diff --git a/modules/openapi-generator/src/main/java/org/openapitools/codegen/languages/AbstractTypeScriptClientCodegen.java b/modules/openapi-generator/src/main/java/org/openapitools/codegen/languages/AbstractTypeScriptClientCodegen.java
index 850b3205f26..5a02de72028 100644
--- a/modules/openapi-generator/src/main/java/org/openapitools/codegen/languages/AbstractTypeScriptClientCodegen.java
+++ b/modules/openapi-generator/src/main/java/org/openapitools/codegen/languages/AbstractTypeScriptClientCodegen.java
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@
 package org.openapitools.codegen.languages;
 
 import io.swagger.v3.oas.models.media.ArraySchema;
-import io.swagger.v3.oas.models.media.NumberSchema;
 import io.swagger.v3.oas.models.media.Schema;
 import io.swagger.v3.oas.models.parameters.Parameter;
 import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;
@@ -157,7 +156,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractTypeScriptClientCodegen extends DefaultCodegen imp
     @Override
     public String toVarName(String name) {
         // sanitize name
-        name = sanitizeName(name);
+        name = sanitizeName(name, "\\W-[\\$]");
 
         if ("_".equals(name)) {
             name = "_u";
diff --git a/modules/openapi-generator/src/test/java/org/openapitools/codegen/typescript/typescriptnode/TypeScriptNodeClientCodegenTest.java b/modules/openapi-generator/src/test/java/org/openapitools/codegen/typescript/typescriptnode/TypeScriptNodeClientCodegenTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5183502601f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/openapi-generator/src/test/java/org/openapitools/codegen/typescript/typescriptnode/TypeScriptNodeClientCodegenTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+package org.openapitools.codegen.typescript.typescriptnode;
+
+import org.openapitools.codegen.languages.TypeScriptNodeClientCodegen;
+import org.testng.Assert;
+import org.testng.annotations.Test;
+
+public class TypeScriptNodeClientCodegenTest {
+
+    @Test
+    public void convertVarName() throws Exception {
+       TypeScriptNodeClientCodegen codegen = new TypeScriptNodeClientCodegen();
+       Assert.assertEquals(codegen.toVarName("name"), "name");
+       Assert.assertEquals(codegen.toVarName("$name"), "$name");
+       Assert.assertEquals(codegen.toVarName("nam$$e"), "nam$$e");
+       Assert.assertEquals(codegen.toVarName("user-name"), "userName");
+       Assert.assertEquals(codegen.toVarName("user_name"), "userName");
+       Assert.assertEquals(codegen.toVarName("user|name"), "userName");
+   }
+}