diff --git a/src/canonicalize/Can.zig b/src/canonicalize/Can.zig
index 8d42f79fae..1e86e52594 100644
--- a/src/canonicalize/Can.zig
+++ b/src/canonicalize/Can.zig
@@ -3382,48 +3382,34 @@ fn extractStringSegments(self: *Self, parts: []const AST.Expr.Idx) std.mem.Alloc
     return try self.env.store.exprSpanFrom(start);
 }
 
-/// Extract string segments from parsed string parts, combining consecutive string parts with newlines
+/// Extract string segments from parsed multiline string parts, adding newlines between consecutive string parts
 fn extractMultilineStringSegments(self: *Self, parts: []const AST.Expr.Idx) std.mem.Allocator.Error!Expr.Span {
     const start = self.env.store.scratchExprTop();
-    var combined_text: []const u8 = "";
-    var combined_region: ?AST.TokenizedRegion = null;
+    var last_string_part_end: ?Token.Idx = null;
 
     for (parts) |part| {
         const part_node = self.parse_ir.store.getExpr(part);
         switch (part_node) {
             .string_part => |sp| {
-                // get the raw text of the string part
-                const part_text = self.parse_ir.resolve(sp.token);
-                if (combined_text.len == 0) {
-                    combined_text = part_text;
-                    combined_region = part_node.to_tokenized_region();
-                } else {
-                    // TODO: should this be \n or \\n or even different depending on file encoding
-                    combined_text = try std.fmt.allocPrint(self.env.gpa, "{s}\\n{s}", .{ combined_text, part_text });
-                    combined_region = combined_region.?.spanAcross(part_node.to_tokenized_region());
+                // Add newline between consecutive string parts
+                if (last_string_part_end != null) {
+                    try self.addStringLiteralToScratch("\\n", .{ .start = last_string_part_end.?, .end = part_node.to_tokenized_region().start });
                 }
+
+                // Get and process the raw text of the string part
+                const part_text = self.parse_ir.resolve(sp.token);
+                if (part_text.len != 0) {
+                    try self.addStringLiteralToScratch(part_text, part_node.to_tokenized_region());
+                }
+                last_string_part_end = part_node.to_tokenized_region().end;
             },
             else => {
-                // First add any accumulated string parts
-                if (combined_region != null) {
-                    try self.addStringLiteralToScratch(combined_text, combined_region.?);
-
-                    // reset combined state
-                    combined_text = "";
-                    combined_region = null;
-                }
-
-                // Then handle the interpolation
+                last_string_part_end = null;
                 try self.addInterpolationToScratch(part, part_node);
             },
         }
     }
 
-    // add any remaining combined string at the end
-    if (combined_text.len > 0) {
-        try self.addStringLiteralToScratch(combined_text, combined_region.?);
-    }
-
     return try self.env.store.exprSpanFrom(start);
 }
 
diff --git a/test/snapshots/multiline_string_complex.md b/test/snapshots/multiline_string_complex.md
index 5f6ce18b2b..2887a90440 100644
--- a/test/snapshots/multiline_string_complex.md
+++ b/test/snapshots/multiline_string_complex.md
@@ -97,13 +97,19 @@ NO CHANGE
 	(d-let
 		(p-assign @8.1-8.7 (ident "value3"))
 		(e-string @8.10-10.14
-			(e-literal @8.13-10.5 (string "This is a string\nWith multiple lines\n"))
+			(e-literal @8.13-8.29 (string "This is a string"))
+			(e-literal @9.2-9.5 (string "\n"))
+			(e-literal @9.5-9.24 (string "With multiple lines"))
+			(e-literal @10.2-10.5 (string "\n"))
 			(e-lookup-local @10.7-10.13
 				(p-assign @3.1-3.7 (ident "value1")))))
 	(d-let
 		(p-assign @12.1-12.7 (ident "value4"))
 		(e-string @13.2-16.14
-			(e-literal @13.5-16.5 (string "This is a string\nWith multiple lines\n"))
+			(e-literal @13.5-13.21 (string "This is a string"))
+			(e-literal @15.2-15.5 (string "\n"))
+			(e-literal @15.5-15.24 (string "With multiple lines"))
+			(e-literal @16.2-16.5 (string "\n"))
 			(e-lookup-local @16.7-16.13
 				(p-assign @5.1-5.7 (ident "value2"))))))
 ~~~
diff --git a/test/snapshots/multiline_string_expr.md b/test/snapshots/multiline_string_expr.md
index d34c4dd31b..81f68c024c 100644
--- a/test/snapshots/multiline_string_expr.md
+++ b/test/snapshots/multiline_string_expr.md
@@ -30,7 +30,9 @@ NO CHANGE
 # CANONICALIZE
 ~~~clojure
 (e-string @1.1-2.23
-	(e-literal @1.4-2.23 (string "This is a string\nWith multiple lines")))
+	(e-literal @1.4-1.20 (string "This is a string"))
+	(e-literal @2.1-2.4 (string "\n"))
+	(e-literal @2.4-2.23 (string "With multiple lines")))
 ~~~
 # TYPES
 ~~~clojure