All of my category options are in Chinese suddenly

Store Design
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Topic summary

Main issue: Product category names suddenly display in Chinese characters after assigning a category (e.g., “drinkware”), even though store language is set to English.

Scope and impact:

  • Reported across multiple, separate stores, indicating a broader issue.
  • Occurs on different Shopify themes (Dawn and Refresh), suggesting it’s not theme-specific.
  • Affects previously selected categories as well, which now appear in Chinese.

Troubleshooting noted:

  • Language settings confirmed as English; changing themes not implicated.
  • Sharing visual evidence hindered: screenshot upload was blocked by the system requiring CSV files, preventing image attachment.

Current status:

  • No confirmed cause, workaround, or fix provided in the thread.
  • Discussion remains open; appears to be a platform-level or taxonomy display problem rather than a store-specific configuration error.

Next steps (implied):

  • Await an official update or fix; merchants may consider contacting Shopify support with store details to aid diagnosis.
Summarized with AI on December 28. AI used: gpt-5.
1

I was adding a product and entering the category. In this case, I chose drinkware. As soon as I did this, it changed to chinese script. My language is set to English in settings. Looks like all my categories, previously chose, have been converted to Chinese.

I’m using Dawn theme.

I’d love to upload a screenshot but the system keeps telling me my file isn’t supported and I have no idea what to choose since my screenshots save as a photo and it says CSV only.

2 Likes
2

Same problem on all 3 of my stores. All different stores.

1 Like
3

Same here, but using a different theme. “Refresh” theme if I remember correctly.

1 Like