diff --git a/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py b/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py
index cb29e8388d..e2d6cbfc5e 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py
@@ -75,9 +75,12 @@ class DatabaseWrapper(local):
                 'user': settings.DATABASE_USER,
                 'db': settings.DATABASE_NAME,
                 'passwd': settings.DATABASE_PASSWORD,
-                'host': settings.DATABASE_HOST,
                 'conv': django_conversions,
             }
+            if settings.DATABASE_HOST.startswith('/'):
+                kwargs['unix_socket'] = settings.DATABASE_HOST
+            else:
+                kwargs['host'] = settings.DATABASE_HOST
             if settings.DATABASE_PORT:
                 kwargs['port'] = int(settings.DATABASE_PORT)
             self.connection = Database.connect(**kwargs)
diff --git a/docs/settings.txt b/docs/settings.txt
index 9bf49e9969..b90e3b9027 100644
--- a/docs/settings.txt
+++ b/docs/settings.txt
@@ -239,6 +239,14 @@ Default: ``''`` (Empty string)
 Which host to use when connecting to the database. An empty string means
 localhost. Not used with SQLite.
 
+If this value starts with a forward slash (``'/'``) and you're using MySQL,
+MySQL will connect via a Unix socket to the specified socket. For example::
+
+    DATABASE_HOST = '/var/run/mysql'
+
+If you're using MySQL and this value *doesn't* start with a forward slash, then
+this value is assumed to be the host.
+
 DATABASE_NAME
 -------------