diff --git a/src/macros.rs b/src/macros.rs
index 9ab58b13f..5287998b4 100644
--- a/src/macros.rs
+++ b/src/macros.rs
@@ -224,6 +224,11 @@ macro_rules! json_internal {
         json_internal!(@object $object ($key) (: $($rest)*) (: $($rest)*));
     };
 
+    // Refuse to absorb colon token into key expression.
+    (@object $object:ident ($($key:tt)*) (: $($unexpected:tt)+) $copy:tt) => {
+        json_expect_expr_comma!($($unexpected)+);
+    };
+
     // Munch a token into the current key.
     (@object $object:ident ($($key:tt)*) ($tt:tt $($rest:tt)*) $copy:tt) => {
         json_internal!(@object $object ($($key)* $tt) ($($rest)*) ($($rest)*));
@@ -290,3 +295,9 @@ macro_rules! json_internal_vec {
 macro_rules! json_unexpected {
     () => {};
 }
+
+#[macro_export]
+#[doc(hidden)]
+macro_rules! json_expect_expr_comma {
+    ($e:expr , $($tt:tt)*) => {};
+}
diff --git a/tests/ui/missing_comma.rs b/tests/ui/missing_comma.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8818c3e60
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/ui/missing_comma.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+use serde_json::json;
+
+fn main() {
+    json!({ "1": "" "2": "" });
+}
diff --git a/tests/ui/missing_comma.stderr b/tests/ui/missing_comma.stderr
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ab25b740e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/ui/missing_comma.stderr
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+error: no rules expected the token `"2"`
+ --> $DIR/missing_comma.rs:4:21
+  |
+4 |     json!({ "1": "" "2": "" });
+  |                    -^^^ no rules expected this token in macro call
+  |                    |
+  |                    help: missing comma here
diff --git a/tests/ui/parse_expr.stderr b/tests/ui/parse_expr.stderr
index 107ec59e6..d3240df35 100644
--- a/tests/ui/parse_expr.stderr
+++ b/tests/ui/parse_expr.stderr
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
-error: unexpected end of macro invocation
- --> $DIR/parse_expr.rs:4:5
+error: no rules expected the token `~`
+ --> $DIR/parse_expr.rs:4:19
   |
 4 |     json!({ "a" : ~ });
-  |     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ missing tokens in macro arguments
-  |
-  = note: this error originates in a macro (in Nightly builds, run with -Z macro-backtrace for more info)
+  |                   ^ no rules expected this token in macro call