diff --git a/qemu/scripts/qapi.py b/qemu/scripts/qapi.py
index cbaf7f64..c502bbce 100644
--- a/qemu/scripts/qapi.py
+++ b/qemu/scripts/qapi.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import re
 from ordereddict import OrderedDict
 import os
 import sys
+import string
 
 builtin_types = {
     'str':      'QTYPE_QSTRING',
@@ -751,6 +752,8 @@ def camel_case(name):
             new_name += ch.lower()
     return new_name
 
+c_var_trans = string.maketrans('.-', '__')
+
 def c_var(name, protect=True):
     # ANSI X3J11/88-090, 3.1.1
     c89_words = set(['auto', 'break', 'case', 'char', 'const', 'continue',
@@ -780,10 +783,10 @@ def c_var(name, protect=True):
     polluted_words = set(['unix', 'errno'])
     if protect and (name in c89_words | c99_words | c11_words | gcc_words | cpp_words | polluted_words):
         return "q_" + name
-    return name.replace('-', '_').lstrip("*")
+    return name.translate(c_var_trans)
 
 def c_fun(name, protect=True):
-    return c_var(name, protect).replace('.', '_')
+    return c_var(name, protect)
 
 def c_list_type(name):
     return '%sList' % name