diff --git a/docs/changelog.rst b/docs/changelog.rst
index 8de429f50..b8a4631c2 100644
--- a/docs/changelog.rst
+++ b/docs/changelog.rst
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ Changelog
 - macOS: Fix kitty window not being rendered on macOS Mojave until the window is
   moved or resized at least once (:iss:`887`)
 
+- Unicode input: Fix an error when searching for the string 'fir' (:iss:`1035`)
+
 
 0.12.2 [2018-09-24]
 ------------------------------
diff --git a/kittens/unicode_input/main.py b/kittens/unicode_input/main.py
index 1e954c39b..5746a5e55 100644
--- a/kittens/unicode_input/main.py
+++ b/kittens/unicode_input/main.py
@@ -159,9 +159,12 @@ class Table:
         self.last_cols, self.last_rows = cols, rows
         self.layout_dirty = False
 
+        def safe_chr(codepoint):
+            return chr(codepoint).encode('utf-8', 'replace').decode('utf-8')
+
         if self.mode is NAME:
             def as_parts(i, codepoint):
-                return encode_hint(i).ljust(idx_size), chr(codepoint), name(codepoint)
+                return encode_hint(i).ljust(idx_size), safe_chr(codepoint), name(codepoint)
 
             def cell(i, idx, c, desc):
                 is_current = i == self.current_idx
@@ -181,7 +184,7 @@ class Table:
 
         else:
             def as_parts(i, codepoint):
-                return encode_hint(i).ljust(idx_size), chr(codepoint), ''
+                return encode_hint(i).ljust(idx_size), safe_chr(codepoint), ''
 
             def cell(i, idx, c, desc):
                 yield colored(idx, 'green') + ' '