diff --git a/autotests/folding/highlight.lua.fold b/autotests/folding/highlight.lua.fold
--- a/autotests/folding/highlight.lua.fold
+++ b/autotests/folding/highlight.lua.fold
@@ -66,6 +66,13 @@
 '\u{100201}' -- max 6 digits
 '\2a\ks' -- error
 
+'multi\
+line'
+'multi\z
+line'
+'multi\z    line\
+2'
+
 a = 'alo\n123"'
 a = "alo\n123\""
 a = '\97lo\10\04923"'
diff --git a/autotests/html/highlight.lua.html b/autotests/html/highlight.lua.html
--- a/autotests/html/highlight.lua.html
+++ b/autotests/html/highlight.lua.html
@@ -72,6 +72,13 @@
 <span style="color:#bf0303;">'</span><span style="color:#3daee9;">\u{100201}</span><span style="color:#bf0303;">'</span> <span style="color:#898887;">-- max 6 digits</span>
 <span style="color:#bf0303;">'</span><span style="color:#3daee9;">\2</span><span style="color:#bf0303;">a</span><span style="color:#bf0303;text-decoration:underline;">\</span><span style="color:#bf0303;">ks'</span> <span style="color:#898887;">-- error</span>
 
+<span style="color:#bf0303;">'multi</span><span style="color:#3daee9;">\</span>
+<span style="color:#bf0303;">line'</span>
+<span style="color:#bf0303;">'multi</span><span style="color:#3daee9;">\z</span>
+<span style="color:#bf0303;">line'</span>
+<span style="color:#bf0303;">'multi</span><span style="color:#3daee9;">\z</span><span style="color:#bf0303;">    line</span><span style="color:#3daee9;">\</span>
+<span style="color:#bf0303;">2'</span>
+
 <span style="color:#5555ff;">a</span> = <span style="color:#bf0303;">'alo</span><span style="color:#3daee9;">\n</span><span style="color:#bf0303;">123&quot;'</span>
 <span style="color:#5555ff;">a</span> = <span style="color:#bf0303;">&quot;alo</span><span style="color:#3daee9;">\n</span><span style="color:#bf0303;">123</span><span style="color:#3daee9;">\&quot;</span><span style="color:#bf0303;">&quot;</span>
 <span style="color:#5555ff;">a</span> = <span style="color:#bf0303;">'</span><span style="color:#3daee9;">\97</span><span style="color:#bf0303;">lo</span><span style="color:#3daee9;">\10\049</span><span style="color:#bf0303;">23&quot;'</span>
diff --git a/autotests/input/highlight.lua b/autotests/input/highlight.lua
--- a/autotests/input/highlight.lua
+++ b/autotests/input/highlight.lua
@@ -66,6 +66,13 @@
 '\u{100201}' -- max 6 digits
 '\2a\ks' -- error
 
+'multi\
+line'
+'multi\z
+line'
+'multi\z    line\
+2'
+
 a = 'alo\n123"'
 a = "alo\n123\""
 a = '\97lo\10\04923"'
diff --git a/autotests/reference/highlight.lua.ref b/autotests/reference/highlight.lua.ref
--- a/autotests/reference/highlight.lua.ref
+++ b/autotests/reference/highlight.lua.ref
@@ -66,6 +66,13 @@
 <Strings>'</Strings><Special Char>\u{100201}</Special Char><Strings>'</Strings><Normal Text> </Normal Text><Comment>-- max 6 digits</Comment><br/>
 <Strings>'</Strings><Special Char>\2</Special Char><Strings>a</Strings><Error>\</Error><Strings>ks'</Strings><Normal Text> </Normal Text><Comment>-- error</Comment><br/>
 <dsNormal></dsNormal><br/>
+<Strings>'multi</Strings><Special Char>\</Special Char><br/>
+<Strings>line'</Strings><br/>
+<Strings>'multi</Strings><Special Char>\z</Special Char><br/>
+<Strings>line'</Strings><br/>
+<Strings>'multi</Strings><Special Char>\z</Special Char><Strings>    line</Strings><Special Char>\</Special Char><br/>
+<Strings>2'</Strings><br/>
+<dsNormal></dsNormal><br/>
 <Variable>a</Variable><Normal Text> </Normal Text><Symbols>=</Symbols><Normal Text> </Normal Text><Strings>'alo</Strings><Special Char>\n</Special Char><Strings>123"'</Strings><br/>
 <Variable>a</Variable><Normal Text> </Normal Text><Symbols>=</Symbols><Normal Text> </Normal Text><Strings>"alo</Strings><Special Char>\n</Special Char><Strings>123</Strings><Special Char>\"</Special Char><Strings>"</Strings><br/>
 <Variable>a</Variable><Normal Text> </Normal Text><Symbols>=</Symbols><Normal Text> </Normal Text><Strings>'</Strings><Special Char>\97</Special Char><Strings>lo</Strings><Special Char>\10\049</Special Char><Strings>23"'</Strings><br/>
diff --git a/data/syntax/lua.xml b/data/syntax/lua.xml
--- a/data/syntax/lua.xml
+++ b/data/syntax/lua.xml
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
     - NOTE, FIXME, TODO alerts added on comments
     - improved highlighting
 -->
-<language name="Lua" version="3" indenter="lua" kateversion="5.0" section="Scripts" extensions="*.lua" mimetype="text/x-lua">
+<language name="Lua" version="4" indenter="lua" kateversion="5.0" section="Scripts" extensions="*.lua" mimetype="text/x-lua">
   <highlighting>
     <list name="keywords">
       <item>and</item>
@@ -490,8 +490,15 @@
       </context>
 
       <context name="Special_char"  attribute="Error"       lineEndContext="#pop">
-        <RegExpr      attribute="Special Char"  context="#pop"  String="\\(?:[abfnrtvz'&quot;\\\[\]]|x&HEX;&HEX;|\d{1,3}|u\{&HEX;{1,6}\})" />
-        <DetectChar   attribute="Error"    context="#pop"  char="\"/>
+        <LineContinue attribute="Special Char" context="#pop" />
+        <Detect2Chars attribute="Special Char" context="Special_char_\z" char="\" char1="z" lookAhead="true"/>
+        <RegExpr      attribute="Special Char" context="#pop" String="\\(?:[abfnrtv'&quot;\\\[\]]|x&HEX;&HEX;|\d{1,3}|u\{&HEX;{1,6}\})"/>
+        <DetectChar   attribute="Error"        context="#pop" char="\"/>
+      </context>
+
+      <context name="Special_char_\z" attribute="Special Char" lineEndContext="#stay">
+        <LineContinue attribute="Special Char" context="#pop#pop" char="z"/>
+        <DetectChar   attribute="Special Char" context="#pop#pop" char="z"/>
       </context>
 
       <context name="String_block"  attribute="RawStrings"  lineEndContext="#stay" dynamic="true">