diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1715cbf..1e986ca 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ table users (
 id         bigint       primary-key auto-increment
 username   varchar(64)  not-null indexed
 bio        text         nullable
-created_at timestamp    not-null default("NOW()")
+created_at timestamp    not-null default(NOW())
 ```
 
 A `#` comment on the line immediately above a column is rendered as the column's annotation in the diagram.
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ A `#` comment on the line immediately above a column is rendered as the column's
 | `not-null` | Column must not contain NULL values. |
 | `nullable` | Column explicitly allows NULL values. |
 | `indexed` | Column has a database index. |
-| `default("<value>")` | Specifies a default value expression. |
+| `default(<value>)` | Specifies a default value expression. |
 
 > `nullable` and `not-null` are mutually exclusive on the same column.
 
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ table posts (
   body      text         not-null
   # draft, published, archived
   status    varchar(32)  not-null default("draft")
-  created_at timestamp   not-null default("NOW()")
+  created_at timestamp   not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 # An author can write many posts
diff --git a/examples/advanced.erdn b/examples/advanced.erdn
index 030b782..022c653 100644
--- a/examples/advanced.erdn
+++ b/examples/advanced.erdn
@@ -45,8 +45,8 @@ table tasks (
   #   blocked     – waiting on an external dependency
   #   cancelled   – will not be completed
   status varchar(32) not-null default("pending")
-  created_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
-  updated_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  created_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
+  updated_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 // ── Relationship 3: between two tables declared later ────────
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ table projects (
   description text nullable
   # Lifecycle state: active / archived / deleted
   status varchar(32) not-null default("active")
-  created_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  created_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 // ── users table – declared last ──────────────────────────────
@@ -90,5 +90,5 @@ table users (
   password_hash varchar(255) not-null
   # Account state: active / suspended / deleted
   status varchar(16) not-null default("active")
-  created_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  created_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
diff --git a/examples/blog.erdn b/examples/blog.erdn
index d0708cf..bd0500c 100644
--- a/examples/blog.erdn
+++ b/examples/blog.erdn
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ table authors (
   avatar_url varchar(1024) nullable
   # admin, editor, contributor, subscriber
   role varchar(32) not-null default("contributor")
-  created_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
-  updated_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  created_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
+  updated_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -61,8 +61,8 @@ table posts (
   status varchar(32) not-null default("draft")
   # NULL until first published
   published_at timestamp nullable
-  created_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
-  updated_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  created_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
+  updated_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 table post_tags (
@@ -86,8 +86,8 @@ table comments (
   body text not-null
   # pending, approved, spam, deleted
   status varchar(32) not-null default("pending")
-  created_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
-  updated_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  created_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
+  updated_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ table media (
   size_bytes bigint not-null
   # Descriptive alt text for accessibility
   alt_text varchar(512) nullable
-  created_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  created_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ table subscriptions (
   author_id bigint nullable indexed
   # active, unsubscribed, bounced
   status varchar(32) not-null default("active")
-  subscribed_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  subscribed_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
   unsubscribed_at timestamp nullable
 )
 
diff --git a/examples/cjk.erdn b/examples/cjk.erdn
index 78f7c7f..fcde974 100644
--- a/examples/cjk.erdn
+++ b/examples/cjk.erdn
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ table 用户 (
   密码哈希 varchar(255) not-null
   # 账号状态：active-活跃 / suspended-暂停 / deleted-已删除
   状態 varchar(16) not-null default("active")
-  注册时间 timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
-  更新时间 timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  注册时间 timestamp not-null default(NOW())
+  更新时间 timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ table 文章 (
   # 发布状态：draft-草稿 / published-已发布 / archived-已归档
   状态 varchar(32) not-null default("draft")
   发布时间 timestamp nullable
-  创建时间 timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  创建时间 timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 # 评论表
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ table 评论 (
   # NULL 表示顶层评论；非 NULL 则指向父评论
   父评论ID bigint nullable indexed
   评论内容 text not-null
-  创建时间 timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  创建时间 timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -73,8 +73,8 @@ table 記事 (
   本文 text not-null
   # 公開ステータス: draft / published / archived
   ステータス varchar(32) not-null default("draft")
-  作成日時 timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
-  更新日時 timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  作成日時 timestamp not-null default(NOW())
+  更新日時 timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 # コメントテーブル
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ table コメント (
   # NULL なら最上位コメント、非 NULL なら返信コメント
   親コメントID bigint nullable indexed
   本文 text not-null
-  作成日時 timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  作成日時 timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -107,8 +107,8 @@ table 게시물 (
   본문 text not-null
   # 상태: draft / published / archived
   상태 varchar(32) not-null default("draft")
-  생성일시 timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
-  수정일시 timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  생성일시 timestamp not-null default(NOW())
+  수정일시 timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 # 댓글 테이블
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ table 댓글 (
   # NULL이면 최상위 댓글, 아니면 대댓글
   부모댓글ID bigint nullable indexed
   내용 text not-null
-  생성일시 timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  생성일시 timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/examples/ecommerce.erdn b/examples/ecommerce.erdn
index 9147639..800c3e7 100644
--- a/examples/ecommerce.erdn
+++ b/examples/ecommerce.erdn
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ table users (
   # Account state: active, suspended, deleted
   status varchar(16) not-null default("active")
   email_verified_at timestamp nullable
-  created_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
-  updated_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  created_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
+  updated_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ table addresses (
   postal_code varchar(32) not-null
   country_code char(2) not-null default("US")
   is_default bool not-null default("false")
-  created_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  created_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -67,8 +67,8 @@ table products (
   # Current stock on hand; goes negative when oversold
   stock_qty int not-null default("0")
   is_active bool not-null default("true")
-  created_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
-  updated_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  created_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
+  updated_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -86,8 +86,8 @@ table orders (
   total_cents int not-null
   currency char(3) not-null default("USD")
   notes text nullable
-  placed_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
-  updated_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  placed_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
+  updated_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 table order_items (
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ table payments (
   # stripe, paypal, braintree, etc.
   provider varchar(64) not-null
   paid_at timestamp nullable
-  created_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  created_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ table reviews (
   headline varchar(255) nullable
   body text nullable
   # Prevent duplicate reviews by same user on same product
-  created_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  created_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ table wishlists (
   id bigint primary-key auto-increment
   user_id bigint not-null indexed
   product_id bigint not-null indexed
-  added_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  added_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/examples/simple.erdn b/examples/simple.erdn
index cfb08c0..c6cd490 100644
--- a/examples/simple.erdn
+++ b/examples/simple.erdn
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ table users (
   username varchar(255) indexed not-null
   email varchar(255) indexed not-null
   bio text nullable
-  created_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  created_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 table posts (
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ table posts (
   title varchar(255) not-null
   body text nullable
   author_id bigint not-null indexed
-  created_at timestamp not-null default("NOW()")
+  created_at timestamp not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 # User has many posts
diff --git a/internal/parser/parser.go b/internal/parser/parser.go
index c72642f..c444a9a 100644
--- a/internal/parser/parser.go
+++ b/internal/parser/parser.go
@@ -229,11 +229,20 @@ func (p *parser) parseModifier() (ast.Modifier, error) {
 		var valStr string
 		switch val.Type {
 		case lexer.TOKEN_STRING:
-			valStr = val.Value
+			valStr = `"` + val.Value + `"`
 		case lexer.TOKEN_NUMBER:
 			valStr = val.Value
 		case lexer.TOKEN_IDENT:
-			valStr = val.Value
+			// Check for function-call syntax: IDENT()
+			if p.peek().Type == lexer.TOKEN_LPAREN {
+				p.advance() // consume (
+				if _, err := p.expect(lexer.TOKEN_RPAREN); err != nil {
+					return ast.Modifier{}, err
+				}
+				valStr = val.Value + "()"
+			} else {
+				valStr = val.Value
+			}
 		default:
 			return ast.Modifier{}, fmt.Errorf("line %d col %d: expected default value, got %q", val.Line, val.Col, val.Value)
 		}
diff --git a/internal/parser/parser_test.go b/internal/parser/parser_test.go
index 31adc58..59a61c5 100644
--- a/internal/parser/parser_test.go
+++ b/internal/parser/parser_test.go
@@ -73,8 +73,25 @@ func TestParseDefaultModifier(t *testing.T) {
 	if len(col.Modifiers) != 1 || col.Modifiers[0].Kind != ast.ModDefault {
 		t.Errorf("expected default modifier")
 	}
-	if col.Modifiers[0].Value != "Untitled" {
-		t.Errorf("expected default value 'Untitled', got %q", col.Modifiers[0].Value)
+	if col.Modifiers[0].Value != `"Untitled"` {
+		t.Errorf(`expected default value '"Untitled"', got %q`, col.Modifiers[0].Value)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParseDefaultFunctionCall(t *testing.T) {
+	src := `table t (
+  created_at timestamp default(NOW())
+)`
+	prog, err := ParseString(src)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("parse error: %v", err)
+	}
+	col := prog.Tables[0].Columns[0]
+	if len(col.Modifiers) != 1 || col.Modifiers[0].Kind != ast.ModDefault {
+		t.Errorf("expected default modifier")
+	}
+	if col.Modifiers[0].Value != "NOW()" {
+		t.Errorf("expected default value 'NOW()', got %q", col.Modifiers[0].Value)
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/website/guide.md b/website/guide.md
index 5d23dc7..083351f 100644
--- a/website/guide.md
+++ b/website/guide.md
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ table posts (
   body      text         not-null
   # draft, published, archived
   status    varchar(32)  not-null default("draft")
-  created_at timestamp   not-null default("NOW()")
+  created_at timestamp   not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 # An author can write many posts
diff --git a/website/syntax.md b/website/syntax.md
index 17884e0..641e078 100644
--- a/website/syntax.md
+++ b/website/syntax.md
@@ -144,13 +144,13 @@ Zero or more modifiers may follow the type (and type parameters) on the same lin
 The `default` modifier requires a parenthesized value:
 
 ```
-default("NOW()")
+default(NOW())
 default("draft")
 default(0)
 default(active)
 ```
 
-The value inside parentheses may be a **string literal** (double-quoted), a **number**, or an **identifier**.
+The value inside parentheses may be a **string literal** (double-quoted), a **number**, an **identifier**, or a **function call** (e.g. `NOW()`).
 
 ### Modifier Ordering
 
@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@ table posts (
   body      text         not-null
   # draft, published, archived
   status    varchar(32)  not-null default("draft")
-  created_at timestamp   not-null default("NOW()")
+  created_at timestamp   not-null default(NOW())
 )
 
 # An author can write many posts