diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index c1a1cb7..79a8eb1 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ ifeq ($(CFLAGS),)
 endif
 export CFLAGS
 srcs = \
+	src/parser/matchers/metacharacter.c
 
 objs = $(srcs:.c=.o)
 export objs
diff --git a/src/parser/matchers/metacharacter.c b/src/parser/matchers/metacharacter.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7ae4756
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/parser/matchers/metacharacter.c
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+/* ************************************************************************** */
+/*                                                                            */
+/*                                                        :::      ::::::::   */
+/*   metacharacter.c                                    :+:      :+:    :+:   */
+/*                                                    +:+ +:+         +:+     */
+/*   By: kcolin <marvin@42.fr>                      +#+  +:+       +#+        */
+/*                                                +#+#+#+#+#+   +#+           */
+/*   Created: 2025/02/06 15:23:31 by kcolin            #+#    #+#             */
+/*   Updated: 2025/02/06 15:47:42 by kcolin           ###   ########.fr       */
+/*                                                                            */
+/* ************************************************************************** */
+
+#include "metacharacter.h"
+
+// FIXME: use ft_strchr
+/*
+** return true if the character is a metacharacter
+**
+** Bash reference manual:
+** A character that, when unquoted, separates words. A metacharacter is a space,
+** tab, newline, or one of the following characters: ‘|’, ‘&’, ‘;’, ‘(’, ‘)’,
+** ‘<’, or ‘>’.
+*/
+bool	is_metacharacter(char c)
+{
+	if (c == ' ' || c == '\t' || c == '\n' || c == '|' || c == '&' || c == ';'
+		|| c == '(' || c == ')' || c == '<' || c == '>')
+		return (true);
+	return (false);
+}
diff --git a/src/parser/matchers/metacharacter.h b/src/parser/matchers/metacharacter.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4e8935b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/parser/matchers/metacharacter.h
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+/* ************************************************************************** */
+/*                                                                            */
+/*                                                        :::      ::::::::   */
+/*   metacharacter.h                                    :+:      :+:    :+:   */
+/*                                                    +:+ +:+         +:+     */
+/*   By: kcolin <marvin@42.fr>                      +#+  +:+       +#+        */
+/*                                                +#+#+#+#+#+   +#+           */
+/*   Created: 2025/02/06 15:22:57 by kcolin            #+#    #+#             */
+/*   Updated: 2025/02/06 15:22:57 by kcolin           ###   ########.fr       */
+/*                                                                            */
+/* ************************************************************************** */
+
+#ifndef METACHARACTER_H
+# define METACHARACTER_H
+
+# include <stdbool.h>
+
+bool	is_metacharacter(char c);
+
+#endif