diff --git a/cmd/wmii/x11.c b/cmd/wmii/x11.c
index f6b37753..ebcce07b 100644
--- a/cmd/wmii/x11.c
+++ b/cmd/wmii/x11.c
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ static MapEnt*	abucket[137];
 static int	errorhandler(Display*, XErrorEvent*);
 static int	(*xlib_errorhandler) (Display*, XErrorEvent*);
 
+static XftColor*	xftcolor(ulong);
+
 
 /* Rectangles/Points */
 XRectangle
@@ -249,11 +251,20 @@ freeimage(Image *img) {
 
 	assert(img->type == WImage);
 
+	if(img->xft)
+		XftDrawDestroy(img->xft);
 	XFreePixmap(display, img->w);
 	XFreeGC(display, img->gc);
 	free(img);
 }
 
+static XftDraw*
+xftdrawable(Image *img) {
+	if(img->xft == nil)
+		img->xft = XftDrawCreate(display, img->w, scr.visual, scr.colormap);
+	return img->xft;
+}
+
 /* Windows */
 Window*
 createwindow_visual(Window *parent, Rectangle r,
@@ -309,6 +320,8 @@ void
 destroywindow(Window *w) {
 	assert(w->type == WWindow);
 	sethandler(w, nil);
+	if(w->xft)
+		XftDrawDestroy(w->xft);
 	if(w->gc)
 		XFreeGC(display, w->gc);
 	XDestroyWindow(display, w->w);
@@ -561,16 +574,25 @@ drawstring(Image *dst, Font *font,
 	}
 
 	setgccol(dst, col);
-	if(font->set)
+	switch(font->type) {
+	case FFontSet:
 		Xutf8DrawString(display, dst->w,
-				font->set, dst->gc,
+				font->font.set, dst->gc,
 				x, y,
 				buf, len);
-	else {
-		XSetFont(display, dst->gc, font->xfont->fid);
+		break;
+	case FXft:
+		XftDrawStringUtf8(xftdrawable(dst), xftcolor(col),
+				  font->font.xft,
+				  x, y, (uchar*)buf, len);
+		break;
+	case FX11:
+		XSetFont(display, dst->gc, font->font.x11->fid);
 		XDrawString(display, dst->w, dst->gc,
-				x, y,
-				buf, len);
+			    x, y, buf, len);
+		break;
+	default:
+		die("Invalid font type.");
 	}
 
 done:
@@ -617,55 +639,98 @@ loadcolor(CTuple *c, char *str) {
 	    && namedcolor(buf+16, &c->border);
 }
 
+static XftColor*
+xftcolor(ulong col) {
+	XftColor *c;
+
+	c = emallocz(sizeof *c);
+	*c = (XftColor) {
+		col, {
+			(col>>8)  & 0xff00,
+			(col>>0)  & 0xff00,
+			(col<<8)  & 0xff00,
+			(col>>16) & 0xff00,
+		}
+	};
+	return freelater(c);
+}
+
 /* Fonts */
 Font*
 loadfont(char *name) {
-	Biobuf *b;
-	Font *f;
 	XFontStruct **xfonts;
 	char **missing, **font_names;
+	Biobuf *b;
+	Font *f;
 	int n, i;
 
 	missing = nil;
 	f = emallocz(sizeof *f);
 	f->name = estrdup(name);
-	f->set = XCreateFontSet(display, name, &missing, &n, nil);
-	if(missing) {
-		b = Bfdopen(dup(2), O_WRONLY);
-		Bprint(b, "%s: note: missing fontset%s for '%s':", argv0,
-				(n > 1 ? "s" : ""), name);
-		for(i = 0; i < n; i++)
-			Bprint(b, "%s %s", (i ? "," : ""), missing[i]);
-		Bprint(b, "\n");
-		Bterm(b);
-		freestringlist(missing);
-	}
+	if(!strncmp(f->name, "xft:", 4)) {
+		f->type = FXft;
 
-	if(f->set) {
-		XFontsOfFontSet(f->set, &xfonts, &font_names);
-		f->ascent = xfonts[0]->ascent;
-		f->descent = xfonts[0]->descent;
+		f->font.xft = XftFontOpenXlfd(display, scr.screen, f->name + 4);
+		if(!f->font.xft)
+			f->font.xft = XftFontOpenName(display, scr.screen, f->name + 4);
+		if(!f->font.xft)
+			goto error;
+
+		f->ascent = f->font.xft->ascent;
+		f->descent = f->font.xft->descent;
 	}else {
-		f->xfont = XLoadQueryFont(display, name);
-		if(!f->xfont) {
-			fprint(2, "%s: cannot load font: %s\n", argv0, name);
-			freefont(f);
-			return nil;
+		f->font.set = XCreateFontSet(display, name, &missing, &n, nil);
+		if(missing) {
+			b = Bfdopen(dup(2), O_WRONLY);
+			Bprint(b, "%s: note: missing fontset%s for '%s':", argv0,
+					(n > 1 ? "s" : ""), name);
+			for(i = 0; i < n; i++)
+				Bprint(b, "%s %s", (i ? "," : ""), missing[i]);
+			Bprint(b, "\n");
+			Bterm(b);
+			freestringlist(missing);
 		}
 
-		f->ascent = f->xfont->ascent;
-		f->descent = f->xfont->descent;
+		if(f->font.set) {
+			f->type = FFontSet;
+			XFontsOfFontSet(f->font.set, &xfonts, &font_names);
+			f->ascent = xfonts[0]->ascent;
+			f->descent = xfonts[0]->descent;
+		}else {
+			f->type = FX11;
+			f->font.x11 = XLoadQueryFont(display, name);
+			if(!f->font.x11)
+				goto error;
+
+			f->ascent = f->font.x11->ascent;
+			f->descent = f->font.x11->descent;
+		}
 	}
 	f->height = f->ascent + f->descent;
 	return f;
+
+error:
+	fprint(2, "%s: cannot load font: %s\n", argv0, name);
+	f->type = 0;
+	freefont(f);
+	return nil;
 }
 
 void
 freefont(Font *f) {
-	if(f->set)
-		XFreeFontSet(display, f->set);
-	if(f->xfont)
-		XFreeFont(display, f->xfont);
+	switch(f->type) {
+	case FFontSet:
+		XFreeFontSet(display, f->font.set);
+		break;
+	case FXft:
+		XftFontClose(display, f->font.xft);
+		break;
+	case FX11:
+		XFreeFont(display, f->font.x11);
+		break;
+	default:
+		break;
+	}
 	free(f->name);
 	free(f);
 }
@@ -673,12 +738,21 @@ freefont(Font *f) {
 uint
 textwidth_l(Font *font, char *text, uint len) {
 	XRectangle r;
+	XGlyphInfo i;
 
-	if(font->set) {
-		Xutf8TextExtents(font->set, text, len, nil, &r);
+	switch(font->type) {
+	case FFontSet:
+		Xutf8TextExtents(font->font.set, text, len, nil, &r);
 		return r.width;
+	case FXft:
+		XftTextExtentsUtf8(display, font->font.xft, (uchar*)text, len, &i);
+		return i.width;
+	case FX11:
+		return XTextWidth(font->font.x11, text, len);
+	default:
+		die("Invalid font type");
+		return 0; /* shut up ken */
 	}
-	return XTextWidth(font->xfont, text, len);
 }
 
 uint
diff --git a/config.mk b/config.mk
index d97963fb..64019b7b 100644
--- a/config.mk
+++ b/config.mk
@@ -33,8 +33,8 @@ P9PATHS = ${PLAN9}:"'$${HOME}/plan9'":/usr/local/plan9:/usr/local/9:/opt/plan9:/
 # are painfully slow, and should be avoided.
 #BINSH = /bin/ash
 
-INCX11 = -I/usr/X11R6/include
-LIBX11 = -L/usr/X11R6/lib -lX11
+INCX11 = $$(pkg-config --cflags xft)
+LIBX11 = $$(pkg-config --libs xft)
 LIBICONV = # Leave blank if your libc includes iconv (glibc does)
 LIBIXP = $(LIBDIR)/libixp.a
 
diff --git a/include/x11.h b/include/x11.h
index 50d70768..ab1a18fe 100644
--- a/include/x11.h
+++ b/include/x11.h
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 #define Screen XScreen
 #include <X11/Xlib.h>
 #include <X11/Xutil.h>
+#include <X11/Xft/Xft.h>
 #ifdef _X11_VISIBLE
 #  include <X11/Xatom.h>
 #  include <X11/extensions/shape.h>
@@ -27,12 +28,20 @@ enum Align {
 	Center = NEast | SWest,
 };
 
+enum FontType {
+	FX11 = 1,
+	FFontSet,
+	FXft,
+};
+
 enum WindowType {
 	WWindow,
 	WImage,
 };
 
 typedef enum Align Align;
+typedef enum FontType FontType;
+typedef enum WindowType WindowType;
 
 typedef XSetWindowAttributes WinAttr;
 
@@ -76,12 +85,16 @@ struct Ewmh {
 };
 
 struct Font {
-	XFontStruct *xfont;
-	XFontSet set;
-	int ascent;
-	int descent;
-	uint height;
-	char *name;
+	int	type;
+	union {
+		XFontStruct*	x11;
+		XFontSet	set;
+		XftFont*	xft;
+	} font;
+	int	ascent;
+	int	descent;
+	uint	height;
+	char*	name;
 };
 
 struct Handlers {
@@ -122,6 +135,7 @@ struct Window {
 	int		type;
 	XID		w;
 	GC		gc;
+	XftDraw*	xft;
 	Rectangle	r;
 	int		border;
 	Window*		parent;