diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/i18n/serializers/xliff.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/i18n/serializers/xliff.ts
index 08b0c84fa8..2600af3f7f 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/src/i18n/serializers/xliff.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/src/i18n/serializers/xliff.ts
@@ -139,13 +139,15 @@ class _WriteVisitor implements i18n.Visitor {
   }
 
   visitTagPlaceholder(ph: i18n.TagPlaceholder, context?: any): xml.Node[] {
-    const startTagPh = new xml.Tag(_PLACEHOLDER_TAG, {id: ph.startName, ctype: ph.tag});
+    const ctype = getCtypeForTag(ph.tag);
+
+    const startTagPh = new xml.Tag(_PLACEHOLDER_TAG, {id: ph.startName, ctype});
     if (ph.isVoid) {
       // void tags have no children nor closing tags
       return [startTagPh];
     }
 
-    const closeTagPh = new xml.Tag(_PLACEHOLDER_TAG, {id: ph.closeName, ctype: ph.tag});
+    const closeTagPh = new xml.Tag(_PLACEHOLDER_TAG, {id: ph.closeName, ctype});
 
     return [startTagPh, ...this.serialize(ph.children), closeTagPh];
   }
@@ -289,3 +291,14 @@ class _LoadVisitor implements ml.Visitor {
     this._errors.push(new I18nError(node.sourceSpan, message));
   }
 }
+
+function getCtypeForTag(tag: string): string {
+  switch (tag.toLowerCase()) {
+    case 'br':
+      return 'lb';
+    case 'img':
+      return 'image';
+    default:
+      return `x-${tag}`;
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/modules/@angular/compiler/test/i18n/serializers/xliff_spec.ts b/modules/@angular/compiler/test/i18n/serializers/xliff_spec.ts
index 5d9ea96a3b..a5322f94ff 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/compiler/test/i18n/serializers/xliff_spec.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/compiler/test/i18n/serializers/xliff_spec.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ const HTML = `
 <p i18n-title title="translatable attribute">not translatable</p>
 <p i18n>translatable element <b>with placeholders</b> {{ interpolation}}</p>
 <p i18n="m|d">foo</p>
+<p i18n="ph names"><br><img><div></div></p>
 `;
 
 const WRITE_XLIFF = `<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
@@ -28,7 +29,7 @@ const WRITE_XLIFF = `<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
         <target/>
       </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="ec1d033f2436133c14ab038286c4f5df4697484a" datatype="html">
-        <source>translatable element <x id="START_BOLD_TEXT" ctype="b"/>with placeholders<x id="CLOSE_BOLD_TEXT" ctype="b"/> <x id="INTERPOLATION"/></source>
+        <source>translatable element <x id="START_BOLD_TEXT" ctype="x-b"/>with placeholders<x id="CLOSE_BOLD_TEXT" ctype="x-b"/> <x id="INTERPOLATION"/></source>
         <target/>
       </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="db3e0a6a5a96481f60aec61d98c3eecddef5ac23" datatype="html">
@@ -37,6 +38,11 @@ const WRITE_XLIFF = `<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
         <note priority="1" from="description">d</note>
         <note priority="1" from="meaning">m</note>
       </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="d7fa2d59aaedcaa5309f13028c59af8c85b8c49d" datatype="html">
+        <source><x id="LINE_BREAK" ctype="lb"/><x id="TAG_IMG" ctype="image"/><x id="START_TAG_DIV" ctype="x-div"/><x id="CLOSE_TAG_DIV" ctype="x-div"/></source>
+        <target/>
+        <note priority="1" from="description">ph names</note>
+      </trans-unit>      
     </body>
   </file>
 </xliff>
@@ -52,7 +58,7 @@ const LOAD_XLIFF = `<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
       </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="ec1d033f2436133c14ab038286c4f5df4697484a" datatype="html">
         <source>translatable element <x id="START_BOLD_TEXT" ctype="b"/>with placeholders<x id="CLOSE_BOLD_TEXT" ctype="b"/> <x id="INTERPOLATION"/></source>
-        <target><x id="INTERPOLATION"/> footnemele elbatalsnart <x id="START_BOLD_TEXT" ctype="b"/>sredlohecalp htiw<x id="CLOSE_BOLD_TEXT" ctype="b"/></target>
+        <target><x id="INTERPOLATION"/> footnemele elbatalsnart <x id="START_BOLD_TEXT" ctype="x-b"/>sredlohecalp htiw<x id="CLOSE_BOLD_TEXT" ctype="x-b"/></target>
       </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="db3e0a6a5a96481f60aec61d98c3eecddef5ac23" datatype="html">
         <source>foo</source>
@@ -60,6 +66,11 @@ const LOAD_XLIFF = `<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
         <note priority="1" from="description">d</note>
         <note priority="1" from="meaning">m</note>
       </trans-unit>
+      <trans-unit id="d7fa2d59aaedcaa5309f13028c59af8c85b8c49d" datatype="html">
+        <source><x id="LINE_BREAK" ctype="lb"/><x id="TAG_IMG" ctype="image"/><x id="START_TAG_DIV" ctype="x-div"/><x id="CLOSE_TAG_DIV" ctype="x-div"/></source>
+        <target><x id="START_TAG_DIV" ctype="x-div"/><x id="CLOSE_TAG_DIV" ctype="x-div"/><x id="TAG_IMG" ctype="image"/><x id="LINE_BREAK" ctype="lb"/></target>
+        <note priority="1" from="description">ph names</note>
+      </trans-unit>            
     </body>
   </file>
 </xliff>
@@ -105,6 +116,7 @@ export function main(): void {
           'ec1d033f2436133c14ab038286c4f5df4697484a':
               '{{ interpolation}} footnemele elbatalsnart <b>sredlohecalp htiw</b>',
           'db3e0a6a5a96481f60aec61d98c3eecddef5ac23': 'oof',
+          'd7fa2d59aaedcaa5309f13028c59af8c85b8c49d': '<div></div><img></img><br></br>',
         });
       });
     });