diff --git a/legacy/evas/src/lib/engines/common/evas_font.h b/legacy/evas/src/lib/engines/common/evas_font.h
index 9843c7f1d7..462965476c 100644
--- a/legacy/evas/src/lib/engines/common/evas_font.h
+++ b/legacy/evas/src/lib/engines/common/evas_font.h
@@ -17,10 +17,10 @@ EAPI int               evas_common_font_max_ascent_get       (RGBA_Font *fn);
 EAPI int               evas_common_font_max_descent_get      (RGBA_Font *fn);
 EAPI int               evas_common_font_get_line_advance     (RGBA_Font *fn);
 
-EAPI int               evas_common_font_utf8_get_next        (unsigned char *buf, int *iindex);
-EAPI int               evas_common_font_utf8_get_prev        (unsigned char *buf, int *iindex);
-EAPI int               evas_common_font_utf8_get_last        (unsigned char *buf, int buflen);
-EAPI int               evas_common_font_utf8_get_len         (unsigned char *buf);
+EAPI int               evas_common_font_utf8_get_next        (const unsigned char *buf, int *iindex);
+EAPI int               evas_common_font_utf8_get_prev        (const unsigned char *buf, int *iindex);
+EAPI int               evas_common_font_utf8_get_last        (const unsigned char *buf, int buflen);
+EAPI int               evas_common_font_utf8_get_len         (const unsigned char *buf);
 
 /* draw */
 
diff --git a/legacy/evas/src/lib/engines/common/evas_font_main.c b/legacy/evas/src/lib/engines/common/evas_font_main.c
index 0099e1d5c9..e556c7b79a 100644
--- a/legacy/evas/src/lib/engines/common/evas_font_main.c
+++ b/legacy/evas/src/lib/engines/common/evas_font_main.c
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ evas_common_font_get_line_advance(RGBA_Font *fn)
 }
 
 EAPI int
-evas_common_font_utf8_get_next(unsigned char *buf, int *iindex)
+evas_common_font_utf8_get_next(const unsigned char *buf, int *iindex)
 {
    /* Reads UTF8 bytes from @buf, starting at *@index and returns
     * the decoded code point at iindex offset, and advances iindex
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ evas_common_font_utf8_get_next(unsigned char *buf, int *iindex)
 }
 
 EAPI int
-evas_common_font_utf8_get_prev(unsigned char *buf, int *iindex)
+evas_common_font_utf8_get_prev(const unsigned char *buf, int *iindex)
 {
    /* Reads UTF8 bytes from @buf, starting at *@index and returns
     * the decoded code point at iindex offset, and advances iindex
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ evas_common_font_utf8_get_prev(unsigned char *buf, int *iindex)
 }
 
 EAPI int
-evas_common_font_utf8_get_last(unsigned char *buf, int buflen)
+evas_common_font_utf8_get_last(const unsigned char *buf, int buflen)
 {
    /* jumps to the nul byte at the buffer end and decodes backwards and
     * returns the offset index byte in the buffer where the last character
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ evas_common_font_utf8_get_last(unsigned char *buf, int buflen)
 }
 
 EAPI int
-evas_common_font_utf8_get_len(unsigned char *buf)
+evas_common_font_utf8_get_len(const unsigned char *buf)
 {
    /* returns the number of utf8 characters (not bytes) in the string */
    int index = 0, len = 0;