diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/libjson/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/libjson/default.nix
index 9106c197471..0a1a631a6b9 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/libjson/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/libjson/default.nix
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   patches = [ ./install-fix.patch ];
   nativeBuildInputs = [ unzip ];
   makeFlags = [ "prefix=$(out)" ];
+  NIX_CFLAGS_COMPILE = [ "-std=c++11" ];
   preInstall = "mkdir -p $out/lib";
 
   meta = with lib; {