diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst
index 477098838..bda4b5daf 100644
--- a/README.rst
+++ b/README.rst
@@ -251,9 +251,9 @@ Supported type names
    - ``Suit:string|Suit:int`` - exception will be thrown if the JSON value is not present in the enum
 - Nullable types:
 
-  - ``int|null`` - will be ``null`` if the value in JSON is
+  - ``int|null`` or ``?int`` - will be ``null`` if the value in JSON is
     ``null``, otherwise it will be an integer
-  - ``Contact|null`` - will be ``null`` if the value in JSON is
+  - ``Contact|null`` or ``?Contact`` - will be ``null`` if the value in JSON is
     ``null``, otherwise it will be an object of type ``Contact``
 
 ArrayObjects and extending classes are treated as arrays.
@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@ parameters into the call.
 Nullables
 ---------
 JsonMapper throws an exception when a JSON property is ``null``,
-unless the PHP class property has a nullable type - e.g. ``Contact|null``.
+unless the PHP class property has a nullable type - e.g. ``Contact|null`` or ``?Contact``.
 
 If your API contains many fields that may be ``null`` and you do not want
 to make all your type definitions nullable, set:
diff --git a/src/JsonMapper.php b/src/JsonMapper.php
index c377d4569..d9ce33fd8 100644
--- a/src/JsonMapper.php
+++ b/src/JsonMapper.php
@@ -857,7 +857,8 @@ protected function hasVariadicArrayType($accessor)
      */
     protected function isNullable($type)
     {
-        return stripos('|' . $type . '|', '|null|') !== false;
+        return stripos('|' . $type . '|', '|null|') !== false
+            || strpos('|' . $type, '|?') !== false;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -873,7 +874,7 @@ protected function removeNullable($type)
             return null;
         }
         return substr(
-            str_ireplace('|null|', '|', '|' . $type . '|'),
+            str_ireplace(['|null|', '|?'], '|', '|' . $type . '|'),
             1, -1
         );
     }
diff --git a/tests/SimpleTest.php b/tests/SimpleTest.php
index ce9eb2f26..ed79fe70e 100644
--- a/tests/SimpleTest.php
+++ b/tests/SimpleTest.php
@@ -122,40 +122,80 @@ public function testMapSimpleMixed()
     /**
      * Test for "@var int|null" with int value
      */
-    public function testMapSimpleNullableInt()
+    public function testMapSimpleNullableIntWithInt()
     {
         $jm = new JsonMapper();
         $sn = $jm->map(
-            json_decode('{"pnullable":0}'),
+            json_decode('{"pnullableInt":0}'),
             new JsonMapperTest_Simple()
         );
-        $this->assertSame(0, $sn->pnullable);
+        $this->assertSame(0, $sn->pnullableInt);
     }
 
     /**
      * Test for "@var int|null" with null value
      */
-    public function testMapSimpleNullableNull()
+    public function testMapSimpleNullableIntWithNull()
     {
         $jm = new JsonMapper();
         $sn = $jm->map(
-            json_decode('{"pnullable":null}'),
+            json_decode('{"pnullableInt":null}'),
             new JsonMapperTest_Simple()
         );
-        $this->assertNull($sn->pnullable);
+        $this->assertNull($sn->pnullableInt);
     }
 
     /**
-     * Test for "@var int|null" with string value
+     * Test for "@var int|null" with string value (force cast)
      */
-    public function testMapSimpleNullableWrong()
+    public function testMapSimpleNullableIntWithWrongType()
     {
         $jm = new JsonMapper();
         $sn = $jm->map(
-            json_decode('{"pnullable":"12345"}'),
+            json_decode('{"pnullableInt":"12345"}'),
             new JsonMapperTest_Simple()
         );
-        $this->assertSame(12345, $sn->pnullable);
+        $this->assertSame(12345, $sn->pnullableInt);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Test for "@var ?string" with string value
+     */
+    public function testMapSimpleNullableStringWithString()
+    {
+        $jm = new JsonMapper();
+        $sn = $jm->map(
+            json_decode('{"pnullableString":"test"}'),
+            new JsonMapperTest_Simple()
+        );
+        $this->assertSame('test', $sn->pnullableString);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Test for "@var ?string" with null value
+     */
+    public function testMapSimpleNullableStringWithNull()
+    {
+        $jm = new JsonMapper();
+        $sn = $jm->map(
+            json_decode('{"pnullableString":null}'),
+            new JsonMapperTest_Simple()
+        );
+        $this->assertNull($sn->pnullableString);
+        $this->assertEquals(null, $sn->pnullableString);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Test for "@var ?string" with int value (force cast)
+     */
+    public function testMapSimpleNullableStringWithWrongType()
+    {
+        $jm = new JsonMapper();
+        $sn = $jm->map(
+            json_decode('{"pnullableString":0}'),
+            new JsonMapperTest_Simple()
+        );
+        $this->assertSame('0', $sn->pnullableString);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/tests/support/JsonMapperTest/Simple.php b/tests/support/JsonMapperTest/Simple.php
index 8656d0670..51b80dc22 100644
--- a/tests/support/JsonMapperTest/Simple.php
+++ b/tests/support/JsonMapperTest/Simple.php
@@ -43,7 +43,12 @@ class JsonMapperTest_Simple
     /**
      * @var int|null
      */
-    public $pnullable;
+    public $pnullableInt;
+
+    /**
+     * @var ?string
+     */
+    public $pnullableString;
 
     /**
      * @var float