diff --git a/COMPATIBILITY.md b/COMPATIBILITY.md
index f3fddee1..fd6636fc 100644
--- a/COMPATIBILITY.md
+++ b/COMPATIBILITY.md
@@ -101,8 +101,8 @@ likely not be implemented due to differences between piccolo and PUC-Lua.
 
 | Status | Function                          | Differences | Notes |
 | ------ | --------------------------------- | ----------- | ----- |
-| ⚫️️   | `byte(s[, i, j])`                 |             |       |
-| ⚫️️   | `char(args...)`                   |             |       |
+| 🔵   | `byte(s[, i, j])`                 |             |       |
+| 🔵   | `char(args...)`                   |             |       |
 | ⚫️️   | `dump(function[, strip])`         |             |       |
 | ⚫️️   | `find(s, pattern[, init, plain])` |             |       |
 | ⚫️️   | `format(formatstring, args...)`   |             |       |
diff --git a/src/stdlib/string.rs b/src/stdlib/string.rs
index 04deba71..556537c8 100644
--- a/src/stdlib/string.rs
+++ b/src/stdlib/string.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use crate::{Callback, CallbackReturn, Context, String, Table};
+use crate::{Callback, CallbackReturn, Context, FromValue, String, Table, Value};
 
 pub fn load_string<'gc>(ctx: Context<'gc>) {
     let string = Table::new(&ctx);
@@ -16,39 +16,37 @@ pub fn load_string<'gc>(ctx: Context<'gc>) {
 
     string.set_field(
         ctx,
-        "sub",
+        "byte",
         Callback::from_fn(&ctx, |ctx, _, mut stack| {
-            fn operate_sub(
-                string: &[u8],
-                i: i64,
-                j: Option<i64>,
-            ) -> Result<&[u8], std::num::TryFromIntError> {
-                let i = match i {
-                    i if i > 0 => i.saturating_sub(1).try_into()?,
-                    0 => 0,
-                    i => string.len().saturating_sub(i.unsigned_abs().try_into()?),
-                };
-                let j = if let Some(j) = j {
-                    if j >= 0 {
-                        j.try_into()?
-                    } else {
-                        let j: usize = j.unsigned_abs().try_into()?;
-                        string.len().saturating_sub(j.saturating_sub(1))
-                    }
-                } else {
-                    string.len()
-                }
-                .clamp(0, string.len());
+            let (string, i, j) = stack.consume::<(String, Option<i64>, Option<i64>)>(ctx)?;
+            let i = i.unwrap_or(1);
+            let substr = sub(string.as_bytes(), i, j.or(Some(i)))?;
+            stack.extend(substr.iter().map(|b| Value::Integer(i64::from(*b))));
+            Ok(CallbackReturn::Return)
+        }),
+    );
 
-                Ok(if i >= j || i >= string.len() {
-                    &[]
-                } else {
-                    &string[i..j]
-                })
-            }
+    string.set_field(
+        ctx,
+        "char",
+        Callback::from_fn(&ctx, |ctx, _, mut stack| {
+            let string = ctx.intern(
+                &stack
+                    .into_iter()
+                    .map(|c| u8::from_value(ctx, c))
+                    .collect::<Result<Vec<_>, _>>()?,
+            );
+            stack.replace(ctx, string);
+            Ok(CallbackReturn::Return)
+        }),
+    );
 
+    string.set_field(
+        ctx,
+        "sub",
+        Callback::from_fn(&ctx, |ctx, _, mut stack| {
             let (string, i, j) = stack.consume::<(String, i64, Option<i64>)>(ctx)?;
-            let substr = ctx.intern(operate_sub(string.as_bytes(), i, j)?);
+            let substr = ctx.intern(sub(string.as_bytes(), i, j)?);
             stack.replace(ctx, substr);
             Ok(CallbackReturn::Return)
         }),
@@ -101,3 +99,28 @@ pub fn load_string<'gc>(ctx: Context<'gc>) {
 
     ctx.set_global("string", string);
 }
+
+fn sub(string: &[u8], i: i64, j: Option<i64>) -> Result<&[u8], std::num::TryFromIntError> {
+    let i = match i {
+        i if i > 0 => i.saturating_sub(1).try_into()?,
+        0 => 0,
+        i => string.len().saturating_sub(i.unsigned_abs().try_into()?),
+    };
+    let j = if let Some(j) = j {
+        if j >= 0 {
+            j.try_into()?
+        } else {
+            let j: usize = j.unsigned_abs().try_into()?;
+            string.len().saturating_sub(j.saturating_sub(1))
+        }
+    } else {
+        string.len()
+    }
+    .clamp(0, string.len());
+
+    Ok(if i >= j || i >= string.len() {
+        &[]
+    } else {
+        &string[i..j]
+    })
+}
diff --git a/tests/scripts/string.lua b/tests/scripts/string.lua
index ed141f68..f3853919 100644
--- a/tests/scripts/string.lua
+++ b/tests/scripts/string.lua
@@ -96,3 +96,44 @@ do
     assert(string.upper(80) == "80")
     assert(string.upper(3.14) == "3.14")
 end
+
+do
+    assert(is_err(function() return string.byte(nil) end))
+    assert(is_err(function() return string.byte(true) end))
+    assert(is_err(function() return string.byte(false) end))
+    assert(is_err(function() return string.byte({}) end))
+    assert(is_err(function() return string.byte(is_err) end))
+    assert(is_err(function() return string.byte(coroutine.create(test_coroutine_len)) end))
+    assert(string.byte("") == nil)
+    assert(string.byte("abcd") == 97)
+    assert(string.byte("\xef") == 0xef)
+    assert(string.byte("\0") == 0)
+    assert(string.byte(1) == string.byte("1"))
+    assert(string.byte("abcd", 2) == string.byte("b"))
+    assert(string.byte("abcd", -1) == string.byte("d"))
+
+    local b, c, d, e = string.byte("abcd", 2, -1)
+    assert(b == string.byte("b") and
+        c == string.byte("c") and
+        d == string.byte("d") and
+        e == nil)
+    b, c, d = string.byte("abcd", 2, 3)
+    assert(b == string.byte("b") and
+        c == string.byte("c") and
+        d == nil)
+    assert(string.byte("abcd", 2, -5) == nil)
+    assert(string.byte("abcd", 3, 1) == nil)
+end
+
+do
+    assert(is_err(function() return string.char(nil) end))
+    assert(is_err(function() return string.char(true) end))
+    assert(is_err(function() return string.char(false) end))
+    assert(is_err(function() return string.char({}) end))
+    assert(is_err(function() return string.char(is_err) end))
+    assert(is_err(function() return string.char(coroutine.create(test_coroutine_len)) end))
+    assert(string.char() == "")
+    assert(string.char(0, "1", 97, 98, 255) == "\0\x01ab\xff")
+    assert(is_err(function() return string.char(256) end))
+    assert(is_err(function() return string.char(-1) end))
+end