diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 8086f3c93e..8250b3409a 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -360,6 +360,7 @@ KBUILD_CPPFLAGS := -D__KERNEL__ -D__UBOOT__
 KBUILD_CFLAGS   := -Wall -Wstrict-prototypes \
 		   -Wno-format-security \
 		   -fno-builtin -ffreestanding
+KBUILD_CFLAGS	+= -fshort-wchar
 KBUILD_AFLAGS   := -D__ASSEMBLY__
 
 # Read UBOOTRELEASE from include/config/uboot.release (if it exists)