diff --git a/src/gpytoolbox/read_msh.py b/src/gpytoolbox/read_msh.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..67a4c614
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/gpytoolbox/read_msh.py
@@ -0,0 +1,196 @@
+import warnings
+from typing import Dict, List, Tuple
+
+SUPPORTED_MSH_VERSIONS = ["4.1", ]
+
+
+def read_msh(file: str) -> Dict[Tuple[int, int],
+                                Tuple[List[Tuple[int, int]],
+                                      Tuple[List[int],
+                                            List[float],
+                                            List[float]],
+                                      Tuple[List[int],
+                                            List[List[int]],
+                                            List[List[int]]],
+                                      str]
+                                ]:
+    """Reads a gmsh mesh from .msh file.
+
+    Only the following sections are currently supported and will be imported: $Entities, $Nodes, $Elements
+
+    Parameters
+    -------
+    file : string
+        the path the mesh will be read from
+
+    Returns
+    ----------
+    mesh : Dict
+        Dict containing all entities, nodes and elements in the following structure
+        Adapted from the structure in https://gitlab.onelab.info/gmsh/gmsh/-/blob/master/examples/api/copy_mesh.py
+        {(dim, tag): ([(boundary_dim0, boundary_tag0), (boundary_dim1, boundary_tag1), ...] ,
+                      ([node0_tag, node1_tag, ...],
+                       [node0_x, node0_y, node_z0, node1_x, node1_y, node_z1, ...],
+                       [node0_parametric_coords, node1_parametric_coords, ...]),
+                      ([element_type0, element_type1, ...],
+                       [[element0_tag, element1_tag, ...],   <-- for element_type0
+                        [element0_tag, element1_tag, ...],   <-- for element_type1
+                        ...],
+                       [[e0_node_tag0, e0_node_tag1, ..., e0_node_tagN, e1_node_tag0, ...], <-- for element_type0
+                        [e0_node_tag0, e0_node_tag1, ..., e0_node_tagN, e1_node_tag0, ...], <-- for element_type1
+                        ...]),
+                      entity_name),
+         (dim, tag): ...}
+
+        Can be obtained from gmsh directly via
+        mesh = {}
+        for dim, tag in gmsh.model.getEntities():
+            mesh[(dim, tag)] = (gmsh.model.getBoundary([(dim, tag)]),
+                                gmsh.model.mesh.getNodes(dim, tag),
+                                gmsh.model.mesh.getElements(dim, tag),
+                                gmsh.model.get_entity_name(dim, tag))
+
+    Examples
+    --------
+    ```python
+    # Read a mesh in gmsh .msh format
+    mesh = gpytoolbox.read_msh('mesh.msh')
+    ```
+
+    """
+    # get (all) helper functions
+    helpers = globals()
+
+    # empty output
+    mesh = {}
+
+    # read file
+    with open(file, 'r') as f:
+        lines = f.read().splitlines()
+
+    # number of lines and current line
+    n_lines = len(lines)
+    cur_line = 0
+
+    # loop over all sections
+    while cur_line < n_lines:
+        cur_section: str = lines[cur_line]
+
+        # current line should always start with a new section
+        if not cur_section.startswith("$"):
+            raise ValueError(f"Unsupported file format, line {cur_line} does not start with a new section.")
+
+        # Call appropriate helper function to read this section
+        try:
+            mesh, cur_line = helpers[cur_section.replace("$", "_")](mesh, lines, cur_line)
+        # unsupported section
+        except KeyError:
+            warnings.warn(f"Section {cur_section} was not imported.")
+            # jump to next section
+            cur_line = _next_section(lines, cur_line)
+
+    return mesh
+
+
+def _MeshFormat(mesh: Dict, lines: List[str], cur_line: int) -> Tuple[Dict, int]:
+    """
+    Check compatible mesh format.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    mesh : Dict
+        Output dict to store the data in
+    lines : List[str]
+        List of file lines
+    cur_line : int
+        Current line
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    mesh : Dict
+        Output dict to store the data in
+    cur_line : int
+        Next line after this section
+
+    """
+    # current section
+    cur_section = lines[cur_line]
+
+    # first line of the block
+    cur_line += 1
+
+    # get .msh file version
+    version, filetype, _ = lines[cur_line].split(' ')
+
+    # check msh version
+    if not version in SUPPORTED_MSH_VERSIONS:
+        raise ValueError(f"Incompatible MSH version ({version}), supported are ({', '.join(SUPPORTED_MSH_VERSIONS)})")
+    # check ascii mode
+    if not filetype == '0':
+        raise ValueError(f"Incompatible MSH file format, only ASCII mode is supported currently.")
+
+    # end of block ($MeshFormat is always 3 lines long)
+    cur_line = cur_line + 1
+
+    # check current block end
+    _check_section_end(lines, cur_line, cur_section)
+
+    # increase cur_line by one to point to the next starting block
+    return mesh, cur_line + 1
+
+
+def _next_section(lines: List[str], cur_line: int) -> int:
+    """
+    Find starting line of next section.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    lines : List[str]
+        List of file lines
+    cur_line : int
+        Current line
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    cur_line : int
+        Next line after the current section
+
+    """
+    # current section
+    cur_section = lines[cur_line]
+
+    # first line of the block
+    cur_line += 1
+
+    # check if line
+    while not lines[cur_line].startswith("$"):
+        cur_line += 1
+
+    # check current block end
+    _check_section_end(lines, cur_line, cur_section)
+
+    return cur_line + 1
+
+
+def _check_section_end(lines: List[str], cur_line: int, cur_section: str) -> None:
+    """
+    Find starting line of next section.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    lines : List[str]
+        List of file lines
+    cur_line : int
+        Current line
+    cur_section: str
+        Current section to check end with
+
+    """
+    # check if start and end of the sections match
+    if not lines[cur_line] == cur_section[0] + "End" + cur_section[1:]:
+        raise ValueError(f"Start {cur_section} and End {lines[cur_line]} of section do not match!")
+
+    return
+
+
+read_msh(r"../../test_msh.msh")