diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 45f0e91a..d0d473e6 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+# 2.36 (2024-10-24)
+* Fix: Categories with characters incompatible with the current locale opens (#778, Oussama Jarrousse).
+
 # 2.35 (2024-09-22)
 * Add option to auto-indent text in editor and activate it by default (#561, #562, Allen Benter, Varunjay Varma).
 
diff --git a/rednotebook/journal.py b/rednotebook/journal.py
index a118f1a4..5f9aca37 100644
--- a/rednotebook/journal.py
+++ b/rednotebook/journal.py
@@ -540,7 +540,7 @@ def show_message(self, msg, title=None, error=False):
     def categories(self):
         return sorted(
             set(itertools.chain.from_iterable(day.categories for day in self.days)),
-            key=locale.strxfrm,
+            key=utils.safe_strxfrm,
         )
 
     def get_entries(self, category):
diff --git a/rednotebook/util/utils.py b/rednotebook/util/utils.py
index e71653e7..027718ba 100644
--- a/rednotebook/util/utils.py
+++ b/rednotebook/util/utils.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 import http.client
+import locale
 import logging
 import os.path
 import re
@@ -202,3 +203,14 @@ def flush(self):
     def close(self):
         for stream in self.streams:
             stream.close()
+
+def safe_strxfrm(value):
+    """
+    Safely apply locale-aware sorting. If locale.strxfrm fails, fall back to default sorting.
+    """
+    try:
+        return locale.strxfrm(value)
+    except OSError:
+        return value
+    except:
+        return value
diff --git a/tests/test_journal.py b/tests/test_journal.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9321098a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_journal.py
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+import pytest
+
+from datetime import date
+from rednotebook.data import Month, Day  # Assuming you have access to these
+
+from rednotebook.journal import Journal
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def mock_month():
+    month = Month(2024, 10)
+    day1 = Day(month, 1, {"text": "Example text", "Aria": {}})
+    day2 = Day(month, 2, {"text": "More example text", "Aria": {}, "Opera":{}, "Étude":{}})
+    day3 = Day(month, 3, {"text": "Another text", "Sonata": {}, "Prelude": {}, "Opera": {}, "Concerto":{}})
+    day4 = Day(month, 4, {"text": "Regression test for issue 778", "Opera":{}, "المُوَشَّح":{}})
+
+    month.days[1] = day1
+    month.days[2] = day2
+    month.days[3] = day3
+    month.days[4] = day4
+    
+    yield month
+
+
+def test_categories(mock_month):
+    # Create an empty journal instance
+    journal = Journal()
+
+    # Add a month with no days to the journal
+    journal.months = { (2024, 10): Month(2024, 10) }
+
+    # Ensure that the categories list is empty
+    assert journal.categories == [], "Expected no categories in an empty journal"
+
+    # Add a month with days to the journal
+    journal.months = { (2024, 10): mock_month }
+
+    # Assert the categories property returns expected categories sorted alphabetically
+    expected_categories = ['Aria', 'Concerto', 'Étude', 'Opera', 'Prelude', 'Sonata', 'المُوَشَّح']
+    
+    assert journal.categories == expected_categories
\ No newline at end of file