diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index b8fd55e..7630e1c 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -499,10 +499,16 @@ dependencies = [
  "serde_yaml 0.8.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "simple-error 0.1.11 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "toml 0.4.8 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+ "unicode-segmentation 1.2.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "walkdir 2.2.7 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "xml-rs 0.8.0 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "unicode-segmentation"
+version = "1.2.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "unicode-width"
 version = "0.1.5"
@@ -652,6 +658,7 @@ dependencies = [
 "checksum thread_local 0.3.6 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "c6b53e329000edc2b34dbe8545fd20e55a333362d0a321909685a19bd28c3f1b"
 "checksum toml 0.4.8 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "4a2ecc31b0351ea18b3fe11274b8db6e4d82bce861bbb22e6dbed40417902c65"
 "checksum ucd-util 0.1.3 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "535c204ee4d8434478593480b8f86ab45ec9aae0e83c568ca81abf0fd0e88f86"
+"checksum unicode-segmentation 1.2.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "aa6024fc12ddfd1c6dbc14a80fa2324d4568849869b779f6bd37e5e4c03344d1"
 "checksum unicode-width 0.1.5 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "882386231c45df4700b275c7ff55b6f3698780a650026380e72dabe76fa46526"
 "checksum unicode-xid 0.1.0 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "fc72304796d0818e357ead4e000d19c9c174ab23dc11093ac919054d20a6a7fc"
 "checksum utf8-ranges 1.0.2 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "796f7e48bef87609f7ade7e06495a87d5cd06c7866e6a5cbfceffc558a243737"
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 4ec4510..3fd9aac 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ xml-rs = "0.8.0"
 base64 = "0.10.0"
 regex = "1"
 dirs = "1.0.4"
+unicode-segmentation = "1.2.1"
 
 [build-dependencies]
 walkdir = "2.2.7"
diff --git a/TODO.md b/TODO.md
index f935e8f..73e0583 100644
--- a/TODO.md
+++ b/TODO.md
@@ -2,18 +2,6 @@
 
 ## Compile Errors as expression
 
-## String handling
-
-Mostly handled by ranges and indexing for strings?
-
-Type comparisons?
-
-```
-let foo = "foo";
-foo is str; // evaluates to true
-foo is int; // evaluates to false
-```
-
 ## Query Language (Experimental)
 
 You should be able to ask the compiler to tell you any value or set of values in the
diff --git a/docsite/site/content/reference/expressions.md b/docsite/site/content/reference/expressions.md
index 47dbd81..cb58a73 100644
--- a/docsite/site/content/reference/expressions.md
+++ b/docsite/site/content/reference/expressions.md
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ Functional processing expressions
 ---------------------------------
 
 UCG has a few functional processing expressions called `map`, `filter`, and
-`reduce`. All of them can process a list or tuple.
+`reduce`. All of them can process a string, list, or tuple.
 
 Their syntax starts with either `map` `filter`, or `reduce followed by a symbol
 that references a valid macro and finally an expression that resolves to either
diff --git a/integration_tests/functional_processing_test.ucg b/integration_tests/functional_processing_test.ucg
index 727cc84..01970e8 100644
--- a/integration_tests/functional_processing_test.ucg
+++ b/integration_tests/functional_processing_test.ucg
@@ -46,6 +46,13 @@ assert {
     desc = "map mapper [1, 2, 3, 4] == [2, 3, 4, 5]",
 };
 
+let s_mapper = macro(arg) => arg + ",";
+
+assert {
+    ok = map s_mapper "foo" == "f,o,o,",
+    desc = "we can map over each character",
+};
+
 assert {
     ok = filter filtrator list2 == ["foo", "foo"],
     desc = "filter filtrator list2 == [\"foo\", \"foo\"]",
@@ -102,6 +109,13 @@ assert {
     desc = "filter tpl_filter test_tpl == { quux = \"baz\" }",
 };
 
+let o_str_filter = macro(s) => s != "o";
+
+assert {
+    ok = filter o_str_filter "foobar" == "fbar",
+    desc = "We can strip out characters",
+};
+
 let tpl_reducer = macro(acc, name, val) => acc{
         keys = self.keys + [name],
         vals = self.vals + [val],
@@ -110,4 +124,18 @@ let tpl_reducer = macro(acc, name, val) => acc{
 assert {
     ok = reduce tpl_reducer {keys = [], vals = []}, test_tpl == {keys = ["foo", "quux"], vals = ["bar", "baz"]},
     desc = "reduce tpl_reducer {keys = [], vals = []}, test_tpl == {keys = [\"foo\", \"quux\"], vals = [\"bar\", \"baz\"]}",
+};
+
+let str_identity_reducer = macro(acc, s) => acc + s;
+
+assert {
+    ok = reduce str_identity_reducer "", "foo" == "foo",
+    desc = "identity reducer copies string",
+};
+
+let char_iter = macro(acc, s) => acc + [s];
+
+assert {
+    ok = reduce char_iter [], "foo" == ["f", "o", "o"],
+    desc = "we can split a string into grapheme clusters",
 };
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/build/mod.rs b/src/build/mod.rs
index 218124e..425b248 100644
--- a/src/build/mod.rs
+++ b/src/build/mod.rs
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ use std::string::ToString;
 
 use regex;
 use simple_error;
+use unicode_segmentation::UnicodeSegmentation;
 
 use crate::ast::*;
 use crate::build::scope::{find_in_fieldlist, Scope, ValueMap};
@@ -1375,10 +1376,17 @@ impl<'a> FileBuilder<'a> {
                     acc = result;
                 }
             }
+            &Val::Str(ref s) => {
+                for gc in s.graphemes(true) {
+                    let argvals = vec![acc.clone(), Rc::new(Val::Str(gc.to_string()))];
+                    let result = macdef.eval(self.file.clone(), self, argvals)?;
+                    acc = result;
+                }
+            }
             other => {
                 return Err(Box::new(error::BuildError::new(
                     format!(
-                        "Expected List or Tuple as target but got {:?}",
+                        "Expected List Str, or Tuple as target but got {:?}",
                         other.type_name()
                     ),
                     error::ErrorType::TypeFail,
@@ -1389,6 +1397,56 @@ impl<'a> FileBuilder<'a> {
         Ok(acc)
     }
 
+    fn eval_functional_string_processing(
+        &self,
+        s: &str,
+        def: &MacroDef,
+        typ: ProcessingOpType,
+    ) -> Result<Rc<Val>, Box<dyn Error>> {
+        let mut result = String::new();
+        for gc in s.graphemes(true) {
+            let arg = Rc::new(Val::Str(gc.to_string()));
+            let out = def.eval(self.file.clone(), self, vec![arg])?;
+            match typ {
+                ProcessingOpType::Filter => {
+                    match out.as_ref() {
+                        Val::Boolean(b) => {
+                            if *b {
+                                result.push_str(gc);
+                            }
+                        }
+                        Val::Empty => {
+                            // noop
+                        }
+                        _ => {
+                            return Err(Box::new(error::BuildError::new(
+                                format!(
+                                    "Expected boolean or NULL for filter return but got {}",
+                                    out.type_name()
+                                ),
+                                error::ErrorType::TypeFail,
+                                def.pos.clone(),
+                            )));
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+                ProcessingOpType::Map => match out.as_ref() {
+                    Val::Str(s) => {
+                        result.push_str(&s);
+                    }
+                    _ => {
+                        return Err(Box::new(error::BuildError::new(
+                            format!("Expected string map return but got {}", out.type_name()),
+                            error::ErrorType::TypeFail,
+                            def.pos.clone(),
+                        )));
+                    }
+                },
+            }
+        }
+        Ok(Rc::new(Val::Str(result)))
+    }
+
     fn eval_functional_processing(
         &self,
         def: &MapFilterOpDef,
@@ -1410,6 +1468,8 @@ impl<'a> FileBuilder<'a> {
         return match maybe_target.as_ref() {
             &Val::List(ref elems) => self.eval_functional_list_processing(elems, macdef, typ),
             &Val::Tuple(ref fs) => self.eval_functional_tuple_processing(fs, macdef, typ),
+            // TODO(jwall): Strings?
+            &Val::Str(ref s) => self.eval_functional_string_processing(s, macdef, typ),
             other => Err(Box::new(error::BuildError::new(
                 format!(
                     "Expected List or Tuple as target but got {:?}",
diff --git a/src/build/scope.rs b/src/build/scope.rs
index 1af30eb..76cf31c 100644
--- a/src/build/scope.rs
+++ b/src/build/scope.rs
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ impl Scope {
                     format!("Invalid idx type {} for list lookup", field),
                     error::ErrorType::TypeFail,
                     pos.clone(),
-                )))
+                )));
             }
         };
         if idx < elems.len() {
diff --git a/src/convert/exec.rs b/src/convert/exec.rs
index b251713..b372fc2 100644
--- a/src/convert/exec.rs
+++ b/src/convert/exec.rs
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ impl ExecConverter {
                                 "Exec args must be a list of strings or tuples of strings.",
                                 ErrorType::TypeFail,
                                 Position::new(0, 0, 0),
-                            )))
+                            )));
                         }
                     }
                 }
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 7859c7f..d079efb 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ extern crate serde_json;
 extern crate serde_yaml;
 extern crate simple_error;
 extern crate toml;
+extern crate unicode_segmentation;
 extern crate xml;
 
 #[macro_use]
diff --git a/src/tokenizer/mod.rs b/src/tokenizer/mod.rs
index 77301aa..3efe5a0 100644
--- a/src/tokenizer/mod.rs
+++ b/src/tokenizer/mod.rs
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ fn is_symbol_char<'a>(i: OffsetStrIter<'a>) -> Result<OffsetStrIter<'a>, u8> {
             return Result::Fail(Error::new(
                 "Unexpected End of Input".to_string(),
                 Box::new(_i.clone()),
-            ))
+            ));
         }
     };
     if (c as char).is_ascii_alphanumeric() || c == b'-' || c == b'_' {