diff --git a/benches/main.rs b/benches/main.rs
index ff1a78364..a17ba09ca 100644
--- a/benches/main.rs
+++ b/benches/main.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ extern crate test;
 use test::{black_box, Bencher};
 
 use pyo3::prelude::*;
-use pyo3::types::PyDict;
+use pyo3::types::{PyDict, PyString};
 
 use _pydantic_core::SchemaValidator;
 
@@ -14,17 +14,21 @@ fn build_schema_validator(py: Python, code: &str) -> SchemaValidator {
     SchemaValidator::py_new(py, schema).unwrap()
 }
 
+fn json<'a>(py: Python<'a>, code: &'a str) -> &'a PyAny {
+    black_box(PyString::new(py, code))
+}
+
 #[bench]
 fn ints_json(bench: &mut Bencher) {
     let gil = Python::acquire_gil();
     let py = gil.python();
     let validator = build_schema_validator(py, "{'type': 'int'}");
 
-    let result = validator.validate_json(py, black_box("123".to_string())).unwrap();
+    let result = validator.validate_json(py, json(py, "123")).unwrap();
     let result_int: i64 = result.extract(py).unwrap();
     assert_eq!(result_int, 123);
 
-    bench.iter(|| black_box(validator.validate_json(py, black_box("123".to_string())).unwrap()))
+    bench.iter(|| black_box(validator.validate_json(py, json(py, "123")).unwrap()))
 }
 
 #[bench]
@@ -53,10 +57,7 @@ fn list_int_json(bench: &mut Bencher) {
         (0..100).map(|x| x.to_string()).collect::<Vec<String>>().join(",")
     );
 
-    bench.iter(|| {
-        let input = black_box(code.clone());
-        black_box(validator.validate_json(py, input).unwrap())
-    })
+    bench.iter(|| black_box(validator.validate_json(py, json(py, &code)).unwrap()))
 }
 
 fn list_int_input(py: Python<'_>) -> (SchemaValidator, PyObject) {
@@ -110,8 +111,7 @@ fn list_error_json(bench: &mut Bencher) {
             .join(", ")
     );
 
-    let input = black_box(code.clone());
-    match validator.validate_json(py, input) {
+    match validator.validate_json(py, json(py, &code)) {
         Ok(_) => panic!("unexpectedly valid"),
         Err(e) => {
             let v = e.value(py);
@@ -122,12 +122,9 @@ fn list_error_json(bench: &mut Bencher) {
         }
     };
 
-    bench.iter(|| {
-        let input = black_box(code.clone());
-        match validator.validate_json(py, input) {
-            Ok(_) => panic!("unexpectedly valid"),
-            Err(e) => black_box(e),
-        }
+    bench.iter(|| match validator.validate_json(py, json(py, &code)) {
+        Ok(_) => panic!("unexpectedly valid"),
+        Err(e) => black_box(e),
     })
 }
 
@@ -197,10 +194,7 @@ fn list_any_json(bench: &mut Bencher) {
         (0..100).map(|x| x.to_string()).collect::<Vec<String>>().join(",")
     );
 
-    bench.iter(|| {
-        let input = black_box(code.clone());
-        black_box(validator.validate_json(py, input).unwrap())
-    })
+    bench.iter(|| black_box(validator.validate_json(py, json(py, &code)).unwrap()))
 }
 
 #[bench]
@@ -242,10 +236,7 @@ fn dict_json(bench: &mut Bencher) {
             .join(", ")
     );
 
-    bench.iter(|| {
-        let input = black_box(code.to_string());
-        black_box(validator.validate_json(py, input).unwrap())
-    })
+    bench.iter(|| black_box(validator.validate_json(py, json(py, &code)).unwrap()))
 }
 
 #[bench]
@@ -343,10 +334,7 @@ fn typed_dict_json(bench: &mut Bencher) {
 
     let code = r#"{"a": 1, "b": 2, "c": 3, "d": 4, "e": 5, "f": 6, "g": 7, "h": 8, "i": 9, "j": 0}"#.to_string();
 
-    bench.iter(|| {
-        let input = black_box(code.clone());
-        black_box(validator.validate_json(py, input).unwrap())
-    })
+    bench.iter(|| black_box(validator.validate_json(py, json(py, &code)).unwrap()))
 }
 
 #[bench]
diff --git a/pydantic_core/_pydantic_core.pyi b/pydantic_core/_pydantic_core.pyi
index 7eb75e44e..21bc10a39 100644
--- a/pydantic_core/_pydantic_core.pyi
+++ b/pydantic_core/_pydantic_core.pyi
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-from typing import Any, Dict, List
+from typing import Any, Dict, List, Union
 
 from pydantic_core._types import Schema
 
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ class SchemaValidator:
     def __init__(self, schema: Schema) -> None: ...
     def validate_python(self, input: Any) -> Any: ...
     def isinstance_python(self, input: Any) -> bool: ...
-    def validate_json(self, input: str) -> Any: ...
-    def isinstance_json(self, input: str) -> bool: ...
+    def validate_json(self, input: Union[str, bytes, bytearray]) -> Any: ...
+    def isinstance_json(self, input: Union[str, bytes, bytearray]) -> bool: ...
     def validate_assignment(self, field: str, input: Any, data: Dict[str, Any]) -> Dict[str, Any]: ...
 
 class SchemaError(ValueError):
diff --git a/src/input/input_python.rs b/src/input/input_python.rs
index 9a48f2f22..d228f15d8 100644
--- a/src/input/input_python.rs
+++ b/src/input/input_python.rs
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ use std::str::from_utf8;
 use pyo3::exceptions::{PyAttributeError, PyTypeError};
 use pyo3::prelude::*;
 use pyo3::types::{
-    PyBool, PyBytes, PyDate, PyDateTime, PyDict, PyFrozenSet, PyInt, PyList, PyMapping, PySequence, PySet, PyString,
-    PyTime, PyTuple, PyType,
+    PyBool, PyByteArray, PyBytes, PyDate, PyDateTime, PyDict, PyFrozenSet, PyInt, PyList, PyMapping, PySequence, PySet,
+    PyString, PyTime, PyTuple, PyType,
 };
 use pyo3::{intern, AsPyPointer};
 
@@ -60,6 +60,12 @@ impl<'a> Input<'a> for PyAny {
                 Err(_) => return Err(ValError::new(ErrorKind::StrUnicode, self)),
             };
             Ok(str.into())
+        } else if let Ok(py_byte_array) = self.cast_as::<PyByteArray>() {
+            let str = match from_utf8(unsafe { py_byte_array.as_bytes() }) {
+                Ok(s) => s,
+                Err(_) => return Err(ValError::new(ErrorKind::StrUnicode, self)),
+            };
+            Ok(str.into())
         } else if self.cast_as::<PyBool>().is_ok() {
             // do this before int and float parsing as `False` is cast to `0` and we don't want False to
             // be returned as a string
@@ -270,6 +276,8 @@ impl<'a> Input<'a> for PyAny {
         } else if let Ok(py_str) = self.cast_as::<PyString>() {
             let string = py_str.to_string_lossy().to_string();
             Ok(string.into_bytes().into())
+        } else if let Ok(py_byte_array) = self.cast_as::<PyByteArray>() {
+            Ok(py_byte_array.to_vec().into())
         } else {
             Err(ValError::new(ErrorKind::BytesType, self))
         }
diff --git a/src/validators/mod.rs b/src/validators/mod.rs
index 0aea74849..acf13fdd5 100644
--- a/src/validators/mod.rs
+++ b/src/validators/mod.rs
@@ -2,10 +2,9 @@ use std::fmt::Debug;
 
 use enum_dispatch::enum_dispatch;
 
-use pyo3::exceptions::PyRecursionError;
+use pyo3::exceptions::{PyRecursionError, PyTypeError};
 use pyo3::prelude::*;
-use pyo3::types::{PyAny, PyDict};
-use serde_json::from_str as parse_json;
+use pyo3::types::{PyAny, PyByteArray, PyBytes, PyDict, PyString};
 
 use crate::build_tools::{py_error, SchemaDict, SchemaError};
 use crate::errors::{ErrorKind, ValError, ValLineError, ValResult, ValidationError};
@@ -99,8 +98,8 @@ impl SchemaValidator {
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn validate_json(&self, py: Python, input: String) -> PyResult<PyObject> {
-        match parse_json::<JsonInput>(&input) {
+    pub fn validate_json(&self, py: Python, input: &PyAny) -> PyResult<PyObject> {
+        match parse_json(input)? {
             Ok(input) => {
                 let r = self.validator.validate(
                     py,
@@ -112,15 +111,15 @@ impl SchemaValidator {
                 r.map_err(|e| self.prepare_validation_err(py, e))
             }
             Err(e) => {
-                let line_err = ValLineError::new(ErrorKind::InvalidJson { error: e.to_string() }, &input);
+                let line_err = ValLineError::new(ErrorKind::InvalidJson { error: e.to_string() }, input);
                 let err = ValError::LineErrors(vec![line_err]);
                 Err(self.prepare_validation_err(py, err))
             }
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn isinstance_json(&self, py: Python, input: String) -> PyResult<bool> {
-        match parse_json::<JsonInput>(&input) {
+    pub fn isinstance_json(&self, py: Python, input: &PyAny) -> PyResult<bool> {
+        match parse_json(input)? {
             Ok(input) => {
                 match self.validator.validate(
                     py,
@@ -164,6 +163,20 @@ impl SchemaValidator {
     }
 }
 
+fn parse_json(input: &PyAny) -> PyResult<serde_json::Result<JsonInput>> {
+    if let Ok(py_bytes) = input.cast_as::<PyBytes>() {
+        Ok(serde_json::from_slice(py_bytes.as_bytes()))
+    } else if let Ok(py_str) = input.cast_as::<PyString>() {
+        let str = py_str.to_str()?;
+        Ok(serde_json::from_str(str))
+    } else if let Ok(py_byte_array) = input.cast_as::<PyByteArray>() {
+        Ok(serde_json::from_slice(unsafe { py_byte_array.as_bytes() }))
+    } else {
+        let input_type = input.get_type().name().unwrap_or("unknown");
+        py_error!(PyTypeError; "JSON input must be str, bytes or bytearray, not {}", input_type)
+    }
+}
+
 pub trait BuildValidator: Sized {
     const EXPECTED_TYPE: &'static str;
 
diff --git a/tests/test_json.py b/tests/test_json.py
index a136deddc..ff6a4e526 100644
--- a/tests/test_json.py
+++ b/tests/test_json.py
@@ -12,6 +12,18 @@ def test_bool(input_value, output_value):
     assert v.validate_json(input_value) == output_value
 
 
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('input_value', ['[1, 2, 3]', b'[1, 2, 3]', bytearray(b'[1, 2, 3]')])
+def test_input_types(input_value):
+    v = SchemaValidator({'type': 'list', 'items_schema': {'type': 'int'}})
+    assert v.validate_json(input_value) == [1, 2, 3]
+
+
+def test_input_type_invalid():
+    v = SchemaValidator({'type': 'list', 'items_schema': {'type': 'int'}})
+    with pytest.raises(TypeError, match='^JSON input must be str, bytes or bytearray, not list$'):
+        v.validate_json([])
+
+
 def test_null():
     assert SchemaValidator({'type': 'none'}).validate_json('null') is None
 
diff --git a/tests/validators/test_bytes.py b/tests/validators/test_bytes.py
index cd216ea15..41cefa6ac 100644
--- a/tests/validators/test_bytes.py
+++ b/tests/validators/test_bytes.py
@@ -14,7 +14,9 @@ def test_strict_bytes_validator():
     assert v.validate_json('"foo"') == b'foo'
 
     with pytest.raises(ValidationError, match='Value must be a valid bytes'):
-        assert v.validate_python('foo') == b'foo'
+        v.validate_python('foo')
+    with pytest.raises(ValidationError, match='Value must be a valid bytes'):
+        v.validate_python(bytearray(b'foo'))
 
 
 def test_lax_bytes_validator():
@@ -22,6 +24,7 @@ def test_lax_bytes_validator():
 
     assert v.validate_python(b'foo') == b'foo'
     assert v.validate_python('foo') == b'foo'
+    assert v.validate_python(bytearray(b'foo')) == b'foo'
 
     assert v.validate_json('"foo"') == b'foo'
 
diff --git a/tests/validators/test_string.py b/tests/validators/test_string.py
index 8123af827..f802bde10 100644
--- a/tests/validators/test_string.py
+++ b/tests/validators/test_string.py
@@ -41,7 +41,12 @@ def test_str(py_or_json, input_value, expected):
     [
         ('foobar', 'foobar'),
         (b'foobar', 'foobar'),
+        (bytearray(b'foobar'), 'foobar'),
         (b'\x81', Err('Value must be a valid string, unable to parse raw data as a unicode string [kind=str_unicode')),
+        (
+            bytearray(b'\x81'),
+            Err('Value must be a valid string, unable to parse raw data as a unicode string [kind=str_unicode'),
+        ),
         # null bytes are very annoying, but we can't really block them here
         (b'\x00', '\x00'),
         (123, '123'),