diff --git a/deskutils/gnome-characters/files/patch-data_meson.build b/deskutils/gnome-characters/files/patch-data_meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..69d859426b08
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deskutils/gnome-characters/files/patch-data_meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-characters/-/commit/3b84cc750b70
+
+data/meson.build:49:5: ERROR: Function does not take positional arguments.
+
+--- data/meson.build.orig	2021-09-21 13:39:34 UTC
++++ data/meson.build
+@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@ desktop_conf.set('appid', characters_application_id)
+ desktop_conf.set('bindir', characters_bindir)
+ 
+ i18n.merge_file(
+-  'desktop-file',
+   type: 'desktop',
+   input: configure_file (
+     input: characters_name + '.desktop.in',
+@@ -61,7 +60,6 @@ i18n.merge_file(
+ )
+ 
+ appdata_file = i18n.merge_file(
+-  'appdata-file',
+   input: characters_name + '.appdata.xml.in',
+   output: characters_application_id + '.appdata.xml',
+   po_dir: po_dir,