diff --git a/Doc/library/curses.rst b/Doc/library/curses.rst
index 91ea6150fb15ba3..70959d60d411434 100644
--- a/Doc/library/curses.rst
+++ b/Doc/library/curses.rst
@@ -1017,6 +1017,18 @@ the following methods and attributes:
    Return the character at the given position in the window. The bottom 8 bits are
    the character proper, and upper bits are the attributes.
 
+   .. note::
+
+      ``inch`` only works for ASCII characters.  Use :meth:`in_wch` instead
+      for unicode support.
+
+.. method:: window.in_wch([x, y])
+
+   Return the wide character at the given position in the window.  The return
+   value is a 3-tuple ``(character, attributes, color_pair)``.
+
+   .. versionadded:: 3.14
+
 
 .. method:: window.insch(ch[, attr])
             window.insch(y, x, ch[, attr])
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_curses.py b/Lib/test/test_curses.py
index 83d10dd85790743..a9f14c4bd6a2ea9 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_curses.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_curses.py
@@ -1107,6 +1107,39 @@ def test_issue6243(self):
         curses.ungetch(1025)
         self.stdscr.getkey()
 
+    def test_in_wch(self):
+        stdscr = self.stdscr
+
+        if not hasattr(stdscr, 'in_wch'):
+            raise unittest.SkipTest('requires curses.window.in_wch')
+
+        if curses.has_colors():
+            curses.init_pair(1, curses.COLOR_RED, 0)
+            expected_pair = 1
+            color_attr = curses.color_pair(expected_pair)
+        else:
+            expected_pair = 0
+            color_attr = 0
+
+        def _norm(ch, attr, color):
+            # for some reason, curses returns some color bits here?
+            return ch, attr & ~curses.A_COLOR, color
+
+        for ch in ('a', '\xe9', '\u20ac', '\U0001f643'):
+            expected = (ch, curses.A_BOLD, expected_pair)
+
+            stdscr.insstr(0, 0, ch, color_attr | curses.A_BOLD)
+            self.assertEqual(_norm(*stdscr.in_wch()), expected)
+
+            stdscr.addstr(0, 0, ch, color_attr | curses.A_BOLD)
+            self.assertEqual(_norm(*stdscr.in_wch(0, 0)), expected)
+
+        # in_wch can return multiple characters in the case of zero width
+        # curses at max returns 5 characters in a cchar_t
+        stdscr.addstr(0, 0, 'a' + '\u200b' * 10)
+        expected = ('a\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b', 0, 0)
+        self.assertEqual(stdscr.in_wch(0, 0), expected)
+
     @requires_curses_func('unget_wch')
     @unittest.skipIf(getattr(curses, 'ncurses_version', (99,)) < (5, 8),
                      "unget_wch is broken in ncurses 5.7 and earlier")
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2020-01-04-15-46-15.bpo-39214.z0398o.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2020-01-04-15-46-15.bpo-39214.z0398o.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000000..2da471e355f3971
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2020-01-04-15-46-15.bpo-39214.z0398o.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Add :func:`curses.window.in_wch` function - by Anthony Sottile.
diff --git a/Modules/_cursesmodule.c b/Modules/_cursesmodule.c
index b5854e8c33f28a9..d6f14bae1aeed24 100644
--- a/Modules/_cursesmodule.c
+++ b/Modules/_cursesmodule.c
@@ -1736,6 +1736,54 @@ _curses_window_inch_impl(PyCursesWindowObject *self, int group_right_1,
     return rtn;
 }
 
+#ifdef HAVE_NCURSESW
+/*[clinic input]
+_curses.window.in_wch
+
+    [
+    y: int
+        Starting Y-coordinate.
+    x: int
+        Starting X-coordinate.
+    ]
+    /
+
+Retrieve the wide character at the gven position in the window.
+
+The return value is a 3-tuple of (character, attributes, color_pair).
+[clinic start generated code]*/
+
+static PyObject *
+_curses_window_in_wch_impl(PyCursesWindowObject *self, int group_right_1,
+                           int y, int x)
+/*[clinic end generated code: output=846ca8a82f2ecab4 input=5c20d96b592b0e0b]*/
+{
+    int ret;
+
+    cchar_t wcval;
+
+    wchar_t wstr[CCHARW_MAX + 1];
+    attr_t attr;
+    short color_pair;
+
+    if (group_right_1) {
+        ret = mvwin_wch(self->win, y, x, &wcval);
+    } else {
+        ret = win_wch(self->win, &wcval);
+    }
+    if (PyCursesCheckERR(ret, "in_wch") == NULL) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    ret = getcchar(&wcval, wstr, &attr, &color_pair, NULL);
+    if (PyCursesCheckERR(ret, "getcchar") == NULL) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    return Py_BuildValue("ukh", wstr, attr, color_pair);
+}
+#endif
+
 /*[-clinic input]
 _curses.window.instr
 
@@ -2530,6 +2578,7 @@ static PyMethodDef PyCursesWindow_Methods[] = {
     {"immedok",         (PyCFunction)PyCursesWindow_immedok, METH_VARARGS},
 #endif
     _CURSES_WINDOW_INCH_METHODDEF
+    _CURSES_WINDOW_IN_WCH_METHODDEF
     _CURSES_WINDOW_INSCH_METHODDEF
     {"insdelln",        (PyCFunction)PyCursesWindow_winsdelln, METH_VARARGS},
     {"insertln",        (PyCFunction)PyCursesWindow_winsertln, METH_NOARGS},
diff --git a/Modules/clinic/_cursesmodule.c.h b/Modules/clinic/_cursesmodule.c.h
index f7e0aaf7b23649f..531785526048aa3 100644
--- a/Modules/clinic/_cursesmodule.c.h
+++ b/Modules/clinic/_cursesmodule.c.h
@@ -1091,6 +1091,55 @@ _curses_window_inch(PyCursesWindowObject *self, PyObject *args)
     return return_value;
 }
 
+#if defined(HAVE_NCURSESW)
+
+PyDoc_STRVAR(_curses_window_in_wch__doc__,
+"in_wch([y, x])\n"
+"Retrieve the wide character at the gven position in the window.\n"
+"\n"
+"  y\n"
+"    Starting Y-coordinate.\n"
+"  x\n"
+"    Starting X-coordinate.\n"
+"\n"
+"The return value is a 3-tuple of (character, attributes, color_pair).");
+
+#define _CURSES_WINDOW_IN_WCH_METHODDEF    \
+    {"in_wch", (PyCFunction)_curses_window_in_wch, METH_VARARGS, _curses_window_in_wch__doc__},
+
+static PyObject *
+_curses_window_in_wch_impl(PyCursesWindowObject *self, int group_right_1,
+                           int y, int x);
+
+static PyObject *
+_curses_window_in_wch(PyCursesWindowObject *self, PyObject *args)
+{
+    PyObject *return_value = NULL;
+    int group_right_1 = 0;
+    int y = 0;
+    int x = 0;
+
+    switch (PyTuple_GET_SIZE(args)) {
+        case 0:
+            break;
+        case 2:
+            if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "ii:in_wch", &y, &x)) {
+                goto exit;
+            }
+            group_right_1 = 1;
+            break;
+        default:
+            PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError, "_curses.window.in_wch requires 0 to 2 arguments");
+            goto exit;
+    }
+    return_value = _curses_window_in_wch_impl(self, group_right_1, y, x);
+
+exit:
+    return return_value;
+}
+
+#endif /* defined(HAVE_NCURSESW) */
+
 PyDoc_STRVAR(_curses_window_insstr__doc__,
 "insstr([y, x,] str, [attr])\n"
 "Insert the string before the current or specified position.\n"
@@ -4235,6 +4284,10 @@ _curses_has_extended_color_support(PyObject *module, PyObject *Py_UNUSED(ignored
     #define _CURSES_WINDOW_GET_WCH_METHODDEF
 #endif /* !defined(_CURSES_WINDOW_GET_WCH_METHODDEF) */
 
+#ifndef _CURSES_WINDOW_IN_WCH_METHODDEF
+    #define _CURSES_WINDOW_IN_WCH_METHODDEF
+#endif /* !defined(_CURSES_WINDOW_IN_WCH_METHODDEF) */
+
 #ifndef _CURSES_WINDOW_NOUTREFRESH_METHODDEF
     #define _CURSES_WINDOW_NOUTREFRESH_METHODDEF
 #endif /* !defined(_CURSES_WINDOW_NOUTREFRESH_METHODDEF) */
@@ -4318,4 +4371,4 @@ _curses_has_extended_color_support(PyObject *module, PyObject *Py_UNUSED(ignored
 #ifndef _CURSES_USE_DEFAULT_COLORS_METHODDEF
     #define _CURSES_USE_DEFAULT_COLORS_METHODDEF
 #endif /* !defined(_CURSES_USE_DEFAULT_COLORS_METHODDEF) */
-/*[clinic end generated code: output=96887782374f070a input=a9049054013a1b77]*/
+/*[clinic end generated code: output=88098e997b5b33d9 input=a9049054013a1b77]*/