diff --git a/src/keri/core/serder.ts b/src/keri/core/serder.ts
index d2cd3dfd..217fa6c1 100644
--- a/src/keri/core/serder.ts
+++ b/src/keri/core/serder.ts
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ export function sizeify(
     }
 
     let raw = dumps(ked, kind);
-    const size = raw.length;
+    const size = new TextEncoder().encode(raw).length;
 
     ked['v'] = versify(ident, version, kind, size);
 
diff --git a/test/core/serder.test.ts b/test/core/serder.test.ts
index 1b489e07..65fe2f06 100644
--- a/test/core/serder.test.ts
+++ b/test/core/serder.test.ts
@@ -91,5 +91,10 @@ describe('Serder', () => {
 
         aid0 = new Prefixer({ code: MtrDex.Blake3_256 }, ked0);
         assert.equal(aid0.qb64, 'ECHOi6qRaswNpvytpCtpvEh2cB2aLAwVHBLFinno3YVW');
+
+        const ked1 = ked0;
+        ked1.a = { n: 'Lenksjö' };
+        const serder1 = new Serder(ked1);
+        assert.equal(serder1.ked.v, 'KERI10JSON000139_');
     });
 });