diff --git a/lib/lightgbm/booster.rb b/lib/lightgbm/booster.rb
index 4cd09f8..d451fa6 100644
--- a/lib/lightgbm/booster.rb
+++ b/lib/lightgbm/booster.rb
@@ -141,6 +141,10 @@ def predict(input, start_iteration: nil, num_iteration: nil, **params)
       input =
         if daru?(input)
           input.map_rows(&:to_a)
+        elsif input.is_a?(Hash) # sort feature.values to match the order of model.feature_name
+          sorted_feature_values(input)
+        elsif input.is_a?(Array) && input.first.is_a?(Hash) # on multiple elems, if 1st is hash, assume they all are
+          input.map(&method(:sorted_feature_values))
         else
           input.to_a
         end
@@ -241,6 +245,11 @@ def read_int64(ptr)
       ptr.read_array_of_int64(1).first
     end
 
+    def sorted_feature_values(input_hash)
+      @cached_feature_names ||= feature_name
+      input_hash.transform_keys(&:to_s).fetch_values(*@cached_feature_names)
+    end
+
     include Utils
   end
 end
diff --git a/test/booster_test.rb b/test/booster_test.rb
index b317587..e513163 100644
--- a/test/booster_test.rb
+++ b/test/booster_test.rb
@@ -30,6 +30,22 @@ def test_feature_importance_bad_importance_type
     assert_includes error.message, "Unknown importance type"
   end
 
+  def test_predict_with_hash_builds_sorted_input
+    pred = booster.predict({x0: 3.7, x1: 1.2, x2: 7.2, x3: 9.0})
+    assert_in_delta 0.9823112229173586, pred
+
+    pred = booster.predict({"x3" => 9.0, "x2" => 7.2, "x1" => 1.2, "x0" => 3.7})
+    assert_in_delta 0.9823112229173586, pred
+
+    pred = booster.predict(
+      [
+        {"x3" => 9.0, "x2" => 7.2, "x1" => 1.2, "x0" => 3.7},
+        {"x3" => 0.0, "x2" => 7.9, "x1" => 0.5, "x0" => 7.5},
+      ]
+    )
+    assert_elements_in_delta [0.9823112229173586, 0.9583143724610858], pred.first(2)
+  end
+
   def test_model_to_string
     assert booster.model_to_string
   end