diff --git a/.changeset/sweet-games-build.md b/.changeset/sweet-games-build.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a71e3de25
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/sweet-games-build.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'mermaid': patch
+---
+
+fix(er-diagram): prevent syntax error when using 'u', numbers, and decimals in node names
diff --git a/cypress/integration/rendering/erDiagram.spec.js b/cypress/integration/rendering/erDiagram.spec.js
index 8f6193f96..b9c8bbbf4 100644
--- a/cypress/integration/rendering/erDiagram.spec.js
+++ b/cypress/integration/rendering/erDiagram.spec.js
@@ -369,4 +369,92 @@ ORDER ||--|{ LINE-ITEM : contains
       );
     });
   });
+
+  describe('Special characters and numbers syntax', () => {
+    it('should render ER diagram with numeric entity names', () => {
+      imgSnapshotTest(
+        `
+        erDiagram
+          1 ||--|| ORDER : places
+          ORDER ||--|{ 2 : contains
+          2 ||--o{ 3.5 : references
+        `,
+        { logLevel: 1 }
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('should render ER diagram with "u" character in entity names and cardinality', () => {
+      imgSnapshotTest(
+        `
+        erDiagram
+          CUSTOMER ||--|| u : has
+          u ||--|| ORDER : places
+          PROJECT u--o{ TEAM_MEMBER : "parent"
+        `,
+        { logLevel: 1 }
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('should render ER diagram with decimal numbers in relationships', () => {
+      imgSnapshotTest(
+        `
+        erDiagram
+          2.5 ||--|| 1.5 : has
+          CUSTOMER ||--o{ 3.14 : references
+          1.0 ||--|{ ORDER : contains
+        `,
+        { logLevel: 1 }
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('should render ER diagram with numeric entity names and attributes', () => {
+      imgSnapshotTest(
+        `
+        erDiagram
+          1 {
+            string name
+            int value
+          }
+          1 ||--|| ORDER : places
+          ORDER {
+            float price
+            string description
+          }
+        `,
+        { logLevel: 1 }
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('should render complex ER diagram with mixed special entity names', () => {
+      imgSnapshotTest(
+        `
+        erDiagram
+          CUSTOMER ||--o{ 1 : places
+          1 ||--|{ u : contains
+          1.5
+          u ||--|| 2.5 : processes
+          2.5 {
+            string id
+            float value
+          }
+          u {
+            varchar(50) name
+            int count
+          }
+        `,
+        { logLevel: 1 }
+      );
+    });
+    it('should render ER diagram with numeric entity names and attributes', () => {
+      imgSnapshotTest(
+        `erDiagram
+         PRODUCT ||--o{ ORDER-ITEM : has
+         1.5
+         u
+         1
+        `,
+        { logLevel: 1 }
+      );
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/er/parser/erDiagram.jison b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/er/parser/erDiagram.jison
index 2b59309fb..f581c6777 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/er/parser/erDiagram.jison
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/er/parser/erDiagram.jison
@@ -66,12 +66,15 @@ accDescr\s*"{"\s*                                { this.begin("acc_descr_multili
 \}\|                            return 'ONE_OR_MORE';
 "one"                           return 'ONLY_ONE';
 "only one"                      return 'ONLY_ONE';
-"1"                             return 'ONLY_ONE';
+[0-9]+\.[0-9]+                  return 'DECIMAL_NUM';
+"1"(?=\s+[A-Za-z_"'])           return 'ONLY_ONE';
+"1"                             return 'ENTITY_ONE';
+[0-9]+                          return 'NUM';
 \|\|                            return 'ONLY_ONE';
 o\|                             return 'ZERO_OR_ONE';
 o\{                             return 'ZERO_OR_MORE';
 \|\{                            return 'ONE_OR_MORE';
-\s*u                            return 'MD_PARENT';
+u(?=[\.\-\|])                   return 'MD_PARENT';
 \.\.                            return 'NON_IDENTIFYING';
 \-\-                            return 'IDENTIFYING';
 "to"                            return 'IDENTIFYING';
@@ -80,13 +83,15 @@ o\{                             return 'ZERO_OR_MORE';
 \-\.                            return 'NON_IDENTIFYING';
 <style>([^\x00-\x7F]|\w|\-|\*)+ return 'STYLE_TEXT';
 <style>';'                      return 'SEMI';
-([^\x00-\x7F]|\w|\-|\*)+        return 'UNICODE_TEXT';
-[0-9]                           return 'NUM';
+([^\x00-\x7F]|\w|\-|\*|\.)+      return 'UNICODE_TEXT';
 .                               return yytext[0];
 <<EOF>>                         return 'EOF';
 
 /lex
 
+%left 'ONLY_ONE'
+%left 'ZERO_OR_ONE' 'ZERO_OR_MORE' 'ONE_OR_MORE' 'MD_PARENT'
+
 %start start
 %% /* language grammar */
 
@@ -228,6 +233,9 @@ styleComponent: STYLE_TEXT | NUM | COLON | BRKT;
 entityName
     : 'ENTITY_NAME'      { $$ = $1.replace(/"/g, ''); }
     | 'UNICODE_TEXT' { $$ = $1; }
+    | 'NUM' { $$ = $1; }
+    | 'DECIMAL_NUM' { $$ = $1; }
+    | 'ENTITY_ONE' { $$ = $1; }
     ;
 
 attributes
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/er/parser/erDiagram.spec.js b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/er/parser/erDiagram.spec.js
index fd1d2a9e5..05948988d 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/er/parser/erDiagram.spec.js
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/er/parser/erDiagram.spec.js
@@ -1001,4 +1001,90 @@ describe('when parsing ER diagram it...', function () {
       }
     );
   });
+
+  describe('syntax fixes for special characters and numbers', function () {
+    describe('standalone entity names', function () {
+      it('should allow number "1" as standalone entity', function () {
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(`erDiagram\nCUSTOMER }|..|{ DELIVERY-ADDRESS : has\n1`);
+      });
+
+      it('should allow character "u" as standalone entity', function () {
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(`erDiagram\nCUSTOMER }|..|{ DELIVERY-ADDRESS : has\nu`);
+      });
+
+      it('should allow decimal numbers as standalone entities', function () {
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(`erDiagram\nCUSTOMER }|..|{ DELIVERY-ADDRESS : has\n2.5`);
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(`erDiagram\nCUSTOMER }|..|{ DELIVERY-ADDRESS : has\n1.5`);
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(`erDiagram\nCUSTOMER }|..|{ DELIVERY-ADDRESS : has\n0.1`);
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(`erDiagram\nCUSTOMER }|..|{ DELIVERY-ADDRESS : has\n99.99`);
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('entity names with attributes', function () {
+      it('should allow "u" as entity name with attributes', function () {
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(`erDiagram\nu {\nstring name\nint id\n}`);
+      });
+
+      it('should allow number "1" as entity name with attributes', function () {
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(`erDiagram\n1 {\nstring name\nint id\n}`);
+      });
+
+      it('should allow decimal numbers as entity names with attributes', function () {
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(`erDiagram\n2.5 {\nstring name\nint id\n}`);
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(`erDiagram\n1.5 {\nstring value\n}`);
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('entity names in relationships', function () {
+      it('should allow "u" in relationships', function () {
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(`erDiagram\nCUSTOMER ||--|| u : has`);
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(`erDiagram\nu ||--|| ORDER : places`);
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(`erDiagram\nu ||--|| v : connects`);
+      });
+
+      it('should allow numbers in relationships', function () {
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(`erDiagram\nCUSTOMER ||--|| 1 : has`);
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(`erDiagram\n1 ||--|| ORDER : places`);
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(`erDiagram\n1 ||--|| 2 : connects`);
+      });
+
+      it('should allow decimal numbers in relationships', function () {
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(`erDiagram\nCUSTOMER ||--|| 2.5 : has`);
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(`erDiagram\n1.5 ||--|| ORDER : places`);
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(`erDiagram\n2.5 ||--|| 5.5 : connects`);
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('mixed scenarios', function () {
+      it('should handle complex diagram with special entity names', function () {
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(
+          `erDiagram
+              CUSTOMER ||--o{ 1 : places
+              1 ||--|{ u : contains
+              u {
+                string name
+                int quantity
+              }
+              "2.5" ||--|| ORDER : processes
+              ORDER {
+                int id
+                date created
+              }
+        `
+        );
+      });
+
+      it('should handle attributes with numbers in names (but not starting)', function () {
+        erDiagram.parser.parse(
+          `erDiagram
+              ENTITY {
+                string name1
+                int value2
+                float point3_5
+              }
+        `
+        );
+      });
+    });
+  });
 });