diff --git a/js/__tests__/decoder-test.js b/js/__tests__/decoder-test.js
index 0d43760..84833d6 100644
--- a/js/__tests__/decoder-test.js
+++ b/js/__tests__/decoder-test.js
@@ -103,6 +103,10 @@ describe('unpacks', () => {
         expect(erlpack.unpack(Buffer.from('\x83d\x00\x0Dguild members', 'binary'))).toEqual("guild members");
     });
 
+    it('utf8 atoms', () => {
+        expect(erlpack.unpack(Buffer.from('\x83w\x05jos\xc3\xa9', 'binary'))).toEqual('josé');
+    });
+
     it('tuples', () => {
         expect(erlpack.unpack(Buffer.from('\x83h\x03m\x00\x00\x00\x06vanisha\x01a\x04', 'binary'))).toEqual(['vanish', 1, 4]);
         expect(erlpack.unpack(Buffer.from('\x83i\x00\x00\x00\x03m\x00\x00\x00\x06vanisha\x01a\x04', 'binary'))).toEqual(['vanish', 1, 4]);
diff --git a/js/decoder.h b/js/decoder.h
index 48882f5..69bf48a 100644
--- a/js/decoder.h
+++ b/js/decoder.h
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ class Decoder {
         return (const char*)str;
     }
 
-    Local<Value> processAtom(const char* atom, uint16_t length) {
+    Local<Value> processAtom(const char* atom, uint16_t length, bool utf8) {
         if (atom == NULL) {
             return Nan::Undefined();
         }
@@ -177,19 +177,22 @@ class Decoder {
             }
         }
 
+        if (utf8) {
+            return Nan::Encode(atom, length, Nan::Encoding::UTF8);
+        }
         return Nan::New(atom, length).ToLocalChecked();
     }
 
-    Local<Value> decodeAtom() {
+    Local<Value> decodeAtom(bool utf8) {
         auto length = read16();
         const char* atom = readString(length);
-        return processAtom(atom, length);
+        return processAtom(atom, length, utf8);
     }
 
-    Local<Value> decodeSmallAtom() {
+    Local<Value> decodeSmallAtom(bool utf8) {
         auto length = read8();
         const char* atom = readString(length);
-        return processAtom(atom, length);
+        return processAtom(atom, length, utf8);
     }
 
     Local<Value> decodeFloat() {
@@ -410,9 +413,13 @@ class Decoder {
             case NEW_FLOAT_EXT:
                 return decodeNewFloat();
             case ATOM_EXT:
-                return decodeAtom();
+                return decodeAtom(false);
+            case ATOM_UTF8_EXT:
+                return decodeAtom(true);
             case SMALL_ATOM_EXT:
-                return decodeSmallAtom();
+                return decodeSmallAtom(false);
+            case SMALL_ATOM_UTF8_EXT:
+                return decodeSmallAtom(true);
             case SMALL_TUPLE_EXT:
                 return decodeSmallTuple();
             case LARGE_TUPLE_EXT: