diff --git a/transcrypt/development/automated_tests/re/basic_pyre.py b/transcrypt/development/automated_tests/re/basic_pyre.py
index 05d433a2..3cba84b6 100644
--- a/transcrypt/development/automated_tests/re/basic_pyre.py
+++ b/transcrypt/development/automated_tests/re/basic_pyre.py
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ def run (test):
     checkSearchWithGroups(test)
     checkMatchOps(test)
     checkMatchWithGroups(test)
+    checkGroupsInCharClass(test)
+    checkClosingBracketInCharClass(test)
     # checkMatchWithNamedGroups(test)           # !!! @JdeH temporarily disabled this
     checkFullMatchOps(test)
     checkFindAllOps(test)
diff --git a/transcrypt/development/automated_tests/re/basictests.py b/transcrypt/development/automated_tests/re/basictests.py
index 88d8bdfa..25602290 100644
--- a/transcrypt/development/automated_tests/re/basictests.py
+++ b/transcrypt/development/automated_tests/re/basictests.py
@@ -235,6 +235,43 @@ def checkMatchWithNamedGroups(test, flags = 0):
         m = r.match("adfs;")
         test.check(m)
 
+def checkGroupsInCharClass(test, flags = 0):
+    """ Parentheses inside a character class don't open a capture group
+    """
+    r = re.compile(r"(?P<key>[a-z()]+) = (?P<value>[\d()]+)", flags)
+    test.check(r.groups)
+    d = r.groupindex
+    __pragma__('skip')
+    d = convertMappingDict(d)
+    __pragma__('noskip')
+    test.check( d )
+
+    m = r.search("a(b)c = 4(2)")
+    test.check( m.groups() )
+    test.check( m.group("key") )
+    test.check( m.group("value") )
+
+    r = re.compile(r"[(](\w+)[)][^()]*", flags)
+    test.check(r.groups)
+    test.check( r.search("(abc)def").groups() )
+
+def checkClosingBracketInCharClass(test, flags = 0):
+    """ A ']' right behind the '[' or its negating '^' is a literal one
+    """
+    r = re.compile(r"[]x]+", flags)
+    test.check( r.findall("]x]a") )
+
+    r = re.compile(r"[^]x]+", flags)
+    test.check( r.findall("]x]ab") )
+
+    r = re.compile(r"a[]](\w)", flags)
+    test.check(r.groups)
+    test.check( r.search("a]b").groups() )
+
+    # without a second one the class stays unterminated
+    test.check(test.expectException( lambda: re.compile(r"[]", flags) ))
+    test.check(test.expectException( lambda: re.compile(r"[^]", flags) ))
+
 def checkMatchWithGroups(test, flags = 0):
     rgx = re.compile(r'(\w)(\w)(\w)?', flags)
     test.check(rgx.pattern)
diff --git a/transcrypt/modules/re/translate.py b/transcrypt/modules/re/translate.py
index d3a6da02..22eed9b7 100644
--- a/transcrypt/modules/re/translate.py
+++ b/transcrypt/modules/re/translate.py
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@
 
 stringFlags = 'aiLmsux'
 
+# A '[' directly behind one of these tokens is a literal one
+LITERAL_BRACKET_TOKENS = ('\\', '(?#')
+
 # Represents a regex group (e.g /()/, /(?:)/ /(?=), etc).
 # `start` and `end` is the index of the groups start and end token in the token list.
 class Group:
@@ -162,11 +165,40 @@ def resolve(self):
         return self.name + paras
 
 
+# Translates the character class up to the closing ']' of an already shifted '['.
+# Returns the class as a string and the queue with the remaining characters.
+# An unterminated class is consumed as a whole, leaving the error to JS.
+def translateCharClass(queue):
+    idx = 0
+    while idx < len(queue):
+        if queue[idx] == '\\':
+            idx += 2
+        # '[]]' and '[^]]' are valid literals within a Python character class,
+        # JS lacks that rule and would end the class at this ']'
+        elif queue[idx] == ']' and (idx == 0 or (idx == 1 and queue[0] == '^')):
+            queue.insert(idx, '\\')
+            idx += 2
+        elif queue[idx] == ']':
+            idx += 1
+            break
+        else:
+            idx += 1
+
+    return ''.join(queue[:idx]), queue[idx:]
+
+
 def shift(stack, queue):
     done = not bool(queue)
     if not done:
-        stack.append(Token(queue[0], [], True))
+        char = queue[0]
         queue = queue[1:]
+        prevTokenName = stack[len(stack) - 1].name if stack else ''
+        # A character class becomes a single token, its content is no regex
+        if char == '[' and prevTokenName not in LITERAL_BRACKET_TOKENS:
+            charClass, queue = translateCharClass(queue)
+            stack.append(Token('[' + charClass))
+        else:
+            stack.append(Token(char, [], True))
     return stack, queue, done
 
 
@@ -218,9 +250,6 @@ def shiftReduce(stack, queue, namedGroups, flags):
 
         stack = stack[:-1]
 
-    elif s1.name == '[' and s0.name == '^':
-        stack[-2:] = [Token('[^')]
-
     elif s1.name == '(' and s0.name == '?':
         stack[-2:] = [Token('(?')]