diff --git a/rest_framework/decorators.py b/rest_framework/decorators.py
index 3b572c09e..06d42ec09 100644
--- a/rest_framework/decorators.py
+++ b/rest_framework/decorators.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ There are also various decorators for setting the API policies on function
 based views, as well as the `@action` decorator, which is used to annotate
 methods on viewsets that should be included by routers.
 """
+import asyncio
 import types
 
 from django.forms.utils import pretty_name
@@ -46,11 +47,19 @@ def api_view(http_method_names=None):
         allowed_methods = set(http_method_names) | {'options'}
         WrappedAPIView.http_method_names = [method.lower() for method in allowed_methods]
 
-        def handler(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        def sync_handler(self, *args, **kwargs):
             return func(*args, **kwargs)
 
+        async def async_handler(self, *args, **kwargs):
+            return await func(*args, **kwargs)
+
+        view_is_async = asyncio.iscoroutinefunction(func)
+
         for method in http_method_names:
-            setattr(WrappedAPIView, method.lower(), handler)
+            if view_is_async:
+                setattr(WrappedAPIView, method.lower(), async_handler)
+            else:
+                setattr(WrappedAPIView, method.lower(), sync_handler)
 
         WrappedAPIView.__name__ = func.__name__
         WrappedAPIView.__module__ = func.__module__
diff --git a/rest_framework/views.py b/rest_framework/views.py
index 149ca319f..9bb9a61ac 100644
--- a/rest_framework/views.py
+++ b/rest_framework/views.py
@@ -484,7 +484,7 @@ class APIView(View):
     # be overridden.
     def sync_dispatch(self, request, *args, **kwargs):
         """
-        `.dispatch()` is pretty much the same as Django's regular dispatch,
+        `.sync_dispatch()` is pretty much the same as Django's regular dispatch,
         but with extra hooks for startup, finalize, and exception handling.
         """
         self.args = args
@@ -513,8 +513,9 @@ class APIView(View):
 
     async def async_dispatch(self, request, *args, **kwargs):
         """
-        `.dispatch()` is pretty much the same as Django's regular dispatch,
-        but with extra hooks for startup, finalize, and exception handling.
+        `.async_dispatch()` is pretty much the same as Django's regular dispatch,
+        except for awaiting the handler function and with extra hooks for startup,
+        finalize, and exception handling.
         """
         self.args = args
         self.kwargs = kwargs
@@ -541,6 +542,10 @@ class APIView(View):
         return self.response
 
     def dispatch(self, request, *args, **kwargs):
+        """
+        Dispatch checks if the view is async or not and uses the respective
+        async or sync dispatch method.
+        """
         if hasattr(self, 'view_is_async') and self.view_is_async:
             return self.async_dispatch(request, *args, **kwargs)
         else:
diff --git a/tests/test_views.py b/tests/test_views.py
index d46b71fbb..8aeb7e8a7 100644
--- a/tests/test_views.py
+++ b/tests/test_views.py
@@ -45,6 +45,18 @@ def basic_view(request):
         return Response({'method': 'PATCH', 'data': request.data})
 
 
+@api_view(['GET', 'POST', 'PUT', 'PATCH'])
+async def basic_async_view(request):
+    if request.method == 'GET':
+        return Response({'method': 'GET'})
+    elif request.method == 'POST':
+        return Response({'method': 'POST', 'data': request.data})
+    elif request.method == 'PUT':
+        return Response({'method': 'PUT', 'data': request.data})
+    elif request.method == 'PATCH':
+        return Response({'method': 'PATCH', 'data': request.data})
+
+
 class ErrorView(APIView):
     def get(self, request, *args, **kwargs):
         raise Exception
@@ -173,6 +185,40 @@ class ClassBasedAsyncViewIntegrationTests(TestCase):
         assert sanitise_json_error(response.data) == expected
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(
+    django.VERSION < (4, 1),
+    reason="Async view support requires Django 4.1 or higher",
+)
+class FunctionBasedAsyncViewIntegrationTests(TestCase):
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.view = basic_async_view
+
+    def test_get_succeeds(self):
+        request = factory.get('/')
+        response = async_to_sync(self.view)(request)
+        assert response.status_code == status.HTTP_200_OK
+        assert response.data == {'method': 'GET'}
+
+    def test_post_succeeds(self):
+        request = factory.post('/', {'test': 'foo'})
+        response = async_to_sync(self.view)(request)
+        expected = {
+            'method': 'POST',
+            'data': {'test': ['foo']}
+        }
+        assert response.status_code == status.HTTP_200_OK
+        assert response.data == expected
+
+    def test_400_parse_error(self):
+        request = factory.post('/', 'f00bar', content_type='application/json')
+        response = async_to_sync(self.view)(request)
+        expected = {
+            'detail': JSON_ERROR
+        }
+        assert response.status_code == status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST
+        assert sanitise_json_error(response.data) == expected
+
+
 class TestCustomExceptionHandler(TestCase):
     def setUp(self):
         self.DEFAULT_HANDLER = api_settings.EXCEPTION_HANDLER