diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 999d1fa..43883b9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -36,7 +36,20 @@ Parse strings like foo."bar.baz".quux into [ 'foo', 'bar.baz', 'quux' ]
 function parse(string $path) : array
 ```
 
-Parse a given dot notation path into it's parts
+Parse a given dot notation path into it's parts  
+  
+The path is expected to be a string of dot separated keys, where keys can be  
+quoted with double quotes. Backslashes are used to escape double quotes inside  
+quoted keys.  
+
+##### Examples
+
+- `'foo.bar.baz'` => `[ 'foo', 'bar', 'baz' ]`  
+- `'foo."bar.baz"'` => `[ 'foo', 'bar.baz' ]`  
+- `'foo."bar.baz".quux'` => `[ 'foo', 'bar.baz', 'quux' ]`  
+- `'foo."bar\"baz".quux'` => `[ 'foo', 'bar"baz', 'quux' ]`
+
+**Throws**: `\Quorum\DotNotation\Exceptions\ParseException`
 
 ##### Returns:
 
diff --git a/src/DotNotationParser.php b/src/DotNotationParser.php
index b8a02d6..094fa60 100644
--- a/src/DotNotationParser.php
+++ b/src/DotNotationParser.php
@@ -14,23 +14,33 @@ class DotNotationParser {
 	/**
 	 * Parse a given dot notation path into it's parts
 	 *
+	 * The path is expected to be a string of dot separated keys, where keys can be
+	 * quoted with double quotes. Backslashes are used to escape double quotes inside
+	 * quoted keys.
+	 *
+	 * Examples:
+	 *
+	 * - `'foo.bar.baz'` => `[ 'foo', 'bar', 'baz' ]`
+	 * - `'foo."bar.baz"'` => `[ 'foo', 'bar.baz' ]`
+	 * - `'foo."bar.baz".quux'` => `[ 'foo', 'bar.baz', 'quux' ]`
+	 * - `'foo."bar\"baz".quux'` => `[ 'foo', 'bar"baz', 'quux' ]`
+	 *
+	 * @throws ParseException
 	 * @return string[]
 	 */
 	public function parse( string $path ) : array {
 		$out   = [];
-		$chars = preg_split('/(?<!^)(?!$)/u', $path, -1, PREG_SPLIT_NO_EMPTY) ?: [];
+		$chars = $this->iterateGraphemes($path);
 
-		for(;;) {
-			$token = current($chars);
-			if( $token === false ) {
-				break;
-			}
+		while( $chars->valid() ) {
+			$token = $chars->current();
+			$key   = $chars->key();
 
 			switch( $token ) {
 				case '.':
 					throw new ParseException(
-						sprintf('failed to parse path, expected string, got "%s" at %d', $token, key($chars)),
-						key($chars),
+						sprintf('failed to parse path, expected string, got "%s" at %d', $token, $key),
+						$key,
 						ParseException::CODE_UNEXPECTED_CHARACTER
 					);
 				case '"':
@@ -46,61 +56,97 @@ public function parse( string $path ) : array {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * @param string[] $chars array of unicode characters by reference
+	 * @param \Iterator<int,string> $chars Generator of Unicode characters
 	 */
-	private function scanString( array &$chars ) : string {
+	private function scanString( \Iterator $chars ) : string {
 		$buff = '';
-		for(;;) {
-			$token = current($chars);
-			if( $token === false || $token === '.' ) {
-				next($chars);
+		while( $chars->valid() ) {
+			$token = $chars->current();
 
+			if( $token === '.' ) {
+				$chars->next();
 				break;
 			}
 
 			$buff .= $token;
-			next($chars);
+			$chars->next();
 		}
 
 		return $buff;
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * @param string[] $chars array of unicode characters by reference
+	 * @param \Iterator<int,string> $chars array of Unicode characters by reference
 	 */
-	private function scanQuotedString( array &$chars ) : string {
+	private function scanQuotedString( \Iterator $chars ) : string {
 		$buff = '';
 
-		next($chars);
-		for(;;) {
-			$token = current($chars);
-			if( $token === false ) {
+		$chars->next();
+		$lastKey = $chars->key();
+		for( ; ; ) {
+			$token = $chars->current();
+			$key   = $chars->key();
+
+			if( !$chars->valid() ) {
 				throw new ParseException(
 					'failed to parse path, expected ", got EOF',
-					key($chars) ?: count($chars),
+					$key ?? ($lastKey + 1),
 					ParseException::CODE_UNEXPECTED_EOF
 				);
 			}
 
 			if( $token === '"' ) {
-				$next = next($chars);
-				if( $next === false || $next === '.' ) {
-					next($chars);
+				$chars->next();
+				$next    = $chars->current();
+				$nextKey = $chars->key();
+
+				if( !$chars->valid() || $next === '.' ) {
+					$chars->next();
 					break;
 				}
 
 				throw new ParseException(
-					sprintf('failed to parse path, expected . or EOF, got "%s" at %d', $next, key($chars)),
-					key($chars),
+					sprintf('failed to parse path, expected . or EOF, got "%s" at %d', $next, $key),
+					$nextKey ?? $key,
 					ParseException::CODE_UNEXPECTED_CHARACTER
 				);
 			}
 
+			if( $token === '\\' ) {
+				$chars->next();
+				$token = $chars->current();
+				$key   = $chars->key();
+
+				if( !$chars->valid() ) {
+					continue;
+				}
+			}
+
 			$buff .= $token;
-			next($chars);
+
+			$lastKey = $key;
+			$chars->next();
 		}
 
 		return $buff;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Yields each grapheme (user‑visible “character”) from $s.
+	 *
+	 * @return \Generator<int,string>
+	 */
+	private function iterateGraphemes( string $s ) : \Generator {
+		$off = 0;
+		$len = strlen($s);
+
+		while( $off < $len && preg_match('/\X/u', $s, $m, 0, $off) ) {
+			$g = $m[0];              // one grapheme cluster, UTF‑8 safe
+
+			yield $off => $g;
+
+			$off += strlen($g);  // advance by its byte length
+		}
+	}
+
 }
diff --git a/src/Exceptions/ParseException.php b/src/Exceptions/ParseException.php
index 65b8697..532e84e 100644
--- a/src/Exceptions/ParseException.php
+++ b/src/Exceptions/ParseException.php
@@ -7,9 +7,12 @@ class ParseException extends \InvalidArgumentException {
 	public const CODE_UNEXPECTED_CHARACTER = 22;
 	public const CODE_UNEXPECTED_EOF       = 484;
 
+	/**
+	 * @var int The index of the character that caused the exception
+	 */
 	private $charIndex;
 
-	public function __construct( $message, int $charIndex, $code, ?\Throwable $previous = null ) {
+	public function __construct( string $message, int $charIndex, int $code, ?\Throwable $previous = null ) {
 		parent::__construct($message, $code, $previous);
 
 		$this->charIndex = $charIndex;
diff --git a/test/Quorum/DotNotation/DotNotationParserTest.php b/test/Quorum/DotNotation/DotNotationParserTest.php
index e1aece6..c9e3d4e 100644
--- a/test/Quorum/DotNotation/DotNotationParserTest.php
+++ b/test/Quorum/DotNotation/DotNotationParserTest.php
@@ -20,16 +20,17 @@ public function testParse( string $path, array $result ) : void {
 		);
 	}
 
-	public function parseProvider() : \Generator {
-		yield [ 'foo.bar.baz', [ 'foo', 'bar', 'baz' ] ];
-
-		yield [ 'foo."bar.baz"', [ 'foo', 'bar.baz' ] ];
-
-		yield [ 'foo.bar"baz".2', [ 'foo', 'bar"baz"', '2' ] ];
-
-		yield [ 'foo.bar.baz.', [ 'foo', 'bar', 'baz' ] ];
-
-		yield [ '日.本.語', [ '日', '本', '語' ] ];
+	public static function parseProvider() : array {
+		return [
+			[ '', [] ],
+			[ 'foo.bar.baz', [ 'foo', 'bar', 'baz' ] ],
+			[ 'foo."bar.baz"', [ 'foo', 'bar.baz' ] ],
+			[ 'foo.bar"baz".2', [ 'foo', 'bar"baz"', '2' ] ],
+			[ 'foo.bar.baz.', [ 'foo', 'bar', 'baz' ] ],
+			[ '日.本.語', [ '日', '本', '語' ] ],
+			[ 'foo."bar\\"baz".quux', [ 'foo', 'bar"baz', 'quux' ] ],
+			[ 'foo."bar\\\\baz".quux.', [ 'foo', 'bar\\baz', 'quux' ] ],
+		];
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -48,14 +49,17 @@ public function testUnexpectedCharacters( string $path, int $pos ) : void {
 		$this->fail(sprintf('"%s" failed to throw exception', $path));
 	}
 
-	public function unexpectedCharacterProvider() : \Generator {
-		yield [ 'foo."bar', 8 ];
-
-		yield [ 'a.foo."bar"baz', 11 ];
-
-		yield [ '.foo', 0 ];
-
-		yield [ '.', 0 ];
+	public static function unexpectedCharacterProvider() : array {
+		return [
+			[ 'foo."bar', 8 ],
+			[ 'a.foo."bar"baz', 11 ],
+			[ '.foo', 0 ],
+			[ '.', 0 ],
+			[ 'foo."👨‍👩‍👧‍👦"."broke', 38 ],
+			[ 'a..', 2 ],
+			[ 'a..b', 2 ],
+			[ 'a."\\', 4 ],
+		];
 	}
 
 }