diff --git a/examples/runes/main.go b/examples/runes/main.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..34058e006
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/runes/main.go
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+// Copyright 2017 The Ebiten Authors
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+// +build example
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"log"
+
+	"github.com/hajimehoshi/ebiten"
+	"github.com/hajimehoshi/ebiten/ebitenutil"
+)
+
+var runes = append(make([]rune, 0, 1024), []rune("Type on the keyboard:\n")...)
+
+var buf = make([]rune, 1024)
+
+var counter int
+
+func update(screen *ebiten.Image) error {
+	runes = append(runes, ebiten.InputChars()...)
+	if ebiten.IsKeyPressed(ebiten.KeyEnter) {
+		if len(runes) > 0 && runes[len(runes)-1] != '\n' {
+			runes = append(runes, '\n')
+		}
+	}
+	counter++
+	if ebiten.IsRunningSlowly() {
+		return nil
+	}
+	if counter%60 < 30 {
+		return ebitenutil.DebugPrint(screen, string(append(runes, '_')))
+	}
+	return ebitenutil.DebugPrint(screen, string(runes))
+}
+
+func main() {
+	log.Fatal(ebiten.Run(update, 320, 240, 2.0, "Runes (Ebiten Demo)")) // ebiterm?
+}
diff --git a/input.go b/input.go
index 66d151ef0..647275766 100644
--- a/input.go
+++ b/input.go
@@ -18,6 +18,20 @@ import (
 	"github.com/hajimehoshi/ebiten/internal/ui"
 )
 
+// InputChars return "printable" runes read from the keyboard at the time update is called.
+//
+// InputChars represents the environment's locale-dependent translation of keyboard
+// input to Unicode characters.
+//
+// IsKeyPressed is based on a mapping of device codes to input device keys.
+// "Control" and modifier keys should be handled with IsKeyPressed.
+//
+// This function is concurrent-safe.
+func InputChars() []rune {
+	rb := ui.CurrentInput().RuneBuffer()
+	return append(make([]rune, 0, len(rb)), rb...)
+}
+
 // IsKeyPressed returns a boolean indicating whether key is pressed.
 //
 // This function is concurrent-safe.
diff --git a/internal/ui/input_glfw.go b/internal/ui/input_glfw.go
index 13e202366..fd36b0e68 100644
--- a/internal/ui/input_glfw.go
+++ b/internal/ui/input_glfw.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ package ui
 
 import (
 	"sync"
+	"unicode"
 
 	glfw "github.com/go-gl/glfw/v3.2/glfw"
 )
@@ -32,9 +33,16 @@ type Input struct {
 	cursorY            int
 	gamepads           [16]gamePad
 	touches            []touch
+	runeBuffer         []rune
 	m                  sync.RWMutex
 }
 
+func (i *Input) RuneBuffer() []rune {
+	i.m.RLock()
+	defer i.m.RUnlock()
+	return i.runeBuffer
+}
+
 func (i *Input) IsKeyPressed(key Key) bool {
 	i.m.RLock()
 	defer i.m.RUnlock()
@@ -78,7 +86,16 @@ var glfwMouseButtonToMouseButton = map[glfw.MouseButton]MouseButton{
 func (i *Input) update(window *glfw.Window, scale float64) {
 	i.m.Lock()
 	defer i.m.Unlock()
-
+	if i.runeBuffer == nil {
+		i.runeBuffer = make([]rune, 0, 1024)
+		window.SetCharModsCallback(func(w *glfw.Window, char rune, mods glfw.ModifierKey) {
+			if unicode.IsPrint(char) {
+				i.m.Lock()
+				i.runeBuffer = append(i.runeBuffer, char)
+				i.m.Unlock()
+			}
+		})
+	}
 	if i.keyPressed == nil {
 		i.keyPressed = map[glfw.Key]bool{}
 	}
diff --git a/internal/ui/input_js.go b/internal/ui/input_js.go
index a94189967..8a2f39494 100644
--- a/internal/ui/input_js.go
+++ b/internal/ui/input_js.go
@@ -35,9 +35,14 @@ type Input struct {
 	cursorY            int
 	gamepads           [16]gamePad
 	touches            []touch
+	runeBuffer         []rune
 	m                  mockRWLock
 }
 
+func (i *Input) RuneBuffer() []rune {
+	return i.runeBuffer
+}
+
 func (i *Input) IsKeyPressed(key Key) bool {
 	if i.keyPressed != nil {
 		for _, c := range keyToCodes[key] {
diff --git a/internal/ui/input_mobile.go b/internal/ui/input_mobile.go
index e68a58a30..c6a2a7c7e 100644
--- a/internal/ui/input_mobile.go
+++ b/internal/ui/input_mobile.go
@@ -28,6 +28,10 @@ type Input struct {
 	m        sync.RWMutex
 }
 
+func (i *Input) RuneBuffer() []rune {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (i *Input) IsKeyPressed(key Key) bool {
 	return false
 }
diff --git a/internal/ui/ui_glfw.go b/internal/ui/ui_glfw.go
index df5cca906..ea335357e 100644
--- a/internal/ui/ui_glfw.go
+++ b/internal/ui/ui_glfw.go
@@ -445,6 +445,7 @@ func (u *userInterface) update(g GraphicsContext) error {
 	if err := g.Update(); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	currentInput.runeBuffer = currentInput.runeBuffer[:0]
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/ui/ui_js.go b/internal/ui/ui_js.go
index 08a76065a..2d1357577 100644
--- a/internal/ui/ui_js.go
+++ b/internal/ui/ui_js.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ package ui
 import (
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
+	"unicode"
 
 	"github.com/gopherjs/gopherjs/js"
 	"github.com/hajimehoshi/ebiten/internal/opengl"
@@ -134,6 +135,7 @@ func (u *userInterface) update(g GraphicsContext) error {
 	if err := g.Update(); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	currentInput.runeBuffer = nil
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -238,7 +240,6 @@ func initialize() error {
 
 	// Keyboard
 	canvas.Call("addEventListener", "keydown", func(e *js.Object) {
-		e.Call("preventDefault")
 		if e.Get("code") == js.Undefined {
 			// Assume that UA is Safari.
 			code := e.Get("keyCode").Int()
@@ -248,6 +249,12 @@ func initialize() error {
 		code := e.Get("code").String()
 		currentInput.keyDown(code)
 	})
+	canvas.Call("addEventListener", "keypress", func(e *js.Object) {
+		e.Call("preventDefault")
+		if r := rune(e.Get("charCode").Int()); unicode.IsPrint(r) {
+			currentInput.runeBuffer = append(currentInput.runeBuffer, r)
+		}
+	})
 	canvas.Call("addEventListener", "keyup", func(e *js.Object) {
 		e.Call("preventDefault")
 		if e.Get("code") == js.Undefined {