diff --git a/hawk/lib/parse.c b/hawk/lib/parse.c
index 565712d9..722ef9d7 100644
--- a/hawk/lib/parse.c
+++ b/hawk/lib/parse.c
@@ -153,6 +153,7 @@ enum tok_t
 	/* ==  end reserved words == */
 
 	TOK_IDENT,
+	TOK_CHAR,
 	TOK_INT,
 	TOK_FLT,
 	TOK_STR,
@@ -4660,6 +4661,31 @@ static HAWK_INLINE int isfnname (hawk_t* hawk, const hawk_oocs_t* name)
 	return isfunname(hawk, name, HAWK_NULL);
 }
 
+static hawk_nde_t* parse_primary_char  (hawk_t* hawk, const hawk_loc_t* xloc)
+{
+	hawk_nde_char_t* nde;
+
+	nde = (hawk_nde_char_t*)hawk_callocmem (hawk, HAWK_SIZEOF(*nde));
+	if (HAWK_UNLIKELY(!nde)) 
+	{
+		ADJERR_LOC (hawk, xloc);
+		return HAWK_NULL;
+	}
+
+	nde->type = HAWK_NDE_CHAR;
+	nde->loc = *xloc;
+	nde->val = HAWK_OOECS_CHAR(hawk->tok.name, 0);
+
+	if (get_token(hawk) <= -1) goto oops;
+
+	return (hawk_nde_t*)nde;
+
+oops:
+	HAWK_ASSERT (nde != HAWK_NULL);
+	hawk_freemem (hawk, nde);
+	return HAWK_NULL;
+}
+
 static hawk_nde_t* parse_primary_int  (hawk_t* hawk, const hawk_loc_t* xloc)
 {
 	hawk_nde_int_t* nde;
@@ -5093,6 +5119,9 @@ static hawk_nde_t* parse_primary_nopipe (hawk_t* hawk, const hawk_loc_t* xloc)
 		case TOK_IDENT:
 			return parse_primary_ident(hawk, xloc);
 
+		case TOK_CHAR:
+			return parse_primary_char(hawk, xloc);
+
 		case TOK_INT:
 			return parse_primary_int(hawk, xloc);
 
@@ -6833,12 +6862,16 @@ retry:
 		SET_TOKEN_TYPE (hawk, tok, TOK_STR);
 		if (get_string(hawk, c, '\\', 0, 0, 0, tok) <= -1) return -1;
 	}
-#if 0
-	else if (c == '\''))
+	else if (c == '\'')
 	{
-		/* TODO: character literal */
+		SET_TOKEN_TYPE (hawk, tok, TOK_CHAR);
+		if (get_string(hawk, c, '\\', 0, 0, 0, tok) <= -1) return -1;
+		if (HAWK_OOECS_LEN(tok->name) != 1)
+		{
+			hawk_seterrfmt (hawk, &tok->loc, HAWK_ELXCHR, HAWK_T("invalid character token"));
+			return -1;
+		}
 	}
-#endif
 	else
 	{
 	try_get_symbols:
diff --git a/hawk/lib/tree.c b/hawk/lib/tree.c
index e4e37739..1e36744f 100644
--- a/hawk/lib/tree.c
+++ b/hawk/lib/tree.c
@@ -1383,6 +1383,12 @@ void hawk_clrpt (hawk_t* hawk, hawk_nde_t* tree)
 				break;
 			}
 
+			case HAWK_NDE_CHAR:
+			{
+				hawk_freemem (hawk, p);
+				break;
+			}
+
 			case HAWK_NDE_INT:
 			{
 				if (((hawk_nde_int_t*)p)->str)