How to Properly Convert a CSV File to JSON in Python Without Losing Unicode Characters

Learn the best practices for converting a CSV file to JSON format in Python while preserving special characters like Korean.
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How to Properly Convert a CSV File to JSON in Python Without Losing Unicode Characters

In the world of data manipulation, Python provides excellent libraries for handling various formats, including CSV and JSON. However, converting a CSV file to JSON while preserving special characters such as Korean text can pose a challenge. Users often find themselves encountering unreadable unicode characters in their JSON output, which can be frustrating. Let’s explore how to properly convert CSV data to JSON in Python without losing these characters.

Understanding the Problem

When you attempt to convert a CSV file to JSON, it is essential to ensure that the data is represented correctly, particularly when it comes to characters from languages like Korean. A common issue arises when the exported JSON contains escape sequences that obscure the original characters, such as \uc131 instead of the expected Korean characters.

Here’s what the user faced:

After trying to convert CSV data into JSON, unicode characters appeared in the output instead of the actual Korean text.

Solution to the Problem

To achieve a clean conversion of CSV to JSON while keeping the characters intact, follow the steps below:

1. Read the CSV File

Start by reading the CSV file using the pandas library. Ensure you have pandas installed in your Python environment:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

2. Build a Proper Dictionary

Instead of converting the dataframe directly to a JSON string, you should build a plain dictionary. This dictionary structure should hold the CSV data in lists of dictionaries format:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

3. Convert to a JSON String

Once you have a proper dictionary, you can convert it to a JSON string. This is where you can preserve the actual text values:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

4. Save to a JSON File

If you wish to save this JSON string to a file while maintaining the Korean characters, use the following code snippet:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

5. Loading the JSON Back into Python

When you need to read the JSON back into a Python structure, simply use:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Summary

By carefully constructing your dictionary and utilizing Python’s json library for conversion, you can effectively handle CSV to JSON transformations without losing important unicode characters.

Key Takeaways:

Use pandas to process CSV files smoothly.

Create a dictionary with to_dict rather than to_json.

Always specify utf-8 when writing to and reading from files.

By following these guidelines, you’ll prevent issues like invisible unicode characters and ensure your data's integrity. Happy coding!