExp, ISerializedIndentationRule, ISerializedOnEnterRule, ISerializedLanguageConfiguration, WorkspaceSymbolDto, SuggestResultDto, WorkspaceSymbolsDto, SuggestionDto, CodeActionDto, ISerializedDocumentFilter, WorkspaceEditDto, ISerializedSignatureHelpProviderMetadata } from './extHost.protocol';
-import { regExpLeadsToEndlessLoop } from 'vs/base/common/strings';
+import { regExpLeadsToEndlessLoop, regExpFlags } from 'vs/base/common/strings';
 import { IPosition } from 'vs/editor/common/core/position';
 import { IRange, Range as EditorRange } from 'vs/editor/common/core/range';
 import { isFalsyOrEmpty, isNonEmptyArray } from 'vs/base/common/arrays';
@@ -1299,7 +1299,7 @@ export class ExtHostLanguageFeatures implements ExtHostLanguageFeaturesShape {
 		}
 		return {
 			pattern: regExp.source,
-			flags: (regExp.global ? 'g' : '') + (regExp.ignoreCase ? 'i' : '') + (regExp.multiline ? 'm' : ''),
+			flags: regExpFlags(regExp),
 		};
 	}