diff --git a/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/Function.kt b/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/Function.kt
index 1898e58f38..73a05fda38 100644
--- a/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/Function.kt
+++ b/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/Function.kt
@@ -67,6 +67,15 @@ class Random(
 
 // String Functions
 
+/**
+ * Represents an SQL function that returns the length of [expr], measured in characters, or `null` if [expr] is null.
+ */
+class CharLength<T : String?>(
+    val expr: Expression<T>
+) : Function<Int?>(IntegerColumnType()) {
+    override fun toQueryBuilder(queryBuilder: QueryBuilder): Unit = currentDialect.functionProvider.charLength(expr, queryBuilder)
+}
+
 /**
  * Represents an SQL function that converts [expr] to lower case.
  */
diff --git a/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/SQLExpressionBuilder.kt b/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/SQLExpressionBuilder.kt
index 9a0c75e327..5dc0db9dd9 100644
--- a/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/SQLExpressionBuilder.kt
+++ b/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/SQLExpressionBuilder.kt
@@ -16,6 +16,9 @@ import kotlin.internal.LowPriorityInOverloadResolution
 
 // String Functions
 
+/** Returns the length of this string expression, measured in characters, or `null` if this expression is null. */
+fun <T : String?> Expression<T>.charLength(): CharLength<T> = CharLength(this)
+
 /** Converts this string expression to lower case. */
 fun <T : String?> Expression<T>.lowerCase(): LowerCase<T> = LowerCase(this)
 
diff --git a/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/vendors/Default.kt b/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/vendors/Default.kt
index e4ddc9781c..8b97f9c3ef 100644
--- a/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/vendors/Default.kt
+++ b/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/vendors/Default.kt
@@ -148,6 +148,16 @@ abstract class FunctionProvider {
 
     // String functions
 
+    /**
+     * SQL function that returns the length of [expr], measured in characters, or `null` if [expr] is null.
+     *
+     * @param expr String expression to count characters in.
+     * @param queryBuilder Query builder to append the SQL function to.
+     */
+    open fun <T : String?> charLength(expr: Expression<T>, queryBuilder: QueryBuilder): Unit = queryBuilder {
+        append("CHAR_LENGTH(", expr, ")")
+    }
+
     /**
      * SQL function that extracts a substring from the specified string expression.
      *
diff --git a/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/vendors/OracleDialect.kt b/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/vendors/OracleDialect.kt
index ec50b62225..b8a3ccf8a5 100644
--- a/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/vendors/OracleDialect.kt
+++ b/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/vendors/OracleDialect.kt
@@ -55,6 +55,10 @@ internal object OracleFunctionProvider : FunctionProvider() {
      */
     override fun random(seed: Int?): String = "dbms_random.value"
 
+    override fun <T : String?> charLength(expr: Expression<T>, queryBuilder: QueryBuilder) = queryBuilder {
+        append("LENGTH(", expr, ")")
+    }
+
     override fun <T : String?> substring(
         expr: Expression<T>,
         start: Expression<Int>,
diff --git a/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/vendors/SQLServerDialect.kt b/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/vendors/SQLServerDialect.kt
index 520cc490f5..b0812ee16c 100644
--- a/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/vendors/SQLServerDialect.kt
+++ b/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/vendors/SQLServerDialect.kt
@@ -57,6 +57,10 @@ internal object SQLServerFunctionProvider : FunctionProvider() {
 
     override fun random(seed: Int?): String = if (seed != null) "RAND($seed)" else "RAND(CHECKSUM(NEWID()))"
 
+    override fun <T : String?> charLength(expr: Expression<T>, queryBuilder: QueryBuilder) = queryBuilder {
+        append("LEN(", expr, ")")
+    }
+
     override fun <T : String?> groupConcat(expr: GroupConcat<T>, queryBuilder: QueryBuilder) {
         val tr = TransactionManager.current()
         return when {
diff --git a/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/vendors/SQLiteDialect.kt b/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/vendors/SQLiteDialect.kt
index a17b7ac0d1..4edf7a865a 100644
--- a/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/vendors/SQLiteDialect.kt
+++ b/exposed-core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/vendors/SQLiteDialect.kt
@@ -19,6 +19,10 @@ internal object SQLiteDataTypeProvider : DataTypeProvider() {
 }
 
 internal object SQLiteFunctionProvider : FunctionProvider() {
+    override fun <T : String?> charLength(expr: Expression<T>, queryBuilder: QueryBuilder) = queryBuilder {
+        append("LENGTH(", expr, ")")
+    }
+
     override fun <T : String?> substring(
         expr: Expression<T>,
         start: Expression<Int>,
diff --git a/exposed-tests/src/test/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/tests/shared/functions/FunctionsTests.kt b/exposed-tests/src/test/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/tests/shared/functions/FunctionsTests.kt
index a4037979c6..6f4c444bc5 100644
--- a/exposed-tests/src/test/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/tests/shared/functions/FunctionsTests.kt
+++ b/exposed-tests/src/test/kotlin/org/jetbrains/exposed/sql/tests/shared/functions/FunctionsTests.kt
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import org.jetbrains.exposed.crypt.Algorithms
 import org.jetbrains.exposed.crypt.Encryptor
 import org.jetbrains.exposed.dao.id.IntIdTable
 import org.jetbrains.exposed.sql.*
-import org.jetbrains.exposed.sql.Function
 import org.jetbrains.exposed.sql.SqlExpressionBuilder.concat
 import org.jetbrains.exposed.sql.tests.DatabaseTestsBase
 import org.jetbrains.exposed.sql.tests.TestDB
@@ -22,6 +21,7 @@ import org.jetbrains.exposed.sql.vendors.h2Mode
 import org.junit.Test
 import kotlin.test.assertEquals
 import kotlin.test.assertNotNull
+import kotlin.test.assertNull
 
 class FunctionsTests : DatabaseTestsBase() {
 
@@ -261,15 +261,9 @@ class FunctionsTests : DatabaseTestsBase() {
     }
 
     @Test
-    fun testLengthWithCount01() {
-        class LengthFunction<T : ExpressionWithColumnType<String>>(val exp: T) : Function<Int>(IntegerColumnType()) {
-            override fun toQueryBuilder(queryBuilder: QueryBuilder) = queryBuilder {
-                if (currentDialectTest is SQLServerDialect) append("LEN(", exp, ')')
-                else append("LENGTH(", exp, ')')
-            }
-        }
+    fun testCharLengthWithSum() {
         withCitiesAndUsers { cities, _, _ ->
-            val sumOfLength = LengthFunction(cities.name).sum()
+            val sumOfLength = CharLength(cities.name).sum()
             val expectedValue = cities.selectAll().sumOf { it[cities.name].length }
 
             val results = cities.slice(sumOfLength).selectAll().toList()
@@ -278,6 +272,38 @@ class FunctionsTests : DatabaseTestsBase() {
         }
     }
 
+    @Test
+    fun testCharLengthWithEdgeCaseStrings() {
+        val testTable = object : Table("test_table") {
+            val nullString = varchar("null_string", 32).nullable()
+            val emptyString = varchar("empty_string", 32).nullable()
+        }
+
+        withTables(testTable) {
+            testTable.insert {
+                it[nullString] = null
+                it[emptyString] = ""
+            }
+            val helloWorld = "こんにちは世界" // each character is a 3-byte character
+
+            val nullLength = testTable.nullString.charLength()
+            val emptyLength = testTable.emptyString.charLength()
+            val multiByteLength = CharLength(stringLiteral(helloWorld))
+
+            // Oracle treats empty strings as null
+            val isOracleDialect = currentDialectTest is OracleDialect ||
+                currentDialectTest.h2Mode == H2Dialect.H2CompatibilityMode.Oracle
+            val expectedEmpty = if (isOracleDialect) null else 0
+            // char_length should return single-character count, not total byte count
+            val expectedMultibyte = helloWorld.length
+
+            val result = testTable.slice(nullLength, emptyLength, multiByteLength).selectAll().single()
+            assertNull(result[nullLength])
+            assertEquals(expectedEmpty, result[emptyLength])
+            assertEquals(expectedMultibyte, result[multiByteLength])
+        }
+    }
+
     @Test
     fun testSelectCase01() {
         withCitiesAndUsers { _, users, _ ->