diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/type/descriptor/java/LocaleTypeDescriptor.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/type/descriptor/java/LocaleTypeDescriptor.java
index e12f28312f..72bfe2ddc7 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/type/descriptor/java/LocaleTypeDescriptor.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/type/descriptor/java/LocaleTypeDescriptor.java
@@ -59,10 +59,15 @@ public class LocaleTypeDescriptor extends AbstractTypeDescriptor<Locale> {
 	}
 
 	public Locale fromString(String string) {
-		StringTokenizer tokens = new StringTokenizer( string, "_" );
-	        String language = tokens.hasMoreTokens() && string.charAt(0) != '_' ? tokens.nextToken() : "";
-	        String country = tokens.hasMoreTokens() && string.charAt(string.indexOf(language) + language.length() + 1) != '_' ? tokens.nextToken() : "";
-		// Need to account for allowable '_' within the variant
+		// TODO : Ultimately switch to Locale.Builder for this.  However, Locale.Builder is Java 7
+
+		final StringTokenizer tokens = new StringTokenizer( string, "_" );
+		final String language = tokens.hasMoreTokens() && string.charAt(0) != '_' ? tokens.nextToken() : "";
+		final String country = tokens.hasMoreTokens() && string.charAt(string.indexOf(language) + language.length() + 1) != '_' ? tokens.nextToken() : "";
+
+		// Need to account for allowable '_' within the variant.  The underscore within the variant delimits "subtags".
+		// Technically the reference spec (IETF BCP 47) also allows dash ("-") as a variant subtag delimiter.
+		// Note that this code block supports both approaches...
 		String variant = "";
 		String sep = "";
 		while ( tokens.hasMoreTokens() ) {
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/test/type/descriptor/java/LocaleTypeDescriptorTest.java b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/test/type/descriptor/java/LocaleTypeDescriptorTest.java
index 8584106acc..0c1da5b205 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/test/type/descriptor/java/LocaleTypeDescriptorTest.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/test/type/descriptor/java/LocaleTypeDescriptorTest.java
@@ -42,15 +42,16 @@ import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
  * @author Steve Ebersole
  */
 public class LocaleTypeDescriptorTest extends BaseUnitTestCase {
+
 	@Test
 	public void testConversionFromString() {
 		assertEquals( toLocale( "de", null, null ), LocaleTypeDescriptor.INSTANCE.fromString( "de" ) );
 		assertEquals( toLocale( "de", "DE", null ), LocaleTypeDescriptor.INSTANCE.fromString( "de_DE" ) );
 		assertEquals( toLocale( null, "DE", null ), LocaleTypeDescriptor.INSTANCE.fromString( "_DE" ) );
-		assertEquals( toLocale( null, null, "ch" ), LocaleTypeDescriptor.INSTANCE.fromString( "__ch" ) );
-		assertEquals( toLocale( null, "DE", "ch" ), LocaleTypeDescriptor.INSTANCE.fromString( "_DE_ch" ) );
-		assertEquals( toLocale( "de", null, "ch" ), LocaleTypeDescriptor.INSTANCE.fromString( "de__ch" ) );
-		assertEquals( toLocale( "de", "DE", "ch" ), LocaleTypeDescriptor.INSTANCE.fromString( "de_DE_ch" ) );
+		assertEquals( toLocale( null, null, "ch123" ), LocaleTypeDescriptor.INSTANCE.fromString( "__ch123" ) );
+		assertEquals( toLocale( null, "DE", "ch123" ), LocaleTypeDescriptor.INSTANCE.fromString( "_DE_ch123" ) );
+		assertEquals( toLocale( "de", null, "ch123" ), LocaleTypeDescriptor.INSTANCE.fromString( "de__ch123" ) );
+		assertEquals( toLocale( "de", "DE", "ch123" ), LocaleTypeDescriptor.INSTANCE.fromString( "de_DE_ch123" ) );
 	}
 
 	public Locale toLocale(String lang, String region, String variant) {