diff --git a/doc/emacs/display.texi b/doc/emacs/display.texi
index e7bd06e..f7e0ebc 100644
--- a/doc/emacs/display.texi
+++ b/doc/emacs/display.texi
@@ -1720,10 +1720,12 @@ would be visually distracting.  You can change this by customizing the
 variable @code{visual-line-fringe-indicators}.
 
 @vindex word-wrap-chars
+@findex word-wrap-chars-mode
   Word boundaries and hence points at which word wrap can occur are,
 by default, considered to occur on the space and tab characters.  If
 you prefer word-wrap to be permissible at other characters, you can
-change the value of the char-table @code{word-wrap-chars}.
+change the value of the char-table @code{word-wrap-chars}, or use
+@code{word-wrap-chars-mode}, which does this for you.
 
 @node Display Custom
 @section Customization of Display
diff --git a/etc/NEWS b/etc/NEWS
index a87eabc..918380b 100644
--- a/etc/NEWS
+++ b/etc/NEWS
@@ -66,6 +66,13 @@ using the new `word-wrap-chars' char-table.  If `word-wrap-chars' is
 nil (the default), then word-wrapping will occur only on the space or
 tab characters, as has been the case until now.
 
+The most convenient way to change the characters at which wrap occurs
+is customizing the new variable `word-wrap-type' and using the new
+`word-wrap-chars-mode' minor mode, which sets `word-wrap-chars' based
+on `word-wrap-type', for you.  The options for `word-wrap-type' are
+ascii-whitespace, unicode-whitespace and a customizable list of
+character codes and character code ranges.
+
 
 * Changes in Specialized Modes and Packages in Emacs 27.1
 
diff --git a/lisp/simple.el b/lisp/simple.el
index 24ecf69..e97ee10 100644
--- a/lisp/simple.el
+++ b/lisp/simple.el
@@ -6879,6 +6879,117 @@ Mode' for details."
   visual-line-mode turn-on-visual-line-mode)
 
 
+(defvar word-wrap-type)
+
+(defvar word-wrap-chars--saved nil)
+
+(define-minor-mode word-wrap-chars-mode
+  "Toggle wrapping using a look-up to `word-wrap-chars'.
+The exact choice of characters on which wrapping occurs, depends
+on the value of `word-wrap-type'.  By default, `word-wrap-type'
+is set to unicode-white-space, which allows word wrapping on all
+breakable unicode whitespace, not only space and tap.
+
+For details of other customization options, see
+`word-wrap-type'.
+
+This minor mode has no effect unless `visual-line-mode' is
+enabled or `word-wrap' is set to t.
+
+To toggle wrapping using a look-up, globally, use
+`global-word-wrap-chars-mode'."
+  :group 'visual-line
+  :lighter " wwc"
+  (if word-wrap-chars-mode
+      (progn
+        (if (local-variable-p 'word-wrap-chars)
+            (setq-local word-wrap-chars--saved
+                        word-wrap-chars))
+        (set-word-wrap-chars))
+    (setq-local word-wrap-chars word-wrap-chars--saved)))
+
+(defun turn-on-word-wrap-chars-mode ()
+  (visual-line-mode 1))
+
+(define-globalized-minor-mode global-word-wrap-chars-mode
+  word-wrap-chars-mode turn-on-word-wrap-chars-mode)
+
+(defun update-word-wrap-chars ()
+  "Update `word-wrap-chars' upon Customize of `word-wrap-type'.
+
+Only buffers which use the `word-wrap-chars-mode' are affected."
+  (mapcar #'(lambda (buf)
+	      (with-current-buffer buf
+	        (if word-wrap-chars-mode
+                    (set-word-wrap-chars))))
+	  (buffer-list)))
+
+(defun set-word-wrap-chars ()
+  "Set `word-wrap-chars' locally, based on `word-wrap-type'."
+  (cond
+   ((eq word-wrap-type 'ascii-whitespace)
+    (setq-local word-wrap-chars nil))
+   ((eq word-wrap-type 'unicode-whitespace)
+    (set-word-wrap-chars-from-list
+     '(9 32 5760 (8192 . 8198) (8200 . 8203) 8287 12288)))
+   ((listp word-wrap-type)
+    (set-word-wrap-chars-from-list word-wrap-type))))
+
+(defun set-word-wrap-chars-from-list (list)
+  "Set `word-wrap-chars' locally from a list.
+Each element of the list can be a character code (code point) or
+a cons of character codes, representing the two (inclusive)
+endpoints of the range of characters."
+  (setq-local
+   word-wrap-chars
+   (let ((char-table (make-char-table nil nil)))
+     (dolist (range list char-table)
+       (set-char-table-range char-table range t)))))
+
+(defcustom word-wrap-type
+  'unicode-whitespace
+  "Characters on which word-wrap occurs.
+This variable controls the value of `word-wrap-chars' that is set
+by `word-wrap-chars-mode`.  `word-wrap-chars' determines on what
+characters word-wrapping can occur, when `word-wrap' is t or
+`visual-line-mode' is enabled.
+
+Possible values are ascii-whitespace, unicode-whitespace or a
+custom list of characters and character ranges.
+
+If the value is `ascii-whitespace', word-wrap is only on space
+and tab.  If the value is `unicode-whitespace', word-wrap is on
+all the Unicode whitespace characters that permit wrapping,
+including but not limited to space and tab.
+
+If a custom list of characters and ranges is used, word wrap is
+on these characters and character ranges.  The ranges are
+inclusive of both endpoints.
+
+When you change this without using customize, you need to call
+`update-word-wrap-chars' to update the word wrap in current
+buffers.  For instance:
+
+(setq word-wrap-type \\='(9 32 ?_))
+(update-word-wrap-chars)
+
+will set the wrappable characters to space, tab and underscore,
+in all buffers in `word-wrap-chars-mode' and using the default
+value of `word-wrap-type'.
+"
+  :type '(choice (const :tag "Space and tab" ascii-whitespace)
+		 (const :tag "All unicode spaces" unicode-whitespace)
+		 (repeat :tag "Custom characters or ranges"
+			 :value (9 32)
+			 (choice (character)
+				 (cons :tag "Range" character character))))
+  :set (lambda (symbol value)
+	 (set-default symbol value)
+	 (update-word-wrap-chars))
+  :group 'visual-line
+  :version 27.1)
+
+
 (defun transpose-chars (arg)
   "Interchange characters around point, moving forward one character.
 With prefix arg ARG, effect is to take character before point
diff --git a/src/buffer.c b/src/buffer.c
index 3e260bb..662fc72 100644
--- a/src/buffer.c
+++ b/src/buffer.c
@@ -5734,7 +5734,8 @@ visual lines rather than logical lines.  See the documentation of
 
 If `word-wrap-chars' is non-nil and a char-table, continuation lines
 are wrapped on the characters in `word-wrap-chars' whose value is t,
-rather than the space and tab characters.  */);
+rather than the space and tab characters.  `word-wrap-chars-mode
+provides a convenient interface for using this.  */);
 
   DEFVAR_PER_BUFFER ("default-directory", &BVAR (current_buffer, directory),
 		     Qstringp,
diff --git a/src/character.c b/src/character.c
index fd1a9d3..ff3b6d3 100644
--- a/src/character.c
+++ b/src/character.c
@@ -1149,6 +1149,10 @@ See The Unicode Standard for the meaning of those values.  */);
   DEFVAR_LISP ("word-wrap-chars", Vword_wrap_chars,
 	       doc: /* A char-table for characters at which word-wrap occurs.
 Such characters have value t in this table.  If the char-table is nil,
-word-wrap occurs only on space and tab.  */);
+word-wrap occurs only on space and tab.
+
+For a more user-friendly way of changing the characters at which
+word-wrap can occur, consider using `word-wrap-chars-mode' and
+customizing `word-wrap-type'. */);
   Vword_wrap_chars = Qnil;
 }