diff --git a/basis/classes/struct/prettyprint/prettyprint.factor b/basis/classes/struct/prettyprint/prettyprint.factor
index feeecd881b..6368424ec6 100644
--- a/basis/classes/struct/prettyprint/prettyprint.factor
+++ b/basis/classes/struct/prettyprint/prettyprint.factor
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ! (c)Joe Groff bsd license
 USING: accessors assocs classes classes.struct combinators
 kernel math prettyprint.backend prettyprint.custom
-prettyprint.sections see.private sequences words ;
+prettyprint.sections see.private sequences strings words ;
 IN: classes.struct.prettyprint
 
 <PRIVATE
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ IN: classes.struct.prettyprint
     <flow \ { pprint-word
     {
         [ name>> text ]
-        [ c-type>> text ]
+        [ c-type>> dup string? [ text ] [ pprint* ] if ]
         [ read-only>> [ \ read-only pprint-word ] when ]
         [ initial>> [ \ initial: pprint-word pprint* ] when* ]
     } cleave
diff --git a/basis/classes/struct/struct-tests.factor b/basis/classes/struct/struct-tests.factor
index 64b8ba83e2..2995e9d6d6 100644
--- a/basis/classes/struct/struct-tests.factor
+++ b/basis/classes/struct/struct-tests.factor
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ STRUCT: struct-test-array-slots
 ] unit-test
 
 STRUCT: struct-test-optimization
-    { x int[3] } { y int } ;
+    { x { "int" 3 } } { y int } ;
 
 [ t ] [ [ struct-test-optimization memory>struct y>> ] { memory>struct y>> } inlined? ] unit-test
 [ t ] [
diff --git a/basis/classes/struct/struct.factor b/basis/classes/struct/struct.factor
index 52f3b7df9f..2cafb5e8fe 100644
--- a/basis/classes/struct/struct.factor
+++ b/basis/classes/struct/struct.factor
@@ -232,10 +232,13 @@ ERROR: invalid-struct-slot token ;
     c-type c-type-boxed-class
     dup \ byte-array = [ drop \ c-ptr ] when ;
 
+: scan-c-type ( -- c-type )
+    scan dup "{" = [ drop \ } parse-until >array ] when ;
+
 : parse-struct-slot ( -- slot )
     struct-slot-spec new
     scan >>name
-    scan [ >>c-type ] [ struct-slot-class >>class ] bi
+    scan-c-type [ >>c-type ] [ struct-slot-class >>class ] bi
     \ } parse-until [ dup empty? ] [ peel-off-attributes ] until drop ;
     
 : parse-struct-slots ( slots -- slots' more? )