diff --git a/src/ChangeLog b/src/ChangeLog
index 218dd425a2d..8e1e422d154 100644
--- a/src/ChangeLog
+++ b/src/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2012-12-08  Chong Yidong  <cyd@gnu.org>
+
+	* editfns.c (Finsert_char): Make the error message more
+	informative (Bug#12992).
+
 2012-12-08  Paul Eggert  <eggert@cs.ucla.edu>
 
 	Simplify get_lim_data.
diff --git a/src/editfns.c b/src/editfns.c
index d60f417e561..ffb9a38909b 100644
--- a/src/editfns.c
+++ b/src/editfns.c
@@ -2351,9 +2351,10 @@ usage: (insert-before-markers-and-inherit &rest ARGS)  */)
 }
 
 DEFUN ("insert-char", Finsert_char, Sinsert_char, 1, 3,
-       "(list (read-char-by-name \"Insert character (Unicode name or hex): \")\
-	 (prefix-numeric-value current-prefix-arg)\
-	 t))",
+       "(list (or (read-char-by-name \"Insert character (Unicode name or hex): \")\
+	  (error \"You did not specify a valid character\"))\
+      (prefix-numeric-value current-prefix-arg)\
+      t))",
        doc: /* Insert COUNT copies of CHARACTER.
 Interactively, prompt for CHARACTER.  You can specify CHARACTER in one
 of these ways: