diff --git a/java/java-psi-impl/src/com/intellij/psi/impl/compiled/StubBuildingVisitor.java b/java/java-psi-impl/src/com/intellij/psi/impl/compiled/StubBuildingVisitor.java
index 82569b97d91f..7324f7bbcb4b 100644
--- a/java/java-psi-impl/src/com/intellij/psi/impl/compiled/StubBuildingVisitor.java
+++ b/java/java-psi-impl/src/com/intellij/psi/impl/compiled/StubBuildingVisitor.java
@@ -707,7 +707,7 @@ public class StubBuildingVisitor<T> extends ClassVisitor {
     }
 
     if (value instanceof Character) {
-      return "'" + value.toString() + "'";
+      return "'" + StringUtil.escapeCharCharacters(value.toString()) + "'";
     }
 
     if (value instanceof Long) {
@@ -720,7 +720,8 @@ public class StubBuildingVisitor<T> extends ClassVisitor {
         if (value.equals(1)) return "true";
       }
       if ("char".equals(type)) {
-        return "'" + ((char)((Integer)value).intValue()) + "'";
+        char ch = (char)((Integer)value).intValue();
+        return "'" + StringUtil.escapeCharCharacters(String.valueOf(ch)) + "'";
       }
       return value.toString();
     }
diff --git a/java/java-tests/testData/psi/cls/mirror/Primitives.txt b/java/java-tests/testData/psi/cls/mirror/Primitives.txt
index 37887d7110fa..4eb6750d0451 100644
--- a/java/java-tests/testData/psi/cls/mirror/Primitives.txt
+++ b/java/java-tests/testData/psi/cls/mirror/Primitives.txt
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ class Primitives {
     public static final boolean TRUE = true;
     public static final boolean FALSE = false;
     public static final byte BYTE = 1;
-    public static final char CHAR = 'c';
+    public static final char CHAR = '\'';
     public static final short SHORT = 42;
     public static final int INT = 42;
     public static final long LONG = 42L;
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ class Primitives {
     public static boolean FALSE() { /* compiled code */ }
 
     @pkg.ByteAnno(1)
-    @pkg.CharAnno('c')
+    @pkg.CharAnno('\\')
     @pkg.ShortAnno(42)
     @pkg.IntAnno(42)
     @pkg.LongAnno(42L)
diff --git a/java/java-tests/testData/psi/cls/mirror/pkg/Primitives.class b/java/java-tests/testData/psi/cls/mirror/pkg/Primitives.class
index fe1c7fd786c2..1e2d9f0a17ff 100644
Binary files a/java/java-tests/testData/psi/cls/mirror/pkg/Primitives.class and b/java/java-tests/testData/psi/cls/mirror/pkg/Primitives.class differ
diff --git a/java/java-tests/testData/psi/cls/mirror/src/pkg/Primitives.java b/java/java-tests/testData/psi/cls/mirror/src/pkg/Primitives.java
index fbdf2a82090b..4ffcf4ae3634 100644
--- a/java/java-tests/testData/psi/cls/mirror/src/pkg/Primitives.java
+++ b/java/java-tests/testData/psi/cls/mirror/src/pkg/Primitives.java
@@ -8,12 +8,12 @@ class Primitives  {
   @BooleanAnno(false) public static boolean FALSE() { return FALSE; }
 
   public static final byte BYTE = 1;
-  public static final char CHAR = 'c';
+  public static final char CHAR = '\'';
   public static final short SHORT = 42;
   public static final int INT = 42;
   public static final long LONG = 42L;
 
-  @ByteAnno(1) @CharAnno('c') @ShortAnno(42) @IntAnno(42) @LongAnno(42L)
+  @ByteAnno(1) @CharAnno('\\') @ShortAnno(42) @IntAnno(42) @LongAnno(42L)
   public static void m() { }
 }
 
diff --git a/platform/util/src/com/intellij/openapi/util/text/StringUtil.java b/platform/util/src/com/intellij/openapi/util/text/StringUtil.java
index eb99bbd45c57..225a51f3214c 100644
--- a/platform/util/src/com/intellij/openapi/util/text/StringUtil.java
+++ b/platform/util/src/com/intellij/openapi/util/text/StringUtil.java
@@ -536,10 +536,16 @@ public class StringUtil extends StringUtilRt {
   @NotNull
   public static String escapeStringCharacters(@NotNull String s) {
     StringBuilder buffer = new StringBuilder(s.length());
-    escapeStringCharacters(s.length(), s, buffer);
+    escapeStringCharacters(s.length(), s, "\"", buffer);
     return buffer.toString();
   }
 
+  @NotNull
+  public static String escapeCharCharacters(@NotNull String s) {
+    StringBuilder buffer = new StringBuilder(s.length());
+    escapeStringCharacters(s.length(), s, "\'", buffer);
+    return buffer.toString();
+  }
 
   @NotNull
   public static String unescapeStringCharacters(@NotNull String s) {