diff --git a/modules/openapi-generator/src/main/java/org/openapitools/codegen/languages/AbstractJavaCodegen.java b/modules/openapi-generator/src/main/java/org/openapitools/codegen/languages/AbstractJavaCodegen.java
index bf4e138bcb93..7fd7c6a3de98 100644
--- a/modules/openapi-generator/src/main/java/org/openapitools/codegen/languages/AbstractJavaCodegen.java
+++ b/modules/openapi-generator/src/main/java/org/openapitools/codegen/languages/AbstractJavaCodegen.java
@@ -1673,9 +1673,12 @@ public void setSupportJava6(boolean value) {
         this.supportJava6 = value;
     }
 
+    /*
+     * We don't want to run `escapeText` on the pattern
+     */
     @Override
     public String toRegularExpression(String pattern) {
-        return escapeText(pattern);
+        return addRegularExpressionDelimiter(pattern);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/modules/openapi-generator/src/test/java/org/openapitools/codegen/java/JavaModelTest.java b/modules/openapi-generator/src/test/java/org/openapitools/codegen/java/JavaModelTest.java
index 74beee0159aa..f082ec2abc08 100644
--- a/modules/openapi-generator/src/test/java/org/openapitools/codegen/java/JavaModelTest.java
+++ b/modules/openapi-generator/src/test/java/org/openapitools/codegen/java/JavaModelTest.java
@@ -1053,7 +1053,7 @@ public void stringPropertyTest() {
         Assert.assertEquals(cp.getter, "getSomePropertyWithMinMaxAndPattern");
         Assert.assertEquals(cp.minLength, Integer.valueOf(3));
         Assert.assertEquals(cp.maxLength, Integer.valueOf(10));
-        Assert.assertEquals(cp.pattern, "^[A-Z]+$");
+        Assert.assertEquals(cp.pattern, "/^[A-Z]+$/");
     }
 
     @Test(description = "convert string property in an object")
@@ -1081,7 +1081,7 @@ public void stringPropertyInObjectTest() {
         Assert.assertEquals(cp.getter, "getSomePropertyWithMinMaxAndPattern");
         Assert.assertEquals(cp.minLength, Integer.valueOf(3));
         Assert.assertEquals(cp.maxLength, Integer.valueOf(10));
-        Assert.assertEquals(cp.pattern, "^[A-Z]+$");
+        Assert.assertEquals(cp.pattern, "/^[A-Z]+$/");
     }
 
     @Test(description = "convert referenced string property in an object")
@@ -1113,7 +1113,7 @@ public void stringPropertyReferencedInObjectTest() {
         Assert.assertEquals(cp.getter, "getSomePropertyWithMinMaxAndPattern");
         Assert.assertEquals(cp.minLength, Integer.valueOf(3));
         Assert.assertEquals(cp.maxLength, Integer.valueOf(10));
-        Assert.assertEquals(cp.pattern, "^[A-Z]+$");
+        Assert.assertEquals(cp.pattern, "/^[A-Z]+$/");
     }
 
     @Test(description = "convert an array schema")
diff --git a/samples/server/petstore/java-play-framework-fake-endpoints/app/apimodels/FormatTest.java b/samples/server/petstore/java-play-framework-fake-endpoints/app/apimodels/FormatTest.java
index c202d9340e7b..d20cb525a02d 100644
--- a/samples/server/petstore/java-play-framework-fake-endpoints/app/apimodels/FormatTest.java
+++ b/samples/server/petstore/java-play-framework-fake-endpoints/app/apimodels/FormatTest.java
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ public class FormatTest   {
 
   @JsonProperty("byte")
   @NotNull
-@Pattern(regexp="^(?:[A-Za-z0-9+/]{4})*(?:[A-Za-z0-9+/]{2}==|[A-Za-z0-9+/]{3}=)?$")
+@Pattern(regexp="/^(?:[A-Za-z0-9+\/]{4})*(?:[A-Za-z0-9+\/]{2}==|[A-Za-z0-9+\/]{3}=)?$/")
 
   private byte[] _byte;
 
diff --git a/samples/server/petstore/jaxrs-jersey/src/gen/java/org/openapitools/model/FormatTest.java b/samples/server/petstore/jaxrs-jersey/src/gen/java/org/openapitools/model/FormatTest.java
index 614b54e17a7f..5a76cc4852a9 100644
--- a/samples/server/petstore/jaxrs-jersey/src/gen/java/org/openapitools/model/FormatTest.java
+++ b/samples/server/petstore/jaxrs-jersey/src/gen/java/org/openapitools/model/FormatTest.java
@@ -414,7 +414,7 @@ public FormatTest patternWithDigits(String patternWithDigits) {
    **/
   @JsonProperty("pattern_with_digits")
   @ApiModelProperty(value = "A string that is a 10 digit number. Can have leading zeros.")
-   @Pattern(regexp="^\\d{10}$")
+   @Pattern(regexp="/^\d{10}$/")
   public String getPatternWithDigits() {
     return patternWithDigits;
   }
@@ -434,7 +434,7 @@ public FormatTest patternWithDigitsAndDelimiter(String patternWithDigitsAndDelim
    **/
   @JsonProperty("pattern_with_digits_and_delimiter")
   @ApiModelProperty(value = "A string starting with 'image_' (case insensitive) and one to three digits following i.e. Image_01.")
-   @Pattern(regexp="/^image_\\d{1,3}$/i")
+   @Pattern(regexp="/^image_\d{1,3}$/i")
   public String getPatternWithDigitsAndDelimiter() {
     return patternWithDigitsAndDelimiter;
   }
diff --git a/samples/server/petstore/jaxrs-spec-interface/src/gen/java/org/openapitools/model/FormatTest.java b/samples/server/petstore/jaxrs-spec-interface/src/gen/java/org/openapitools/model/FormatTest.java
index 70a7eed2fdd5..5dd3b1995019 100644
--- a/samples/server/petstore/jaxrs-spec-interface/src/gen/java/org/openapitools/model/FormatTest.java
+++ b/samples/server/petstore/jaxrs-spec-interface/src/gen/java/org/openapitools/model/FormatTest.java
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ public FormatTest _byte(byte[] _byte) {
   @ApiModelProperty(required = true, value = "")
   @JsonProperty("byte")
   @NotNull
- @Pattern(regexp="^(?:[A-Za-z0-9+/]{4})*(?:[A-Za-z0-9+/]{2}==|[A-Za-z0-9+/]{3}=)?$")  public byte[] getByte() {
+ @Pattern(regexp="/^(?:[A-Za-z0-9+\/]{4})*(?:[A-Za-z0-9+\/]{2}==|[A-Za-z0-9+\/]{3}=)?$/")  public byte[] getByte() {
     return _byte;
   }
 
diff --git a/samples/server/petstore/jaxrs-spec/src/gen/java/org/openapitools/model/FormatTest.java b/samples/server/petstore/jaxrs-spec/src/gen/java/org/openapitools/model/FormatTest.java
index 70a7eed2fdd5..5dd3b1995019 100644
--- a/samples/server/petstore/jaxrs-spec/src/gen/java/org/openapitools/model/FormatTest.java
+++ b/samples/server/petstore/jaxrs-spec/src/gen/java/org/openapitools/model/FormatTest.java
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ public FormatTest _byte(byte[] _byte) {
   @ApiModelProperty(required = true, value = "")
   @JsonProperty("byte")
   @NotNull
- @Pattern(regexp="^(?:[A-Za-z0-9+/]{4})*(?:[A-Za-z0-9+/]{2}==|[A-Za-z0-9+/]{3}=)?$")  public byte[] getByte() {
+ @Pattern(regexp="/^(?:[A-Za-z0-9+\/]{4})*(?:[A-Za-z0-9+\/]{2}==|[A-Za-z0-9+\/]{3}=)?$/")  public byte[] getByte() {
     return _byte;
   }