diff --git a/gcc/cp/ChangeLog b/gcc/cp/ChangeLog
index 6c501a8d0e2..21374244ba5 100644
--- a/gcc/cp/ChangeLog
+++ b/gcc/cp/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
+2014-06-04  Paolo Carlini  <paolo.carlini@oracle.com>
+
+	PR c++/43453
+	* typeck.c (cp_build_modify_expr): Handle array of characters
+	initialized by a string literal.
+	* decl.c (check_initializer): Handle parenthesized string literal
+	as initializer.
+	* typeck2.c (store_init_value): Remove redundant check.
+
 2014-06-04  Jason Merrill  <jason@redhat.com>
 
 	PR c++/51253
diff --git a/gcc/cp/decl.c b/gcc/cp/decl.c
index 8dc5f1fa9f4..3d4058c2d91 100644
--- a/gcc/cp/decl.c
+++ b/gcc/cp/decl.c
@@ -5758,6 +5758,13 @@ check_initializer (tree decl, tree init, int flags, vec<tree, va_gc> **cleanups)
 		check_narrowing (type, init);
 	    }
 	}
+      else if (TREE_CODE (type) == ARRAY_TYPE
+	       && TREE_CODE (init) == TREE_LIST
+	       && char_type_p (TYPE_MAIN_VARIANT (TREE_TYPE (type)))
+	       && list_length (init) == 1
+	       && TREE_CODE (TREE_VALUE (init)) == STRING_CST)
+	/* We get here with code like `char s[] ("abc");' */
+	init = TREE_VALUE (init);
 
       /* If DECL has an array type without a specific bound, deduce the
 	 array size from the initializer.  */
diff --git a/gcc/cp/typeck.c b/gcc/cp/typeck.c
index aa96fb49318..4a876f94888 100644
--- a/gcc/cp/typeck.c
+++ b/gcc/cp/typeck.c
@@ -7511,6 +7511,18 @@ cp_build_modify_expr (tree lhs, enum tree_code modifycode, tree rhs,
 	    return error_mark_node;
 	}
 
+      /* C++11 8.5/17: "If the destination type is an array of characters,
+	 an array of char16_t, an array of char32_t, or an array of wchar_t,
+	 and the initializer is a string literal...".  */
+      else if (TREE_CODE (newrhs) == STRING_CST
+	       && char_type_p (TREE_TYPE (TYPE_MAIN_VARIANT (lhstype)))
+	       && modifycode == INIT_EXPR)
+	{
+	  newrhs = digest_init (lhstype, newrhs, complain);
+	  if (newrhs == error_mark_node)
+	    return error_mark_node;
+	}
+
       else if (!same_or_base_type_p (TYPE_MAIN_VARIANT (lhstype),
 				     TYPE_MAIN_VARIANT (TREE_TYPE (newrhs))))
 	{
diff --git a/gcc/cp/typeck2.c b/gcc/cp/typeck2.c
index 18bc25f766d..3ed5c1dd06b 100644
--- a/gcc/cp/typeck2.c
+++ b/gcc/cp/typeck2.c
@@ -785,16 +785,9 @@ store_init_value (tree decl, tree init, vec<tree, va_gc>** cleanups, int flags)
     {
       gcc_assert (TREE_CODE (decl) != RESULT_DECL);
 
-      if (TREE_CODE (init) == TREE_LIST
-	       && TREE_CODE (TREE_TYPE (decl)) == ARRAY_TYPE)
-	{
-	  error ("cannot initialize arrays using this syntax");
-	  return NULL_TREE;
-	}
-      else
-	/* We get here with code like `int a (2);' */
-	init = build_x_compound_expr_from_list (init, ELK_INIT,
-						tf_warning_or_error);
+      /* We get here with code like `int a (2);' */
+      init = build_x_compound_expr_from_list (init, ELK_INIT,
+					      tf_warning_or_error);
     }
 
   /* End of special C++ code.  */
diff --git a/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog b/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog
index e53501c7e78..c19c8d065ce 100644
--- a/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog
+++ b/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2014-06-04  Paolo Carlini  <paolo.carlini@oracle.com>
+
+	PR c++/43453
+	* g++.dg/init/pr43453.C: New.
+
 2014-06-04  Marc Glisse  <marc.glisse@inria.fr>
 
 	PR tree-optimization/61385
diff --git a/gcc/testsuite/g++.dg/init/pr43453.C b/gcc/testsuite/g++.dg/init/pr43453.C
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4c91282d425
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gcc/testsuite/g++.dg/init/pr43453.C
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+// PR c++/43453
+
+struct A {
+  char x[4]; 
+  A() : x("bug") { };
+};
+
+char x [4] ("bug");
+
+struct CA {
+  const char cx[4]; 
+  CA() : cx("bug") { };
+};
+
+const char cx [4] ("bug");
+
+struct B {
+  char y[4]; 
+  B() : y("bu") { };
+};
+
+char y [4] ("bu");
+
+struct C {
+  char z[4]; 
+  C() : z("bugs") { };  // { dg-error "too long" }
+};
+
+char z [4] ("bugs");    // { dg-error "too long" }
+
+char k [] ("bug");
+
+const char ck [] ("bug");