diff --git a/pmb/chroot/root.py b/pmb/chroot/root.py
index 59aea416..5ab716fb 100644
--- a/pmb/chroot/root.py
+++ b/pmb/chroot/root.py
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ def root(args, cmd, suffix="native", working_dir="/", output="log",
 
     # Merge env with defaults into env_all
     env_all = {"CHARSET": "UTF-8",
+               "LANG": "UTF-8",
                "HISTFILE": "~/.ash_history",
                "HOME": "/root",
                "PATH": pmb.config.chroot_path,