diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index b1e73d9b..e7357327 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 
 ### Bugs fixed
 
+* [#544](https://github.com/clojure-emacs/clojure-mode/issues/544): Fix docstring detection when string contains backslash.
 * [#547](https://github.com/clojure-emacs/clojure-mode/issues/547): Fix font-lock regex for character literals for uppercase chars and other symbols.
 * [#556](https://github.com/clojure-emacs/clojure-mode/issues/556): Fix renaming of ns aliases containing regex characters.
 * [#555](https://github.com/clojure-emacs/clojure-mode/issues/555): Fix ns detection for ns forms with complex metadata.
diff --git a/clojure-mode.el b/clojure-mode.el
index a9ec18f0..3d300478 100644
--- a/clojure-mode.el
+++ b/clojure-mode.el
@@ -974,46 +974,43 @@ which is called with a single parameter, STATE (which is, in
 turn, returned by `parse-partial-sexp' at the beginning of the
 highlighted region)."
   (if (nth 3 state)
-      ;; This might be a (doc)string or a |...| symbol.
-      (let ((startpos (nth 8 state)))
-        (if (eq (char-after startpos) ?|)
-            ;; This is not a string, but a |...| symbol.
-            nil
-          (let* ((listbeg (nth 1 state))
-                 (firstsym (and listbeg
-                                (save-excursion
-                                  (goto-char listbeg)
-                                  (and (looking-at "([ \t\n]*\\(\\(\\sw\\|\\s_\\)+\\)")
-                                       (match-string 1)))))
-                 (docelt (and firstsym
-                              (function-get (intern-soft firstsym)
-                                            lisp-doc-string-elt-property))))
-            (if (and docelt
-                     ;; It's a string in a form that can have a docstring.
-                     ;; Check whether it's in docstring position.
-                     (save-excursion
-                       (when (functionp docelt)
-                         (goto-char (match-end 1))
-                         (setq docelt (funcall docelt)))
-                       (goto-char listbeg)
-                       (forward-char 1)
-                       (ignore-errors
-                         (while (and (> docelt 0) (< (point) startpos)
-                                     (progn (forward-sexp 1) t))
-                           ;; ignore metadata and type hints
-                           (unless (looking-at "[ \n\t]*\\(\\^[A-Z:].+\\|\\^?{.+\\)")
-                             (setq docelt (1- docelt)))))
-                       (and (zerop docelt) (<= (point) startpos)
-                            (progn (forward-comment (point-max)) t)
-                            (= (point) (nth 8 state))))
-                     ;; In a def, at last position is not a docstring
-                     (not (and (string= "def" firstsym)
-                               (save-excursion
-                                 (goto-char startpos)
-                                 (goto-char (+ startpos (length (sexp-at-point)) 2))
-                                 (looking-at "[ \r\n\t]*\)")))))
-                font-lock-doc-face
-              font-lock-string-face))))
+      ;; This is a (doc)string
+      (let* ((startpos (nth 8 state))
+             (listbeg (nth 1 state))
+             (firstsym (and listbeg
+                            (save-excursion
+                              (goto-char listbeg)
+                              (and (looking-at "([ \t\n]*\\(\\(\\sw\\|\\s_\\)+\\)")
+                                   (match-string 1)))))
+             (docelt (and firstsym
+                          (function-get (intern-soft firstsym)
+                                        lisp-doc-string-elt-property))))
+        (if (and docelt
+                 ;; It's a string in a form that can have a docstring.
+                 ;; Check whether it's in docstring position.
+                 (save-excursion
+                   (when (functionp docelt)
+                     (goto-char (match-end 1))
+                     (setq docelt (funcall docelt)))
+                   (goto-char listbeg)
+                   (forward-char 1)
+                   (ignore-errors
+                     (while (and (> docelt 0) (< (point) startpos)
+                                 (progn (forward-sexp 1) t))
+                       ;; ignore metadata and type hints
+                       (unless (looking-at "[ \n\t]*\\(\\^[A-Z:].+\\|\\^?{.+\\)")
+                         (setq docelt (1- docelt)))))
+                   (and (zerop docelt) (<= (point) startpos)
+                        (progn (forward-comment (point-max)) t)
+                        (= (point) (nth 8 state))))
+                 ;; In a def, at last position is not a docstring
+                 (not (and (string= "def" firstsym)
+                           (save-excursion
+                             (goto-char startpos)
+                             (goto-char (end-of-thing 'sexp))
+                             (looking-at "[ \r\n\t]*\)")))))
+            font-lock-doc-face
+          font-lock-string-face))
     font-lock-comment-face))
 
 (defun clojure-font-lock-setup ()
diff --git a/test/clojure-mode-font-lock-test.el b/test/clojure-mode-font-lock-test.el
index ecf5ac88..5baa5551 100644
--- a/test/clojure-mode-font-lock-test.el
+++ b/test/clojure-mode-font-lock-test.el
@@ -806,7 +806,12 @@ DESCRIPTION is the description of the spec."
 
     ("(def foo \n  \"usage\" \n  \"hello\")"
      (13 19 font-lock-doc-face)
-     (24 30 font-lock-string-face)))
+     (24 30 font-lock-string-face))
+
+    ("(def test-string\n  \"this\\n\n  is\n  my\n  string\")"
+     (20 24 font-lock-string-face)
+     (25 26 (bold font-lock-string-face))
+     (27 46 font-lock-string-face)))
 
   (when-fontifying-it "should handle deftype"
     ("(deftype Foo)"