diff --git a/syntax/std.go b/syntax/std.go
index 84792284..cb95dc87 100644
--- a/syntax/std.go
+++ b/syntax/std.go
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ func stdScope() rel.Scope {
 				stdStr(),
 				stdEval(),
 				stdOs(),
+				stdJSON(),
 			))
 	})
 	return stdScopeVar
diff --git a/syntax/std_json.go b/syntax/std_json.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..638787f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/syntax/std_json.go
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+package syntax
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+
+	"github.com/arr-ai/arrai/rel"
+	"github.com/arr-ai/arrai/translate"
+)
+
+func stdJSON() rel.Attr {
+	return rel.NewTupleAttr(
+		"json",
+		rel.NewNativeFunctionAttr("decode", func(v rel.Value) rel.Value {
+			s := mustAsString(v)
+			var data interface{}
+			var err error
+			if err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(s), &data); err == nil {
+				var d rel.Value
+				if d, err = translate.JSONToArrai(data); err == nil {
+					return d
+				}
+			}
+			panic(err)
+		}),
+	)
+}
diff --git a/syntax/std_json_test.go b/syntax/std_json_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e84e4833
--- /dev/null
+++ b/syntax/std_json_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+package syntax
+
+import "testing"
+
+func TestJSONDecode(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	AssertCodePanics(t, `//.json.decode(123)`)
+	AssertCodesEvalToSameValue(t,
+		`{
+			"a": (s: "string"),
+			"b": 123,
+			"c": 123.321,
+			"d": (a: [1, (s: "string again"), (a: []), {}]),
+			"e": {
+				"f": {
+					"g": (s: "321")
+				},
+				"h": (a: [])
+			},
+			"i": (null: {}),
+			"j": (a: [(b: {()}), (b: {})]),
+			"k": (s: {})
+		}`,
+		`//.json.decode(
+			'{
+				"a": "string",
+				"b": 123,
+				"c": 123.321,
+				"d": [1, "string again", [], {}],
+				"e": {
+					"f": {
+						"g": "321"
+					},
+					"h": []
+				},
+				"i": null,
+				"j": [true, false],
+				"k": ""
+			}'
+		)`,
+	)
+}
diff --git a/syntax/std_str.go b/syntax/std_str.go
index cf7e57e6..a86cf6e5 100644
--- a/syntax/std_str.go
+++ b/syntax/std_str.go
@@ -132,5 +132,5 @@ func mustAsString(v rel.Value) string {
 	if s, ok := rel.AsString(v.(rel.Set)); ok {
 		return s.String()
 	}
-	panic("can not be a string")
+	panic("value is not a string")
 }
diff --git a/translate/json.go b/translate/json.go
index f12221c1..3716a39c 100644
--- a/translate/json.go
+++ b/translate/json.go
@@ -16,12 +16,20 @@ func JSONToArrai(data interface{}) (rel.Value, error) {
 		return jsonObjToArrai(v)
 	case []interface{}:
 		return jsonArrToArrai(v)
-	case string: // rel.NewValue cannot produce strings
-		return rel.NewString([]rune(v)), nil
+	case string:
+		return rel.NewTuple(rel.NewAttr("s", rel.NewString([]rune(v)))), nil
+	case float64:
+		return rel.NewNumber(v), nil
+	case bool:
+		return rel.NewTuple(rel.NewAttr("b", rel.NewBool(v))), nil
 	case nil:
-		return rel.None, nil
+		return rel.NewTuple(rel.NewAttr("null", rel.None)), nil
 	default:
-		return rel.NewValue(v)
+		t, err := rel.NewValue(v)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		return rel.NewTuple(rel.NewAttr("v", t)), nil
 	}
 }
 
@@ -52,5 +60,5 @@ func jsonArrToArrai(data []interface{}) (rel.Value, error) {
 		}
 		elts[i] = elt
 	}
-	return rel.NewArray(elts...), nil
+	return rel.NewTuple(rel.NewAttr("a", rel.NewArray(elts...))), nil
 }
diff --git a/translate/json_test.go b/translate/json_test.go
index 999df69e..227686d5 100644
--- a/translate/json_test.go
+++ b/translate/json_test.go
@@ -42,46 +42,46 @@ func TestJSONObjectToArrai(t *testing.T) {
 	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `{}`, `{}`)
 
 	// different value types
-	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `{"key": "val"}`, `{"key":"val"}`)
-	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `{"key": 123}`, `{"key":123}`)
-	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `{"key": {"foo": "bar"}}`, `{"key":{"foo":"bar"}}`)
-	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `{"key": [1, 2, 3]}`, `{"key":[1, 2, 3]}`)
-	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `{"key": {}}`, `{"key":null}`)
+	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `{"key": 123}           `, `{"key":123}          `)
+	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `{"key": (null: {})}    `, `{"key":null}         `)
+	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `{"key": (s: "val")}    `, `{"key":"val"}        `)
+	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `{"key": (a: [1, 2, 3])}`, `{"key":[1, 2, 3]}    `)
+	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `{"key": {"foo": (s: "bar")}}`, `{"key":{"foo":"bar"}}`)
 
 	// Multiple key-val pairs
-	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `{"key": "val", "foo": 123}`, `{"key":"val", "foo":123}`)
+	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `{"key": (s: "val"), "foo": 123}`, `{"key":"val", "foo":123}`)
 }
 
 func TestJSONArrayToArrai(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
 	// Empty
-	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `[]`, `[]`)
+	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `(a: [])`, `[]`)
 
 	// Different value types
-	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `[1]`, `[1]`)
-	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `["hello"]`, `["hello"]`)
-	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `[{"foo": "bar"}]`, `[{"foo":"bar"}]`)
-	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `[[1, 2, 3]]`, `[[1, 2, 3]]`)
-	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `[{}]`, `[null]`)
+	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `(a: [1])                  `, `[1]            `)
+	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `(a: [(null: {})])         `, `[null]         `)
+	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `(a: [(s: "hello")])       `, `["hello"]      `)
+	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `(a: [(a: [1, 2, 3])])     `, `[[1, 2, 3]]    `)
+	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `(a: [{"foo": (s: "bar")}])`, `[{"foo":"bar"}]`)
 
 	// Multiple values with different types
-	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `[1, "Hello", {}]`, `[1, "Hello", null]`)
+	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `(a: [1, (s: "Hello"), (null: {})])`, `[1, "Hello", null]`)
 }
 
 func TestJSONNullToNone(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
-	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `{}`, `null`)
+	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `(null: {})`, `null`)
 }
 
 func TestJSONStringToArrai(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
-	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `""`, `""`)
-	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `"Hello World"`, `"Hello World"`)
+	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `(s: {})           `, `""           `)
+	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `(s: "Hello World")`, `"Hello World"`)
 }
 
 func TestJSONNumericToArrai(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
-	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `123`, `123`)
+	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `123 `, `123 `)
 	AssertExpectedJSONTranslation(t, `1.23`, `1.23`)
 }