diff --git a/lib/ansible/utils/path.py b/lib/ansible/utils/path.py
index d8dc4234265..1fe62e85940 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/utils/path.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/utils/path.py
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ __metaclass__ = type
 
 import os
 from errno import EEXIST
+from ansible.utils.unicode import to_bytes
 
 __all__ = ['unfrackpath']
 
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@ def unfrackpath(path):
 
 def makedirs_safe(path, mode=None):
     '''Safe way to create dirs in muliprocess/thread environments'''
-    if not os.path.exists(path):
+    if not os.path.exists(to_bytes(path, errors='strict')):
         try:
             if mode:
                 os.makedirs(path, mode)
diff --git a/test/integration/test_connection.yml b/test/integration/test_connection.yml
index 5b3d4f1bc3c..27f24aafd6b 100644
--- a/test/integration/test_connection.yml
+++ b/test/integration/test_connection.yml
@@ -14,18 +14,20 @@
   ### copy local file with unicode filename and content
 
   - name: create local file with unicode filename and content
-    local_action: lineinfile dest=/tmp/ansible-local-汉语 create=true line=汉语
+    local_action: lineinfile dest=/tmp/ansible-local-汉语/汉语.txt create=true line=汉语
   - name: remove remote file with unicode filename and content
-    file: path=/tmp/ansible-remote-汉语 state=absent
+    file: path=/tmp/ansible-remote-汉语/汉语.txt state=absent
+  - name: create remote directory with unicode name
+    file: path=/tmp/ansible-remote-汉语 state=directory
   - name: copy local file with unicode filename and content
-    copy: src=/tmp/ansible-local-汉语 dest=/tmp/ansible-remote-汉语
+    copy: src=/tmp/ansible-local-汉语/汉语.txt dest=/tmp/ansible-remote-汉语/汉语.txt
 
   ### fetch remote file with unicode filename and content
 
   - name: remove local file with unicode filename and content
-    local_action: file path=/tmp/ansible-local-汉语 state=absent
+    local_action: file path=/tmp/ansible-local-汉语/汉语.txt state=absent
   - name: fetch remote file with unicode filename and content
-    fetch: src=/tmp/ansible-remote-汉语 dest=/tmp/ansible-local-汉语 fail_on_missing=true validate_checksum=true flat=true
+    fetch: src=/tmp/ansible-remote-汉语/汉语.txt dest=/tmp/ansible-local-汉语/汉语.txt fail_on_missing=true validate_checksum=true flat=true
 
   ### remove local and remote temp files