$re = '/(?<=^፻.+)\b(?=\w.*፻$)/m';
$str = '፻this test works፻
፻this test does not work፻
this is a line that stays unchanged
this is a line that stays unchanged፻
፻this is a line that stays unchanged';
$subst = "፻";
$result = preg_replace($re, $subst, $str);
echo "The result of the substitution is ".$result;
Please keep in mind that these code samples are automatically generated and are not guaranteed to work. If you find any syntax errors, feel free to submit a bug report. For a full regex reference for PHP, please visit: http://php.net/manual/en/ref.pcre.php