diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 5b123224..6e26a4de 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 - **uplc**: trim whitespace when loading files with hex strings to avoid confusing errors #720
 - **uplc**: uplc `Constant::Data` formatting
 - **aiken-lang**: empty records properly parse as record sugar
+- **aiken-lang**: escape sequences are now properly preserved after formatting
 - **aiken-project**: when a module name has a hyphen we should behave like rust and force an underscore
 
 ## v1.0.16-alpha - 2023-08-24
diff --git a/crates/aiken-lang/src/format.rs b/crates/aiken-lang/src/format.rs
index 98ad1b6d..7134c184 100644
--- a/crates/aiken-lang/src/format.rs
+++ b/crates/aiken-lang/src/format.rs
@@ -712,7 +712,9 @@ impl<'comments> Formatter<'comments> {
                 .group(),
             ByteArrayFormatPreference::Utf8String => nil()
                 .append("\"")
-                .append(Document::String(String::from_utf8(bytes.to_vec()).unwrap()))
+                .append(Document::String(escape(
+                    &String::from_utf8(bytes.to_vec()).unwrap(),
+                )))
                 .append("\""),
         }
     }
@@ -872,8 +874,10 @@ impl<'comments> Formatter<'comments> {
         commented(document, comments)
     }
 
-    fn string<'a>(&self, string: &'a String) -> Document<'a> {
-        let doc = "@".to_doc().append(string.to_doc().surround("\"", "\""));
+    fn string<'a>(&self, string: &'a str) -> Document<'a> {
+        let doc = "@"
+            .to_doc()
+            .append(Document::String(escape(string)).surround("\"", "\""));
         if string.contains('\n') {
             doc.force_break()
         } else {
@@ -2043,3 +2047,17 @@ fn is_breakable_expr(expr: &UntypedExpr) -> bool {
             | UntypedExpr::If { .. }
     )
 }
+
+fn escape(string: &str) -> String {
+    string
+        .chars()
+        .flat_map(|c| match c {
+            '\n' => vec!['\\', 'n'],
+            '\r' => vec!['\\', 'r'],
+            '\t' => vec!['\\', 't'],
+            '"' => vec!['\\', c],
+            '\\' => vec!['\\', c],
+            _ => vec![c],
+        })
+        .collect::<String>()
+}
diff --git a/crates/aiken-lang/src/parser/expr/bytearray.rs b/crates/aiken-lang/src/parser/expr/bytearray.rs
index 32536880..62945b9b 100644
--- a/crates/aiken-lang/src/parser/expr/bytearray.rs
+++ b/crates/aiken-lang/src/parser/expr/bytearray.rs
@@ -28,4 +28,9 @@ mod tests {
     fn bytearray_utf8_encoded() {
         assert_expr!("\"aiken\"");
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn bytearray_utf8_escaped() {
+        assert_expr!("\"\\\"aiken\\\"\"");
+    }
 }
diff --git a/crates/aiken-lang/src/parser/expr/snapshots/bytearray_utf8_escaped.snap b/crates/aiken-lang/src/parser/expr/snapshots/bytearray_utf8_escaped.snap
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1f385b21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/aiken-lang/src/parser/expr/snapshots/bytearray_utf8_escaped.snap
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+---
+source: crates/aiken-lang/src/parser/expr/bytearray.rs
+description: "Code:\n\n\"\\\"aiken\\\"\""
+---
+ByteArray {
+    location: 0..11,
+    bytes: [
+        34,
+        97,
+        105,
+        107,
+        101,
+        110,
+        34,
+    ],
+    preferred_format: Utf8String,
+}
diff --git a/crates/aiken-lang/src/parser/lexer.rs b/crates/aiken-lang/src/parser/lexer.rs
index 2bef030f..9dea075a 100644
--- a/crates/aiken-lang/src/parser/lexer.rs
+++ b/crates/aiken-lang/src/parser/lexer.rs
@@ -196,10 +196,7 @@ pub fn lexer() -> impl Parser<char, Vec<(Token, Span)>, Error = ParseError> {
 
     let escape = just('\\').ignore_then(
         just('\\')
-            .or(just('/'))
             .or(just('"'))
-            .or(just('b').to('\x08'))
-            .or(just('f').to('\x0C'))
             .or(just('n').to('\n'))
             .or(just('r').to('\r'))
             .or(just('t').to('\t')),
diff --git a/crates/aiken-lang/src/tests/format.rs b/crates/aiken-lang/src/tests/format.rs
index 3f57a3e1..788933d2 100644
--- a/crates/aiken-lang/src/tests/format.rs
+++ b/crates/aiken-lang/src/tests/format.rs
@@ -393,6 +393,20 @@ fn format_bytearray_literals() {
     );
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn escaped_utf8() {
+    assert_format!(
+        r#"
+        const escaped_1 = "\"my_string\""
+        const escaped_2 = "foo\nbar"
+        const escaped_3 = "foo\rbar"
+        const escaped_4 = "foo\tbar"
+        const escaped_5 = "1/2"
+        const escaped_6 = "1//2"
+        "#
+    );
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn format_string_literal() {
     assert_format!(
diff --git a/crates/aiken-lang/src/tests/snapshots/escaped_utf8.snap b/crates/aiken-lang/src/tests/snapshots/escaped_utf8.snap
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2c00689b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/aiken-lang/src/tests/snapshots/escaped_utf8.snap
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+---
+source: crates/aiken-lang/src/tests/format.rs
+description: "Code:\n\nconst escaped_1 = \"\\\"my_string\\\"\"\nconst escaped_2 = \"foo\\nbar\"\nconst escaped_3 = \"foo\\rbar\"\nconst escaped_4 = \"foo\\tbar\"\nconst escaped_5 = \"1/2\"\nconst escaped_6 = \"1//2\"\n"
+---
+const escaped_1 = "\"my_string\""
+
+const escaped_2 = "foo\nbar"
+
+const escaped_3 = "foo\rbar"
+
+const escaped_4 = "foo\tbar"
+
+const escaped_5 = "1/2"
+
+const escaped_6 = "1//2"
+