diff --git a/src/kernel_internals/typing/cabs2cil.ml b/src/kernel_internals/typing/cabs2cil.ml
index 8bd77a0e771906eda26d66cda8b0d0e37a6b2386..a45a7cc00657e86cadf0ee28cd6300fcfb495dd4 100644
--- a/src/kernel_internals/typing/cabs2cil.ml
+++ b/src/kernel_internals/typing/cabs2cil.ml
@@ -7947,16 +7947,21 @@ and doInitializer loc local_env (vi: varinfo) (inite: Cabs.init_expression)
   let open Current_loc.Operators in
 
   let checkArrayInit ty init =
-    if Cil.isArrayType ty then
-      match init with
-      | COMPOUND_INIT _
-      | SINGLE_INIT
-          { expr_node =
-              CONSTANT (CONST_STRING _
-                       | CONST_WSTRING _)} -> ()
-      | _ ->
-        Kernel.error ~current:true ~once:true
-          "Array initializer must be an initializer list or string literal"
+    let init_ok =
+      if Cil.isArrayType ty then
+        match init with
+        | COMPOUND_INIT _ -> true
+        | SINGLE_INIT e ->
+          (match stripParen e with
+             { expr_node =
+                 CONSTANT (CONST_STRING _ | CONST_WSTRING _)} -> true
+           | _ -> false)
+        | _ -> false
+      else true
+    in
+    if not init_ok then
+      Kernel.error ~current:true ~once:true
+        "Array initializer must be an initializer list or string literal";
   in
   Kernel.debug ~dkey:Kernel.dkey_typing_init
     "@\nStarting a new initializer for %s : %a@\n"
@@ -8005,6 +8010,12 @@ and doInitializer loc local_env (vi: varinfo) (inite: Cabs.init_expression)
 and doInit local_env asconst preinit so acc initl =
   let ghost = local_env.is_ghost in
   let whoami fmt = Cil_printer.pp_lval fmt (Var so.host, so.soOff) in
+  let initl =
+    match initl with
+    | (initwhat, SINGLE_INIT e)::tl ->
+      (initwhat, SINGLE_INIT (stripParen e)) ::tl
+    | _ -> initl
+  in
   let initl1 =
     match initl with
     | (Cabs.NEXT_INIT,
diff --git a/tests/syntax/init_array_string.i b/tests/syntax/init_array_string.i
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1891c5ad9463650874073250229a53f597c793b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/syntax/init_array_string.i
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+char* ptr = "A" "B";
+
+char* ptr2 = ("A" "B");
+
+char a[] = "A" "B";
+
+char b[] = ("A" "B");
+
+char c[] = "ABC";
+
+char d[] = ("ABC");
+
+struct S {
+  char c[42];
+};
+
+struct S s = { .c = ("foo") };
+
+char as[3][4] = { ("bar"), [2] = ("bla") };
diff --git a/tests/syntax/oracle/init_array_string.res.oracle b/tests/syntax/oracle/init_array_string.res.oracle
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e678a6a4f019ddd943735f165c78b75040a1f6eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/syntax/oracle/init_array_string.res.oracle
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+[kernel] Parsing init_array_string.i (no preprocessing)
+/* Generated by Frama-C */
+struct S {
+   char c[42] ;
+};
+char *ptr = (char *)"AB";
+char *ptr2 = (char *)"AB";
+char a[3] = {(char)'A', (char)'B', (char)'\000'};
+char b[3] = {(char)'A', (char)'B', (char)'\000'};
+char c[4] = {(char)'A', (char)'B', (char)'C', (char)'\000'};
+char d[4] = {(char)'A', (char)'B', (char)'C', (char)'\000'};
+struct S s = {.c = {(char)'f', (char)'o', (char)'o', (char)'\000'}};
+char as[3][4] =
+  {{(char)'b', (char)'a', (char)'r', (char)'\000'},
+   [2] = {(char)'b', (char)'l', (char)'a', (char)'\000'}};
+