diff --git a/ir.c b/ir.c
index 3d32a1f..9afbbfc 100644
--- a/ir.c
+++ b/ir.c
@@ -84,6 +84,9 @@ static void print_val(const Value *v) {
 		case TypeBool:
 			printf("%s", v->Bool ? "true" : "false");
 			break;
+		case TypeChar:
+			printf("'%c'", v->Char);
+			break;
 		default:
 			printf("(unknown type)");
 			break;
diff --git a/lex.c b/lex.c
index 68aa3a5..bc42e3c 100644
--- a/lex.c
+++ b/lex.c
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ static void consume(Pos *p, char c);
 static void emit(TokList *toks, const Pos *p, Tok t);
 static void mark(Pos *p);
 static void mark_err(const Pos *p);
+static char get_esc_char(char c);
 
 static void consume(Pos *p, char c) {
 	if (c == '\n') {
@@ -36,6 +37,23 @@ static void mark_err(const Pos *p) {
 	err_col = p->m_col;
 }
 
+static char get_esc_char(char c) {
+	switch(c) {
+		case 'a':  return '\a';
+		case 'b':  return '\b';
+		case 'e':  return '\033';
+		case 'f':  return '\f';
+		case 'n':  return '\n';
+		case 'r':  return '\r';
+		case 't':  return '\t';
+		case 'v':  return '\v';
+		case '\\': return '\\';
+		case '\'': return '\'';
+		case '"':  return '\"';
+		default:   return 0;
+	}
+}
+
 TokList lex(const char *s) {
 	TokList toks;
 	toklist_init(&toks);
@@ -248,6 +266,25 @@ TokList lex(const char *s) {
 						});
 				}
 				continue;
+			case '\'': {
+				consume(&pos, *(s++));
+				char c = s[0];
+				if (c == '\\') {
+					consume(&pos, *(s++));
+					c = get_esc_char(s[0]);
+					if (!c) {
+						set_err("Unrecognized escape sequence: '\\%c'", c);
+						return toks;
+					}
+				}
+				consume(&pos, *(s++));
+				if (s[0] != '\'') {
+					set_err("Unclosed char literal");
+					return toks;
+				}
+				emit(&toks, &pos, (Tok){ .kind = TokVal, .Val = { .type = { .kind = TypeChar, }, .Char = c, }, });
+				break;
+			}
 			default:
 				set_err("Unrecognized character: '%c'", s[0]);
 				return toks;
diff --git a/main.c b/main.c
index 9aa265a..e80bddd 100644
--- a/main.c
+++ b/main.c
@@ -33,18 +33,25 @@ static void die(const char *fmt, ...) {
 	exit(1);
 }
 
-static Value fn_print(Value *args) {
+static Value fn_put(Value *args) {
 	switch (args[0].type.kind) {
-		case TypeVoid:  printf("(void)\n");                              break;
-		case TypeFloat: printf("%f\n", args[0].Float);                   break;
-		case TypeInt:   printf("%zd\n", args[0].Int);                    break;
-		case TypeBool:  printf("%s\n", args[0].Bool ? "true" : "false"); break;
+		case TypeVoid:  printf("(void)");                              break;
+		case TypeFloat: printf("%f", args[0].Float);                   break;
+		case TypeInt:   printf("%zd", args[0].Int);                    break;
+		case TypeBool:  printf("%s", args[0].Bool ? "true" : "false"); break;
+		case TypeChar:  printf("%c", args[0].Char);                    break;
 		default:
 			ASSERT_UNREACHED();
 	}
 	return (Value){0};
 }
 
+static Value fn_print(Value *args) {
+	fn_put(args);
+	printf("\n");
+	return (Value){0};
+}
+
 static Value fn_int(Value *args) {
 	Value ret = {
 		.type.kind = TypeInt,
@@ -141,6 +148,7 @@ int main(int argc, const char **argv) {
 		print_toks(&tokens);
 	/* parse tokens into IR code */
 	BuiltinFunc funcs[] = {
+		{ .name = "put",   .side_effects = true,  .n_args = 1, .func = fn_put,   },
 		{ .name = "print", .side_effects = true,  .n_args = 1, .func = fn_print, },
 		{ .name = "int",   .side_effects = false, .n_args = 1, .func = fn_int,   },
 		{ .name = "float", .side_effects = false, .n_args = 1, .func = fn_float, },
diff --git a/tok.c b/tok.c
index 4d324e2..4f51026 100644
--- a/tok.c
+++ b/tok.c
@@ -115,6 +115,9 @@ void print_toks(TokList *l) {
 					case TypeBool:
 						printf(": " C_ICYAN "%s" C_RESET, i->tok.Val.Bool ? "true" : "false");
 						break;
+					case TypeChar:
+						printf(": " C_ICYAN "'%c'" C_RESET, i->tok.Val.Char);
+						break;
 					default:
 						printf(" " C_ICYAN "(unknown type)" C_RESET);
 						break;
diff --git a/tok.h b/tok.h
index 3a8e1f3..34fd371 100644
--- a/tok.h
+++ b/tok.h
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ typedef struct Type {
 		TypeFloat,
 		TypeInt,
 		TypeBool,
+		TypeChar,
 	} kind;
 
 	/*union {
@@ -25,6 +26,7 @@ typedef struct Value {
 		double Float;
 		ssize_t Int;
 		bool Bool;
+		char Char;
 	};
 } Value;