diff --git a/doc/build.py b/doc/build.py
index 5947e465..e95175f5 100755
--- a/doc/build.py
+++ b/doc/build.py
@@ -92,7 +92,8 @@ def build_docs(version='dev', **kwargs):
                           FMT_API= \
                           "FMT_BEGIN_NAMESPACE=namespace fmt {{" \
                           "FMT_END_NAMESPACE=}}" \
-                          "FMT_STRING_ALIAS=1"
+                          "FMT_STRING_ALIAS=1" \
+                          "FMT_CHAR(S)=char_t<S>"
       EXCLUDE_SYMBOLS   = fmt::internal::* StringValue write_str
     '''.format(include_dir, doxyxml_dir).encode('UTF-8'))
   if p.returncode != 0:
diff --git a/include/fmt/core.h b/include/fmt/core.h
index 88798142..d880e8ad 100644
--- a/include/fmt/core.h
+++ b/include/fmt/core.h
@@ -505,8 +505,6 @@ struct is_format_string : std::is_empty<format_string_traits<S>> {};
 template <typename S>
 struct is_compile_string : std::is_base_of<compile_string, S> {};
 
-#define FMT_CHAR(Str) typename internal::format_string_traits<Str>::char_type
-
 template <typename Char>
 struct named_arg_base;
 
@@ -1246,6 +1244,14 @@ struct wformat_args : basic_format_args<wformat_context> {
   : basic_format_args<wformat_context>(std::forward<Args>(arg)...) {}
 };
 
+#if FMT_HAS_FEATURE(cxx_alias_templates)
+template <typename S>
+using char_t = typename internal::format_string_traits<S>::char_type;
+#define FMT_CHAR(S) char_t<S>
+#else
+#define FMT_CHAR(S) typename internal::format_string_traits<S>::char_type
+#endif
+
 namespace internal {
 template <typename Char>
 struct named_arg_base {