diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
index 93399fcb41..c48b76f6fd 100644
--- a/.gitattributes
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -8477,6 +8477,7 @@ tests/webtbs/tw9766.pp svneol=native#text/plain
 tests/webtbs/tw9827.pp svneol=native#text/plain
 tests/webtbs/tw9894.pp svneol=native#text/plain
 tests/webtbs/tw9894a.pp svneol=native#text/plain
+tests/webtbs/tw9897.pp svneol=native#text/plain
 tests/webtbs/ub1873.pp svneol=native#text/plain
 tests/webtbs/ub1883.pp svneol=native#text/plain
 tests/webtbs/uw0555.pp svneol=native#text/plain
diff --git a/rtl/inc/system.inc b/rtl/inc/system.inc
index 36d67e4f91..de288600a9 100644
--- a/rtl/inc/system.inc
+++ b/rtl/inc/system.inc
@@ -40,9 +40,10 @@ const
 { For Error Handling.}
   ErrorBase : Pointer = nil;
 
-{ Used by the ansistrings and maybe also other things in the future }
+{ Used by the ansi/widestrings and maybe also other things in the future }
 var
-  emptychar : char;public name 'FPC_EMPTYCHAR';
+  { widechar, because also used by widestring -> pwidechar conversions }
+  emptychar : widechar;public name 'FPC_EMPTYCHAR';
   initialstklen : SizeUint;external name '__stklen';
 
 { checks whether the given suggested size for the stack of the current
diff --git a/tests/webtbs/tw9897.pp b/tests/webtbs/tw9897.pp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..512208045d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/webtbs/tw9897.pp
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+program widecharbug;
+
+var
+  AText : WideString;
+  AWideChar: PWideChar;
+
+begin
+  AText := '';
+  AWideChar := PWideChar(AText);
+  if PWord(AWideChar)^<>0 then
+    begin
+      writeln(PWord(AWideChar)^);
+     halt(1);
+    end;
+end.