diff --git a/benchmark/streams/writable-simple.js b/benchmark/streams/writable-simple.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..b6b4642f945492
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benchmark/streams/writable-simple.js
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const common = require('../common');
+const Writable = require('stream').Writable;
+
+const bench = common.createBenchmark(main, {
+  n: [50000],
+  inputType: ['buffer', 'string'],
+  inputEncoding: ['utf8', 'ucs2'],
+  decodeAs: ['', 'utf8', 'ucs2']
+});
+
+const inputStr = `袎逜 釂鱞鸄 碄碆碃 蒰裧頖 鋑, 瞂 覮轀 蔝蓶蓨 踥踕踛 鬐鶤 鄜 忁曨曣
+翀胲胵, 鬵鵛嚪 釢髟偛 碞碠粻 漀 涾烰 跬 窱縓 墥墡嬇 禒箈箑, 餤駰 瀁瀎瀊 躆轖轕 蒛, 銙 簎艜薤
+樆樦潏 魡鳱 櫱瀯灂 鷜鷙鷵 禒箈箑 綧 駓駗, 鋡 嗛嗕塨 嶭嶴憝 爂犤繵 罫蓱 摮 灉礭蘠 蠬襱覾 脬舑莕
+躐鑏, 襆贂 漀 刲匊呥 肒芅邥 泏狔狑, 瀗犡礝 浘涀缹 輲輹 綧`;
+
+function main(conf) {
+  const n = +conf.n;
+  const s = new Writable({
+    decodeBuffers: !!conf.decodeAs,
+    defaultEncoding: conf.decodeAs || undefined,
+    write(chunk, encoding, cb) { cb(); }
+  });
+
+  const inputEnc = conf.inputType === 'buffer' ? undefined : conf.inputEncoding;
+  const input = conf.inputType === 'buffer' ?
+      Buffer.from(inputStr, conf.inputEncoding) : inputStr;
+
+  bench.start();
+  for (var k = 0; k < n; ++k) {
+    s.write(input, inputEnc);
+  }
+  bench.end(n);
+}
diff --git a/doc/api/stream.md b/doc/api/stream.md
index 291cda735aee3d..b6b8d7bcdea13c 100644
--- a/doc/api/stream.md
+++ b/doc/api/stream.md
@@ -1184,6 +1184,9 @@ constructor and implement the `writable._write()` method. The
   * `decodeStrings` {Boolean} Whether or not to decode strings into
     Buffers before passing them to [`stream._write()`][stream-_write].
     Defaults to `true`
+  * `decodeBuffers` {Boolean} Whether or not to decode Buffers into strings
+    using the default encoding before passing them to
+    [`stream._write()`][stream-_write].
   * `objectMode` {Boolean} Whether or not the
     [`stream.write(anyObj)`][stream-write] is a valid operation. When set,
     it becomes possible to write JavaScript values other than string or
diff --git a/lib/_stream_writable.js b/lib/_stream_writable.js
index ba56225d974fe9..deb6e0853dd028 100644
--- a/lib/_stream_writable.js
+++ b/lib/_stream_writable.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ const util = require('util');
 const internalUtil = require('internal/util');
 const Stream = require('stream');
 const Buffer = require('buffer').Buffer;
+var StringDecoder;
 
 util.inherits(Writable, Stream);
 
@@ -46,6 +47,8 @@ function WritableState(options, stream) {
   // drain event flag.
   this.needDrain = false;
   // at the start of calling end()
+  this.flushing = false;
+  // at the start of calling endWritable()
   this.ending = false;
   // when end() has been called, and returned
   this.ended = false;
@@ -55,6 +58,8 @@ function WritableState(options, stream) {
   // should we decode strings into buffers before passing to _write?
   // this is here so that some node-core streams can optimize string
   // handling at a lower level.
+  // This is confusingly named. For character encodings (like utf8), setting
+  // decodeStrings to true will *encode* strings as Buffers.
   var noDecode = options.decodeStrings === false;
   this.decodeStrings = !noDecode;
 
@@ -63,6 +68,21 @@ function WritableState(options, stream) {
   // Everything else in the universe uses 'utf8', though.
   this.defaultEncoding = options.defaultEncoding || 'utf8';
 
+  // A StringDecoder instance that is used for decoding incoming Buffers
+  // if that is desired by the stream implementer, as indicated by the
+  // `decodeBuffers` option.
+  this.stringDecoder = null;
+  if (options.decodeBuffers) {
+    // Check whether the caller explicitly requested inconsistent options.
+    if (options.decodeStrings === true) {
+      throw new Error('decodeBuffers and decodeStrings cannot both be true');
+    }
+
+    if (!StringDecoder)
+      StringDecoder = require('string_decoder').StringDecoder;
+    this.stringDecoder = new StringDecoder(this.defaultEncoding);
+  }
+
   // not an actual buffer we keep track of, but a measurement
   // of how much we're waiting to get pushed to some underlying
   // socket or file.
@@ -276,11 +296,27 @@ Writable.prototype.setDefaultEncoding = function setDefaultEncoding(encoding) {
 };
 
 function decodeChunk(state, chunk, encoding) {
-  if (!state.objectMode &&
-      state.decodeStrings !== false &&
-      typeof chunk === 'string') {
-    chunk = Buffer.from(chunk, encoding);
+  if (state.objectMode)
+    return chunk;
+
+  var sd = state.stringDecoder;
+  if (typeof chunk === 'string') {
+    if (sd !== null && encoding === sd.encoding && sd.lastNeed === 0)
+      return chunk; // No re-encoding encessary.
+
+    if (state.decodeStrings !== false || sd !== null)
+      chunk = Buffer.from(chunk, encoding);
   }
+
+  if (sd !== null) {
+    // chunk is always a Buffer now.
+    if (state.flushing) {
+      chunk = sd.end(chunk);
+    } else {
+      chunk = sd.write(chunk);
+    }
+  }
+
   return chunk;
 }
 
@@ -288,11 +324,15 @@ function decodeChunk(state, chunk, encoding) {
 // in the queue, and wait our turn.  Otherwise, call _write
 // If we return false, then we need a drain event, so set that flag.
 function writeOrBuffer(stream, state, isBuf, chunk, encoding, cb) {
-  if (!isBuf) {
+  var sd = state.stringDecoder;
+  if (!isBuf || sd) {
     chunk = decodeChunk(state, chunk, encoding);
     if (chunk instanceof Buffer)
       encoding = 'buffer';
+    else if (sd)
+      encoding = sd.encoding;
   }
+
   var len = state.objectMode ? 1 : chunk.length;
 
   state.length += len;
@@ -459,20 +499,26 @@ Writable.prototype._write = function(chunk, encoding, cb) {
 
 Writable.prototype._writev = null;
 
-Writable.prototype.end = function(chunk, encoding, cb) {
+const empty = Buffer.alloc(0);
+
+Writable.prototype.end = function(chunk, enc, cb) {
   var state = this._writableState;
 
   if (typeof chunk === 'function') {
     cb = chunk;
     chunk = null;
-    encoding = null;
-  } else if (typeof encoding === 'function') {
-    cb = encoding;
-    encoding = null;
+    enc = null;
+  } else if (typeof enc === 'function') {
+    cb = enc;
+    enc = null;
   }
 
+  state.flushing = true;
+
   if (chunk !== null && chunk !== undefined)
-    this.write(chunk, encoding);
+    this.write(chunk, enc);
+  else if (state.stringDecoder && state.stringDecoder.lastNeed > 0)
+    this.write(empty);
 
   // .end() fully uncorks
   if (state.corked) {
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-stream-writable-decode-buffers.js b/test/parallel/test-stream-writable-decode-buffers.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..f785896f4a1741
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-stream-writable-decode-buffers.js
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+'use strict';
+require('../common');
+const assert = require('assert');
+
+const stream = require('stream');
+
+class ChunkStoringWritable extends stream.Writable {
+  constructor(options) {
+    super(options);
+
+    this.chunks = [];
+  }
+
+  _write(data, encoding, callback) {
+    this.chunks.push({ data, encoding });
+    callback();
+  }
+}
+
+{
+  const w = new ChunkStoringWritable({ decodeBuffers: true });
+  w.write(Buffer.from('e4bd', 'hex'));
+  w.write(Buffer.from('a0e5', 'hex'));
+  w.write(Buffer.from('a5bd', 'hex'));
+  w.end();
+
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(w.chunks.map((c) => c.data), ['', '你', '好']);
+}
+
+{
+  const w = new ChunkStoringWritable({ decodeBuffers: true });
+  w.write(Buffer.from('你', 'utf8'));
+  w.write(Buffer.from('好', 'utf8'));
+  w.end();
+
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(w.chunks.map((c) => c.data), ['你', '好']);
+}
+
+{
+  const w = new ChunkStoringWritable({ decodeBuffers: true });
+  w.write(Buffer.from('80', 'hex'));
+  w.end();
+
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(w.chunks.map((c) => c.data), ['\ufffd']);
+}
+
+{
+  const w = new ChunkStoringWritable({ decodeBuffers: true });
+  w.write(Buffer.from('c3', 'hex'));
+  w.end();
+
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(w.chunks.map((c) => c.data), ['', '\ufffd']);
+}
+
+{
+  const w = new ChunkStoringWritable({
+    decodeBuffers: true,
+    defaultEncoding: 'utf16le'
+  });
+
+  w.write(Buffer.from('你好', 'utf16le'));
+  w.end();
+
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(w.chunks.map((c) => c.data), ['你好']);
+}
+
+{
+  const w = new ChunkStoringWritable({
+    decodeBuffers: true,
+    defaultEncoding: 'base64'
+  });
+
+  w.write(Buffer.from('你好', 'utf16le'));
+  w.end();
+
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(w.chunks.map((c) => c.data), ['YE99', 'WQ==']);
+}
+
+{
+  const w = new ChunkStoringWritable({
+    decodeBuffers: true,
+    defaultEncoding: 'utf16le'
+  });
+
+  w.write('你好', 'utf16le');
+  w.end();
+
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(w.chunks.map((c) => c.data), ['你好']);
+}
+
+{
+  const w = new ChunkStoringWritable({ decodeBuffers: true });
+
+  w.write(Buffer.from([0x44, 0xc3])); // Ends on incomplete UTF8.
+
+  // This write should *not* be passed through directly as there's
+  // input pending.
+  w.write('a');
+
+  w.end(Buffer.from('bc7373656c', 'hex'));
+
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(w.chunks.map((c) => c.data), ['D', '�a', '�ssel']);
+}
+
+{
+  const w = new ChunkStoringWritable({ decodeBuffers: true });
+
+  w.write('a');
+  w.setDefaultEncoding('ucs2');
+  w.end('换');
+
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(w.chunks, [
+    { data: 'a', encoding: 'utf8' },
+    { data: 'bc', encoding: 'utf8' }
+  ]);
+}
+
+assert.throws(() => new stream.Writable({
+  decodeBuffers: true,
+  decodeStrings: true
+}), /decodeBuffers and decodeStrings cannot both be true/);