diff --git a/src/basic/log.c b/src/basic/log.c
index 0486027296..84621932db 100644
--- a/src/basic/log.c
+++ b/src/basic/log.c
@@ -1223,7 +1223,7 @@ int log_syntax_internal(
             log_target == LOG_TARGET_NULL)
                 return -ERRNO_VALUE(error);
 
-        errno = error;
+        errno = ERRNO_VALUE(error);
 
         va_start(ap, format);
         (void) vsnprintf(buffer, sizeof buffer, format, ap);
diff --git a/src/basic/log.h b/src/basic/log.h
index 17438d7ff7..113e0dedee 100644
--- a/src/basic/log.h
+++ b/src/basic/log.h
@@ -308,7 +308,7 @@ int log_syntax_invalid_utf8_internal(
                 int _level = (level), _e = (error);                     \
                 (log_get_max_level() >= LOG_PRI(_level))                \
                         ? log_syntax_internal(unit, _level, config_file, config_line, _e, __FILE__, __LINE__, __func__, __VA_ARGS__) \
-                        : -abs(_e);                                     \
+                        : -ERRNO_VALUE(_e);                             \
         })
 
 #define log_syntax_invalid_utf8(unit, level, config_file, config_line, rvalue) \
diff --git a/src/test/test-log.c b/src/test/test-log.c
index 1e010c08fb..18ef56ac39 100644
--- a/src/test/test-log.c
+++ b/src/test/test-log.c
@@ -59,15 +59,22 @@ static void test_long_lines(void) {
                             "asdfasdf %s asdfasdfa", "foobar");
 }
 
+static void test_log_syntax(void) {
+        assert_se(log_syntax("unit", LOG_ERR, "filename", 10, EINVAL, "EINVAL: %s: %m", "hogehoge") == -EINVAL);
+        assert_se(log_syntax("unit", LOG_ERR, "filename", 10, -ENOENT, "ENOENT: %s: %m", "hogehoge") == -ENOENT);
+        assert_se(log_syntax("unit", LOG_ERR, "filename", 10, SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(ENOTTY), "ENOTTY: %s: %m", "hogehoge") == -ENOTTY);
+}
+
 int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
         int target;
 
-        for (target = 0; target <  _LOG_TARGET_MAX; target++) {
+        for (target = 0; target < _LOG_TARGET_MAX; target++) {
                 log_set_target(target);
                 log_open();
 
                 test_log_struct();
                 test_long_lines();
+                test_log_syntax();
         }
 
         assert_se(log_info_errno(SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(EUCLEAN), "foo") == -EUCLEAN);