diff --git a/cmd/micro/highlighter.go b/cmd/micro/highlighter.go
index 8ec16de3..d1d46a16 100644
--- a/cmd/micro/highlighter.go
+++ b/cmd/micro/highlighter.go
@@ -416,8 +416,8 @@ func Match(v *View) SyntaxMatches {
 		if rule.startend {
 			if indicies := rule.regex.FindAllStringIndex(str, -1); indicies != nil {
 				for _, value := range indicies {
-					value[0] += startNum
-					value[1] += startNum
+					value[0] = runePos(value[0], str) + startNum
+					value[1] = runePos(value[1], str) + startNum
 					for i := value[0]; i < value[1]; i++ {
 						if i < toplineNum {
 							continue
@@ -437,7 +437,9 @@ func Match(v *View) SyntaxMatches {
 			for lineN, line := range lines {
 				if indicies := rule.regex.FindAllStringIndex(line, -1); indicies != nil {
 					for _, value := range indicies {
-						for i := value[0]; i < value[1]; i++ {
+						start := runePos(value[0], line)
+						end := runePos(value[1], line)
+						for i := start; i < end; i++ {
 							matches[lineN][i] = rule.style
 						}
 					}
diff --git a/cmd/micro/search.go b/cmd/micro/search.go
index 227e3af9..8a9f4cd1 100644
--- a/cmd/micro/search.go
+++ b/cmd/micro/search.go
@@ -106,6 +106,7 @@ func Search(searchStr string, v *View, down bool) {
 		} else {
 			match = matches[0]
 		}
+		str = text
 	}
 
 	if !down {
@@ -118,8 +119,8 @@ func Search(searchStr string, v *View, down bool) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	v.Cursor.curSelection[0] = charPos + match[0]
-	v.Cursor.curSelection[1] = charPos + match[1]
+	v.Cursor.curSelection[0] = charPos + runePos(match[0], str)
+	v.Cursor.curSelection[1] = charPos + runePos(match[1], str)
 	v.Cursor.x, v.Cursor.y = FromCharPos(charPos+match[1]-1, v.Buf)
 	if v.Relocate() {
 		v.matches = Match(v)
diff --git a/cmd/micro/util.go b/cmd/micro/util.go
index f456705e..6ca284a5 100644
--- a/cmd/micro/util.go
+++ b/cmd/micro/util.go
@@ -117,3 +117,7 @@ func ParseBool(str string) (bool, error) {
 	}
 	return strconv.ParseBool(str)
 }
+
+func runePos(p int, str string) int {
+	return utf8.RuneCountInString(str[:p])
+}