diff --git a/packages/core/src/render3/di.ts b/packages/core/src/render3/di.ts
index 0a824a5edd..2fff6fadca 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/render3/di.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/render3/di.ts
@@ -87,9 +87,10 @@ let nextNgElementId = 0;
  * @param type The directive token to register
  */
 export function bloomAdd(
-    injectorIndex: number, tView: TView, type: Type<any>| InjectionToken<any>): void {
+    injectorIndex: number, tView: TView, type: Type<any>| InjectionToken<any>| string): void {
   ngDevMode && assertEqual(tView.firstTemplatePass, true, 'expected firstTemplatePass to be true');
-  let id: number|undefined = (type as any)[NG_ELEMENT_ID];
+  let id: number|undefined =
+      typeof type !== 'string' ? (type as any)[NG_ELEMENT_ID] : type.charCodeAt(0) || 0;
 
   // Set a unique ID on the directive type, so if something tries to inject the directive,
   // we can easily retrieve the ID and hash it into the bloom bit that should be checked.
@@ -502,9 +503,12 @@ export function getNodeInjectable(
  * @param token the injection token
  * @returns the matching bit to check in the bloom filter or `null` if the token is not known.
  */
-export function bloomHashBitOrFactory(token: Type<any>| InjectionToken<any>): number|Function|
-    undefined {
+export function bloomHashBitOrFactory(token: Type<any>| InjectionToken<any>| string): number|
+    Function|undefined {
   ngDevMode && assertDefined(token, 'token must be defined');
+  if (typeof token === 'string') {
+    return token.charCodeAt(0) || 0;
+  }
   const tokenId: number|undefined = (token as any)[NG_ELEMENT_ID];
   return typeof tokenId === 'number' ? tokenId & BLOOM_MASK : tokenId;
 }
diff --git a/packages/core/test/render3/di_spec.ts b/packages/core/test/render3/di_spec.ts
index 4eb42e1ff5..51129f7015 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/render3/di_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/render3/di_spec.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import {RenderFlags} from '@angular/core/src/render3/interfaces/definition';
 
 import {defineComponent} from '../../src/render3/definition';
 import {bloomAdd, bloomHasToken, bloomHashBitOrFactory as bloomHash, getOrCreateNodeInjectorForNode} from '../../src/render3/di';
-import {defineDirective, elementProperty, load, templateRefExtractor} from '../../src/render3/index';
+import {ProvidersFeature, defineDirective, elementProperty, load, templateRefExtractor} from '../../src/render3/index';
 
 import {bind, container, containerRefreshEnd, containerRefreshStart, createNodeAtIndex, createLView, createTView, directiveInject, element, elementEnd, elementStart, embeddedViewEnd, embeddedViewStart, injectAttribute, interpolation2, projection, projectionDef, reference, template, text, textBinding, elementContainerStart, elementContainerEnd} from '../../src/render3/instructions';
 import {isProceduralRenderer, RElement} from '../../src/render3/interfaces/renderer';
@@ -1719,6 +1719,36 @@ describe('di', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('string tokens', () => {
+    it('should be able to provide a string token', () => {
+      let injectorDir !: InjectorDir;
+      let divElement !: HTMLElement;
+
+      class InjectorDir {
+        constructor(public value: string) {}
+
+        static ngDirectiveDef = defineDirective({
+          type: InjectorDir,
+          selectors: [['', 'injectorDir', '']],
+          factory: () => injectorDir = new InjectorDir(directiveInject('test' as any)),
+          features: [ProvidersFeature([{provide: 'test', useValue: 'provided'}])],
+        });
+      }
+
+      /** <div injectorDir otherInjectorDir></div> */
+      const App = createComponent('app', (rf: RenderFlags, ctx: any) => {
+        if (rf & RenderFlags.Create) {
+          element(0, 'div', ['injectorDir', '']);
+        }
+        // testing only
+        divElement = load(0);
+      }, 1, 0, [InjectorDir]);
+
+      const fixture = new ComponentFixture(App);
+      expect(injectorDir.value).toBe('provided');
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('Renderer2', () => {
     class MyComp {
       constructor(public renderer: Renderer2) {}