diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index b8f1228a2..0b02c63b5 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -95,9 +95,13 @@ cairo_dep = dependency('cairo', required: false)
 fontconfig_dep = dependency('fontconfig', required: get_option('fontconfig'),
                             fallback: ['fontconfig', 'fontconfig_dep'])
 graphite2_dep = dependency('graphite2', required: get_option('graphite'))
-icu_dep = dependency('icu-uc', required: get_option('icu').enabled() and cpp.get_id() != 'msvc')
+icu_dep = dependency('icu-uc', required: false)
 m_dep = cpp.find_library('m', required: false)
 
+if not icu_dep.found() and get_option('icu').enabled()
+  icu_dep = dependency('icu-uc', required: cpp.get_id() != 'msvc')
+endif
+
 if not icu_dep.found() and cpp.get_id() == 'msvc'
   if cpp.has_header('unicode/uchar.h') and \
      cpp.has_header('unicode/unorm2.h') and \
@@ -187,7 +191,6 @@ endif
 if icu_dep.found()
   conf.set('HAVE_ICU', 1)
   conf.set('HAVE_ICU_BUILTIN', 1)
-  deps += [icu_dep]
 endif
 
 if freetype_dep.found()
diff --git a/src/meson.build b/src/meson.build
index 2aaf802cd..96d4365fe 100644
--- a/src/meson.build
+++ b/src/meson.build
@@ -325,12 +325,6 @@ if get_option('amalgam')
   hb_sources = ['harfbuzz.cc']
 endif
 
-# FIXME: move into harfbuzz-icu module
-if conf.get('HAVE_ICU', 0) == 1
-  hb_sources += hb_icu_sources
-  hb_headers += hb_icu_headers
-endif
-
 # harfbuzz
 gen_def = find_program('gen-def.py')
 harfbuzz_def = custom_target('harfbuzz.def',
@@ -491,6 +485,33 @@ pkgmod.generate(libharfbuzz_subset,
   version: meson.project_version(),
 )
 
+have_icu = conf.get('HAVE_ICU', 0) == 1
+
+if have_icu
+  libharfbuzz_icu = library('harfbuzz-icu', [hb_icu_sources, hb_icu_headers],
+    include_directories: incconfig,
+    dependencies: icu_dep,
+    link_with: [libharfbuzz],
+    cpp_args: cpp_args + extra_hb_cpp_args,
+    soversion: hb_so_version,
+    version: version,
+    install: true,
+    name_prefix: hb_lib_prefix)
+
+  libharfbuzz_icu_dep = declare_dependency(
+    link_with: libharfbuzz_icu,
+    include_directories: incsrc,
+    dependencies: deps)
+
+  pkgmod.generate(libharfbuzz_icu,
+    description: 'HarfBuzz text shaping library ICU integration',
+    subdirs: [meson.project_name()],
+    version: meson.project_version(),
+  )
+else
+  libharfbuzz_icu_dep = dependency('', required: false)
+endif
+
 have_gobject = conf.get('HAVE_GOBJECT', 0) == 1
 
 cmake_config = configuration_data()
diff --git a/test/api/meson.build b/test/api/meson.build
index ca355fbe6..0aba7940a 100644
--- a/test/api/meson.build
+++ b/test/api/meson.build
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ if conf.get('HAVE_GLIB', 0) == 1
     'test-ot-metrics-tt-var.c',
     'test-set.c',
     'test-shape.c',
-    'test-unicode.c',
     'test-var-coords.c',
     'test-version.c',
   ]
@@ -51,6 +50,11 @@ if conf.get('HAVE_GLIB', 0) == 1
     'test-subset-cbdt.c',
   ]
 
+  icu_tests = []
+  if conf.get('HAVE_ICU', 0) == 1
+    icu_tests += 'test-unicode.c'
+  endif
+
   if conf.get('HAVE_FREETYPE', 0) == 1
     tests += 'test-ot-math.c'
   endif
@@ -86,6 +90,16 @@ if conf.get('HAVE_GLIB', 0) == 1
       install: false,
     ), env: env)
   endforeach
+
+  foreach source : icu_tests
+    test_name = source.split('.')[0]
+    test(test_name, executable(test_name, source,
+      include_directories: [incconfig, incsrc],
+      dependencies: deps,
+      link_with: [libharfbuzz, libharfbuzz_icu],
+      install: false,
+    ), env: env)
+  endforeach
 else
   message('You need to have glib support enabled to run test/api tests')
 endif