diff --git a/src/ir/daphneir/DaphneDialect.cpp b/src/ir/daphneir/DaphneDialect.cpp
index df0aff2d2..9030c9582 100644
--- a/src/ir/daphneir/DaphneDialect.cpp
+++ b/src/ir/daphneir/DaphneDialect.cpp
@@ -896,6 +896,20 @@ mlir::OpFoldResult mlir::daphne::ConcatOp::fold(FoldAdaptor adaptor) {
     return {};
 }
 
+mlir::OpFoldResult mlir::daphne::StringEqOp::fold(FoldAdaptor adaptor) {
+    ArrayRef<Attribute> operands = adaptor.getOperands();
+    assert(operands.size() == 2 && "binary op takes two operands");
+    if (!operands[0] || !operands[1] || !llvm::isa<StringAttr>(operands[0]) ||
+        !isa<StringAttr>(operands[1])) {
+        return {};
+    }
+
+    auto lhs = operands[0].cast<StringAttr>();
+    auto rhs = operands[1].cast<StringAttr>();
+
+    return mlir::BoolAttr::get(getContext(), lhs.getValue() == rhs.getValue());
+}
+
 mlir::OpFoldResult mlir::daphne::EwEqOp::fold(FoldAdaptor adaptor) {
     ArrayRef<Attribute> operands = adaptor.getOperands();
     auto floatOp = [](const llvm::APFloat &a, const llvm::APFloat &b) { return a == b; };
@@ -1151,6 +1165,30 @@ struct SimplifyDistributeRead : public mlir::OpRewritePattern<mlir::daphne::Dist
     }
 };
 
+// The EwBinarySca kernel does not handle string types in any way. In order to
+// support simple string equivalence checks this canonicalizer rewrites the
+// EwEqOp to the StringEqOp if one of the operands is of daphne::StringType.
+mlir::LogicalResult mlir::daphne::EwEqOp::canonicalize(
+    mlir::daphne::EwEqOp op, PatternRewriter &rewriter) {
+    mlir::Value lhs = op.getLhs();
+    mlir::Value rhs = op.getRhs();
+
+    const bool lhsIsStr = llvm::isa<mlir::daphne::StringType>(lhs.getType());
+    const bool rhsIsStr = llvm::isa<mlir::daphne::StringType>(rhs.getType());
+
+    if (!lhsIsStr && !rhsIsStr) return mlir::failure();
+
+    mlir::Type strTy = mlir::daphne::StringType::get(rewriter.getContext());
+    if (!lhsIsStr)
+        lhs = rewriter.create<mlir::daphne::CastOp>(op.getLoc(), strTy, lhs);
+    if (!rhsIsStr)
+        rhs = rewriter.create<mlir::daphne::CastOp>(op.getLoc(), strTy, rhs);
+
+    rewriter.replaceOpWithNewOp<mlir::daphne::StringEqOp>(
+        op, rewriter.getI1Type(), lhs, rhs);
+    return mlir::success();
+}
+
 /**
  * @brief Replaces (1) `a + b` by `a concat b`, if `a` or `b` is a string,
  * and (2) `a + X` by `X + a` (`a` scalar, `X` matrix/frame).
diff --git a/src/ir/daphneir/DaphneOps.td b/src/ir/daphneir/DaphneOps.td
index 2d846c7ff..35b437916 100644
--- a/src/ir/daphneir/DaphneOps.td
+++ b/src/ir/daphneir/DaphneOps.td
@@ -326,6 +326,12 @@ def Daphne_ConcatOp : Daphne_Op<"concat", [DataTypeSca, ValueTypeStr]> {
     let hasFolder = 1;
 }
 
+def Daphne_StringEqOp : Daphne_Op<"stringEq", [ValueTypeStr]> {
+    let arguments = (ins StrScalar:$lhs, StrScalar:$rhs);
+    let results = (outs BoolScalar:$res);
+    let hasFolder = 1;
+}
+
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Comparisons
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -337,7 +343,9 @@ class Daphne_EwCmpOp<string name, Type inputScalarType, list<Trait> traits = []>
     //let results = (outs AnyTypeOf<[MatrixOf<[BoolScalar]>, BoolScalar, Unknown]>:$res);
 }
 
-def Daphne_EwEqOp  : Daphne_EwCmpOp<"ewEq" , AnyScalar, [Commutative]>;
+def Daphne_EwEqOp  : Daphne_EwCmpOp<"ewEq" , AnyScalar, [Commutative]> {
+    let hasCanonicalizeMethod = 1;
+}
 def Daphne_EwNeqOp : Daphne_EwCmpOp<"ewNeq", AnyScalar, [Commutative, CUDASupport]>;
 def Daphne_EwLtOp  : Daphne_EwCmpOp<"ewLt" , AnyScalar>;
 def Daphne_EwLeOp  : Daphne_EwCmpOp<"ewLe" , AnyScalar>;
diff --git a/src/runtime/local/kernels/StringEq.h b/src/runtime/local/kernels/StringEq.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4d3eed900
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/runtime/local/kernels/StringEq.h
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2024 The DAPHNE Consortium
+ *
+ * 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.
+ */
+
+#pragma once
+
+#include <runtime/local/context/DaphneContext.h>
+
+#include <string_view>
+
+inline void stringEq(bool *res, const char *lhs, const char *rhs, DCTX(ctx)) {
+    *res = std::string_view(lhs) == std::string_view(rhs);
+}
diff --git a/src/runtime/local/kernels/kernels.json b/src/runtime/local/kernels/kernels.json
index 696f4e188..55d1381c3 100644
--- a/src/runtime/local/kernels/kernels.json
+++ b/src/runtime/local/kernels/kernels.json
@@ -696,6 +696,31 @@
             }
         ]
     },
+    {
+        "kernelTemplate": {
+            "header": "StringEq.h",
+            "opName": "stringEq",
+            "returnType": "void",
+            "templateParams": [],
+            "runtimeParams": [
+                {
+                    "type": "bool *",
+                    "name": "res"
+                },
+                {
+                    "type": "const char *",
+                    "name": "lhs"
+                },
+                {
+                    "type": "const char *",
+                    "name": "rhs"
+                }
+            ]
+        },
+        "instantiations": [
+            []
+        ]
+    },
     {
         "kernelTemplate": {
             "header": "Concat.h",
@@ -4022,4 +4047,4 @@
             []
         ]
     }
-]
\ No newline at end of file
+]
diff --git a/test/codegen/stringeq.mlir b/test/codegen/stringeq.mlir
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3a5d18fe8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/codegen/stringeq.mlir
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+// RUN: daphne-opt --canonicalize %s | FileCheck %s
+
+func.func @string_string() {
+  %0 = "daphne.constant"() {value = "debug"} : () -> !daphne.String
+  %1 = "daphne.constant"() {value = "debug"} : () -> !daphne.String
+  // CHECK-NOT: daphne.ewEq
+  %2 = "daphne.ewEq"(%0, %1) : (!daphne.String, !daphne.String) -> !daphne.String
+  %3 = "daphne.cast"(%2) : (!daphne.String) -> i1
+  "daphne.print"(%0, %3, %3) : (!daphne.String, i1, i1) -> ()
+  "daphne.return"() : () -> ()
+}
+
+func.func @string_int() {
+    // CHECK-NOT: daphne.eqEq
+    // CHECK: daphne.cast
+    // CHECK: daphne.stringEq
+    %0 = "daphne.constant"() {value = "debug"} : () -> !daphne.String
+    %1 = "daphne.constant"() {value = 5 : si64} : () -> si64
+    %2 = "daphne.ewEq"(%0, %1) : (!daphne.String, si64) -> !daphne.String
+    %3 = "daphne.cast"(%2) : (!daphne.String) -> i1
+  "daphne.print"(%0, %3, %3) : (!daphne.String, i1, i1) -> ()
+  "daphne.return"() : () -> ()
+}
+
+func.func @int_int_do_not_canonicalize() {
+  %0 = "daphne.constant"() {value = 2 : si64} : () -> si64
+  %1 = "daphne.constant"() {value = 5 : si64} : () -> si64
+  %2 = "daphne.ewEq"(%0, %1) : (si64, si64) -> si64
+  // CHECK-NOT: daphne.stringEq
+  %3 = "daphne.cast"(%2) : (si64) -> i1
+  scf.if %3 {
+    %4 = "daphne.constant"() {value = "debug"} : () -> !daphne.String
+    %5 = "daphne.constant"() {value = true} : () -> i1
+    %6 = "daphne.constant"() {value = false} : () -> i1
+    "daphne.print"(%4, %5, %6) : (!daphne.String, i1, i1) -> ()
+  } else {
+    %4 = "daphne.constant"() {value = "release"} : () -> !daphne.String
+    %5 = "daphne.constant"() {value = true} : () -> i1
+    %6 = "daphne.constant"() {value = false} : () -> i1
+    "daphne.print"(%4, %5, %6) : (!daphne.String, i1, i1) -> ()
+  }
+  "daphne.return"() : () -> ()
+}