diff --git a/doc/api/buffer.markdown b/doc/api/buffer.markdown
index e08ad48e9b7..268294fce08 100644
--- a/doc/api/buffer.markdown
+++ b/doc/api/buffer.markdown
@@ -98,10 +98,6 @@ The method will not write partial characters.
     len = buf.write('\u00bd + \u00bc = \u00be', 0);
     console.log(len + " bytes: " + buf.toString('utf8', 0, len));
 
-The number of characters written (which may be different than the number of
-bytes written) is set in `Buffer._charsWritten` and will be overwritten the
-next time `buf.write()` is called.
-
 
 ### buf.toString([encoding], [start], [end])
 
diff --git a/lib/buffer.js b/lib/buffer.js
index 3378dcebfcb..20b3f02c1c0 100644
--- a/lib/buffer.js
+++ b/lib/buffer.js
@@ -374,8 +374,6 @@ Buffer.prototype.write = function(string, offset, length, encoding) {
       throw new TypeError('Unknown encoding: ' + encoding);
   }
 
-  Buffer._charsWritten = SlowBuffer._charsWritten;
-
   return ret;
 };
 
diff --git a/src/node_buffer.cc b/src/node_buffer.cc
index 6a74b6a682a..423b118227d 100644
--- a/src/node_buffer.cc
+++ b/src/node_buffer.cc
@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@ using namespace v8;
 
 
 static Persistent<String> length_symbol;
-static Persistent<String> chars_written_sym;
 static Persistent<String> write_sym;
 static Persistent<Function> fast_buffer_constructor;
 Persistent<FunctionTemplate> Buffer::constructor_template;
@@ -591,8 +590,6 @@ Handle<Value> Buffer::Utf8Write(const Arguments &args) {
   int length = s->Length();
 
   if (length == 0) {
-    constructor_template->GetFunction()->Set(chars_written_sym,
-                                             Integer::New(0, node_isolate));
     return scope.Close(Integer::New(0, node_isolate));
   }
 
@@ -614,10 +611,6 @@ Handle<Value> Buffer::Utf8Write(const Arguments &args) {
                              (String::HINT_MANY_WRITES_EXPECTED |
                               String::NO_NULL_TERMINATION));
 
-  constructor_template->GetFunction()->Set(chars_written_sym,
-                                           Integer::New(char_written,
-                                                        node_isolate));
-
   return scope.Close(Integer::New(written, node_isolate));
 }
 
@@ -652,9 +645,6 @@ Handle<Value> Buffer::Ucs2Write(const Arguments &args) {
                          (String::HINT_MANY_WRITES_EXPECTED |
                           String::NO_NULL_TERMINATION));
 
-  constructor_template->GetFunction()->Set(chars_written_sym,
-                                           Integer::New(written, node_isolate));
-
   return scope.Close(Integer::New(written * 2, node_isolate));
 }
 
@@ -687,7 +677,6 @@ Handle<Value> Buffer::HexWrite(const Arguments& args) {
 
   if (start >= parent->length_) {
     Local<Integer> val = Integer::New(0, node_isolate);
-    constructor_template->GetFunction()->Set(chars_written_sym, val);
     return scope.Close(val);
   }
 
@@ -698,7 +687,6 @@ Handle<Value> Buffer::HexWrite(const Arguments& args) {
 
   if (size == 0) {
     Local<Integer> val = Integer::New(0, node_isolate);
-    constructor_template->GetFunction()->Set(chars_written_sym, val);
     return scope.Close(val);
   }
 
@@ -718,9 +706,6 @@ Handle<Value> Buffer::HexWrite(const Arguments& args) {
     dst[i] = a * 16 + b;
   }
 
-  constructor_template->GetFunction()->Set(chars_written_sym,
-                                           Integer::New(max * 2, node_isolate));
-
   return scope.Close(Integer::New(max, node_isolate));
 }
 
@@ -755,9 +740,6 @@ Handle<Value> Buffer::AsciiWrite(const Arguments &args) {
                                 (String::HINT_MANY_WRITES_EXPECTED |
                                  String::NO_NULL_TERMINATION));
 
-  constructor_template->GetFunction()->Set(chars_written_sym,
-                                           Integer::New(written, node_isolate));
-
   return scope.Close(Integer::New(written, node_isolate));
 }
 
@@ -818,10 +800,6 @@ Handle<Value> Buffer::Base64Write(const Arguments &args) {
     *dst++ = ((c & 0x03) << 6) | (d & 0x3F);
   }
 
-  constructor_template->GetFunction()->Set(chars_written_sym,
-                                           Integer::New(dst - start,
-                                                        node_isolate));
-
   return scope.Close(Integer::New(dst - start, node_isolate));
 }
 
@@ -851,9 +829,6 @@ Handle<Value> Buffer::BinaryWrite(const Arguments &args) {
 
   int written = DecodeWrite(p, max_length, s, BINARY);
 
-  constructor_template->GetFunction()->Set(chars_written_sym,
-                                           Integer::New(written, node_isolate));
-
   return scope.Close(Integer::New(written, node_isolate));
 }
 
@@ -1118,7 +1093,6 @@ void Buffer::Initialize(Handle<Object> target) {
   assert(unbase64('\r') == -2);
 
   length_symbol = NODE_PSYMBOL("length");
-  chars_written_sym = NODE_PSYMBOL("_charsWritten");
 
   Local<FunctionTemplate> t = FunctionTemplate::New(Buffer::New);
   constructor_template = Persistent<FunctionTemplate>::New(node_isolate, t);
diff --git a/test/simple/test-buffer.js b/test/simple/test-buffer.js
index b0ab6ed53c7..6962c75c4c5 100644
--- a/test/simple/test-buffer.js
+++ b/test/simple/test-buffer.js
@@ -336,11 +336,8 @@ assert.deepEqual(f, new Buffer([252, 98, 101, 114]));
   var f = new Buffer([0, 0, 0, 0, 0]);
   assert.equal(f.length, 5);
   var size = f.write('あいうえお', encoding);
-  var charsWritten = Buffer._charsWritten; // Copy value out.
   console.error('bytes written to buffer: %d     (should be 4)', size);
-  console.error('chars written to buffer: %d     (should be 2)', charsWritten);
   assert.equal(size, 4);
-  assert.equal(charsWritten, 2);
   assert.deepEqual(f, new Buffer([0x42, 0x30, 0x44, 0x30, 0x00]));
 });
 
@@ -788,23 +785,6 @@ written = sub.write('12345', 'binary');
 assert.equal(written, 4);
 assert.equal(buf[4], 0);
 
-// test for _charsWritten
-buf = new Buffer(9);
-buf.write('あいうえ', 'utf8'); // 3bytes * 4
-assert.equal(Buffer._charsWritten, 3);
-['ucs2', 'ucs-2', 'utf16le', 'utf-16le'].forEach(function(encoding) {
-  buf.write('あいうえお', encoding); // 2bytes * 5
-  assert.equal(Buffer._charsWritten, 4);
-});
-buf.write('0123456789', 'ascii');
-assert.equal(Buffer._charsWritten, 9);
-buf.write('0123456789', 'binary');
-assert.equal(Buffer._charsWritten, 9);
-buf.write('123456', 'base64');
-assert.equal(Buffer._charsWritten, 4);
-buf.write('00010203040506070809', 'hex');
-assert.equal(Buffer._charsWritten, 18);
-
 // Check for fractional length args, junk length args, etc.
 // https://github.com/joyent/node/issues/1758
 Buffer(3.3).toString(); // throws bad argument error in commit 43cb4ec