diff --git a/Include/cpython/coreconfig.h b/Include/cpython/coreconfig.h
index 5743bf5d0fa..99388e635c7 100644
--- a/Include/cpython/coreconfig.h
+++ b/Include/cpython/coreconfig.h
@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@ typedef struct {
        Needed by freeze_importlib. */
     int _install_importlib;
 
-    /* Value of the --check-hash-based-pycs configure option. Valid values:
+    /* Value of the --check-hash-based-pycs command line option:
 
        - "default" means the 'check_source' flag in hash-based pycs
          determines invalidation
@@ -372,11 +372,10 @@ typedef struct {
        - "never" causes the interpreter to always assume hash-based pycs are
          valid
 
-       Set by the --check-hash-based-pycs command line option.
        The default value is "default".
 
        See PEP 552 "Deterministic pycs" for more details. */
-    const char *_check_hash_pycs_mode;
+    wchar_t *check_hash_pycs_mode;
 
     /* If greater than 0, suppress _PyPathConfig_Calculate() warnings.
 
@@ -418,7 +417,7 @@ typedef struct {
         .user_site_directory = -1, \
         .buffered_stdio = -1, \
         ._install_importlib = 1, \
-        ._check_hash_pycs_mode = "default", \
+        .check_hash_pycs_mode = NULL, \
         ._frozen = -1, \
         ._init_main = 1}
 /* Note: _PyCoreConfig_INIT sets other fields to 0/NULL */
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_embed.py b/Lib/test/test_embed.py
index cd6027205a9..fb0051957aa 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_embed.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_embed.py
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ class InitConfigTests(EmbeddingTestsMixin, unittest.TestCase):
         'run_filename': None,
 
         '_install_importlib': 1,
-        '_check_hash_pycs_mode': 'default',
+        'check_hash_pycs_mode': 'default',
         '_frozen': 0,
         '_init_main': 1,
     }
@@ -577,7 +577,7 @@ class InitConfigTests(EmbeddingTestsMixin, unittest.TestCase):
             'user_site_directory': 0,
             'faulthandler': 1,
 
-            '_check_hash_pycs_mode': 'always',
+            'check_hash_pycs_mode': 'always',
             '_frozen': 1,
         }
         self.check_config("init_from_config", config, preconfig)
diff --git a/Programs/_testembed.c b/Programs/_testembed.c
index 3fc8e6d8c6b..6e764e3b6cc 100644
--- a/Programs/_testembed.c
+++ b/Programs/_testembed.c
@@ -495,7 +495,7 @@ static int test_init_from_config(void)
     Py_NoUserSiteDirectory = 0;
     config.user_site_directory = 0;
 
-    config._check_hash_pycs_mode = "always";
+    config.check_hash_pycs_mode = L"always";
 
     Py_FrozenFlag = 0;
     config._frozen = 1;
diff --git a/Python/coreconfig.c b/Python/coreconfig.c
index 7f388cbcdd0..1cb4b52e600 100644
--- a/Python/coreconfig.c
+++ b/Python/coreconfig.c
@@ -516,6 +516,7 @@ _PyCoreConfig_Clear(_PyCoreConfig *config)
     CLEAR(config->run_command);
     CLEAR(config->run_module);
     CLEAR(config->run_filename);
+    CLEAR(config->check_hash_pycs_mode);
 #undef CLEAR
 }
 
@@ -686,7 +687,7 @@ _PyCoreConfig_Copy(_PyCoreConfig *config, const _PyCoreConfig *config2)
     COPY_WSTR_ATTR(run_command);
     COPY_WSTR_ATTR(run_module);
     COPY_WSTR_ATTR(run_filename);
-    COPY_ATTR(_check_hash_pycs_mode);
+    COPY_WSTR_ATTR(check_hash_pycs_mode);
     COPY_ATTR(_frozen);
     COPY_ATTR(_init_main);
 
@@ -792,7 +793,7 @@ _PyCoreConfig_AsDict(const _PyCoreConfig *config)
     SET_ITEM_WSTR(run_module);
     SET_ITEM_WSTR(run_filename);
     SET_ITEM_INT(_install_importlib);
-    SET_ITEM_STR(_check_hash_pycs_mode);
+    SET_ITEM_WSTR(check_hash_pycs_mode);
     SET_ITEM_INT(_frozen);
     SET_ITEM_INT(_init_main);
 
@@ -1711,6 +1712,7 @@ static _PyInitError
 config_parse_cmdline(_PyCoreConfig *config, _PyPreCmdline *precmdline,
                      _PyWstrList *warnoptions)
 {
+    _PyInitError err;
     const _PyWstrList *argv = &precmdline->argv;
     int print_version = 0;
 
@@ -1757,12 +1759,15 @@ config_parse_cmdline(_PyCoreConfig *config, _PyPreCmdline *precmdline,
         case 0:
             // Handle long option.
             assert(longindex == 0); // Only one long option now.
-            if (!wcscmp(_PyOS_optarg, L"always")) {
-                config->_check_hash_pycs_mode = "always";
-            } else if (!wcscmp(_PyOS_optarg, L"never")) {
-                config->_check_hash_pycs_mode = "never";
-            } else if (!wcscmp(_PyOS_optarg, L"default")) {
-                config->_check_hash_pycs_mode = "default";
+            if (wcscmp(_PyOS_optarg, L"always") == 0
+                || wcscmp(_PyOS_optarg, L"never") == 0
+                || wcscmp(_PyOS_optarg, L"default") == 0)
+            {
+                err = _PyCoreConfig_SetWideString(&config->check_hash_pycs_mode,
+                                                  _PyOS_optarg);
+                if (_Py_INIT_FAILED(err)) {
+                    return err;
+                }
             } else {
                 fprintf(stderr, "--check-hash-based-pycs must be one of "
                         "'default', 'always', or 'never'\n");
@@ -2131,6 +2136,13 @@ config_read_cmdline(_PyCoreConfig *config, _PyPreCmdline *precmdline)
         goto done;
     }
 
+    if (config->check_hash_pycs_mode == NULL) {
+        err = _PyCoreConfig_SetWideString(&config->check_hash_pycs_mode, L"default");
+        if (_Py_INIT_FAILED(err)) {
+            goto done;
+        }
+    }
+
     err = _Py_INIT_OK();
 
 done:
@@ -2254,7 +2266,7 @@ _PyCoreConfig_Read(_PyCoreConfig *config)
 #ifdef MS_WINDOWS
     assert(config->legacy_windows_stdio >= 0);
 #endif
-    assert(config->_check_hash_pycs_mode != NULL);
+    assert(config->check_hash_pycs_mode != NULL);
     assert(config->_install_importlib >= 0);
     assert(config->_frozen >= 0);
 
diff --git a/Python/import.c b/Python/import.c
index 3b2090b963d..b03bc98773a 100644
--- a/Python/import.c
+++ b/Python/import.c
@@ -2305,7 +2305,7 @@ PyInit__imp(void)
     if (d == NULL)
         goto failure;
     _PyCoreConfig *config = &_PyInterpreterState_Get()->core_config;
-    PyObject *pyc_mode = PyUnicode_FromString(config->_check_hash_pycs_mode);
+    PyObject *pyc_mode = PyUnicode_FromWideChar(config->check_hash_pycs_mode, -1);
     if (pyc_mode == NULL) {
         goto failure;
     }