diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 917c4d019..e22859a26 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -93,28 +93,15 @@ gobject_dep = dependency('gobject-2.0', required: get_option('gobject'))
 graphite2_dep = dependency('graphite2', required: get_option('graphite2'))
 graphite_dep = dependency('graphite2', required: get_option('graphite'))
 
-icu_dep = null_dep
-if not get_option('icu').disabled()
-  icu_dep = dependency('icu-uc', required: false)
-
-  if (not icu_dep.found() and
-      cpp.get_id() == 'msvc' and
-      cpp.has_header('unicode/uchar.h') and
-      cpp.has_header('unicode/unorm2.h') and
-      cpp.has_header('unicode/ustring.h') and
-      cpp.has_header('unicode/utf16.h') and
-      cpp.has_header('unicode/uversion.h') and
-      cpp.has_header('unicode/uscript.h'))
-    if get_option('buildtype') == 'debug'
-      icu_dep = cpp.find_library('icuucd', required: false)
-    else
-      icu_dep = cpp.find_library('icuuc', required: false)
-    endif
-  endif
-
-  if not icu_dep.found()
-    icu_dep = dependency('icu-uc', required: get_option('icu'))
-  endif
+if cpp.get_argument_syntax() == 'msvc'
+  icu_dep = dependency('ICU',
+                       required: get_option('icu'),
+                       components: 'uc',
+                       method: 'cmake')
+else
+  icu_dep = dependency('icu-uc',
+                       required: get_option('icu'),
+                       method: 'pkg-config')
 endif
 
 if icu_dep.found() and icu_dep.type_name() == 'pkgconfig'