You can call the mysql_get_character_set_info() function to provide information about the default client character set.
Syntax
void
mysql_get_character_set_info(MYSQL *mysql,
MY_CHARSET_INFO *cs)
Return values
Information about the default client character set is returned.
Errors
None.
Notes
You can use the mysql_set_character_set() function to change the default character set.