diff --git a/java/com/google/re2j/Unicode.java b/java/com/google/re2j/Unicode.java
index 8ec0288a..439168c5 100644
--- a/java/com/google/re2j/Unicode.java
+++ b/java/com/google/re2j/Unicode.java
@@ -115,11 +115,24 @@ static int simpleFold(int r) {
     // No folding specified.  This is a one- or two-element
     // equivalence class containing rune and toLower(rune)
     // and toUpper(rune) if they are different from rune.
+    // A mapping is only followed when the partner maps back: every walk
+    // that consults simpleFold (class-range folding, literal
+    // canonicalization, case-insensitive comparison) assumes its
+    // next-pointer graph cycles back to the walk's start, which holds
+    // only for symmetric pairs.  Runes whose asymmetric case mappings
+    // postdate the table's Unicode version (e.g. U+1C80..U+1C88, Cyrillic
+    // historic letters, Unicode 9.0 vs tables at 6.0) would otherwise
+    // step into the partner's own orbit and never cycle back, hanging
+    // Pattern.compile; those runes are fold-inert instead.
     int l = Characters.toLowerCase(r);
-    if (l != r) {
+    if (l != r && Characters.toUpperCase(l) == r) {
       return l;
     }
-    return Characters.toUpperCase(r);
+    int u = Characters.toUpperCase(r);
+    if (u != r && Characters.toLowerCase(u) == r) {
+      return u;
+    }
+    return r;
   }
 
   // equalsIgnoreCase performs case-insensitive equality comparison
diff --git a/javatests/com/google/re2j/CaseFoldTerminationTest.java b/javatests/com/google/re2j/CaseFoldTerminationTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6b21baca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/javatests/com/google/re2j/CaseFoldTerminationTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2020 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+ * license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+ */
+package com.google.re2j;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
+
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
+import org.junit.runners.JUnit4;
+
+/**
+ * Tests that simple-fold orbit walks terminate and stay shape-consistent for runes whose case
+ * mappings postdate the generated table's Unicode version.
+ *
+ * <p>
+ * {@code Unicode.simpleFold}'s fallback follows {@code toLower}/{@code toUpper} on table misses,
+ * assuming they form closed two-element orbits with the rune. That holds for symmetric pairs, but
+ * runes whose asymmetric mappings postdate the table (U+1C80..U+1C88, Cyrillic historic letters,
+ * Unicode 9.0 vs tables at 6.0) step into the partner's own orbit and never cycle back: compiling
+ * or matching such patterns used to hang forever. The fallback now follows a mapping only when the
+ * partner maps back (a verified symmetric pair), so those runes are fold-inert — consistently in
+ * literal and class form, in both directions — and every walk terminates.
+ */
+@RunWith(JUnit4.class)
+public class CaseFoldTerminationTest {
+
+  private static Matcher matcher(String pattern, String input) {
+    return Pattern.compile(pattern).matcher(input);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void foldWalkTerminatesOnHistoricCyrillicLiterals() {
+    // Every one of U+1C80..U+1C88 used to hang the compile under (?i).
+    for (char c = '\u1C80'; c <= '\u1C88'; c++) {
+      Pattern.compile("(?i)" + c);
+    }
+    Pattern.compile("(?i)[\u1C80-\u1C88]");
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void historicCyrillicLettersAreFoldInert() {
+    // The fallback declines the asymmetric mappings, so the letters fold
+    // nowhere — same answer from every pattern shape, in both directions.
+    for (char c = '\u1C80'; c <= '\u1C88'; c++) {
+      assertTrue(matcher("(?i)" + c, String.valueOf(c)).find());
+      assertTrue(matcher("(?i)[" + c + "]", String.valueOf(c)).find());
+      assertFalse(matcher("(?i)" + c, "x").find());
+    }
+    // U+1C80 (Ꚁ) case-maps onto В/в; none of the three folds onto the others.
+    assertFalse(matcher("(?i)\u1C80", "\u0412").find());
+    assertFalse(matcher("(?i)\u1C80", "\u0432").find());
+    assertFalse(matcher("(?i)\u0432", "\u1C80").find());
+    assertFalse(matcher("(?i)[\u1C80]", "\u0432").find());
+    assertFalse(matcher("(?i)[\u0432]", "\u1C80").find());
+    // The partner pair itself keeps folding (symmetric, table-era data).
+    assertTrue(matcher("(?i)\u0432", "\u0412").find());
+    assertTrue(matcher("(?i)\u0412", "\u0432").find());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void symmetricPairsStillFold() {
+    // Plain two-element orbits via the fallback ...
+    assertTrue(matcher("(?i)z", "Z").find());
+    assertTrue(matcher("(?i)\u0442", "\u0422").find());
+    // ... and a three-element orbit from the table (K, k, Kelvin sign).
+    assertTrue(matcher("(?i)k", "K").find());
+    assertTrue(matcher("(?i)k", "\u212A").find());
+    assertTrue(matcher("(?i)\u212A", "k").find());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void matchTimeFoldComparisonTerminates() {
+    // equalsIgnoreCase walks the same orbit graph at match time.
+    assertTrue(matcher("(?i)\u0442", "\u0442").find());
+    assertFalse(matcher("(?i)\u0442", "x").find());
+  }
+}