diff --git a/check.t b/check.t
index 081cf82..cfdbc99 100644
--- a/check.t
+++ b/check.t
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# $MirOS: src/bin/mksh/check.t,v 1.337 2009/11/09 23:35:07 tg Exp $
+# $MirOS: src/bin/mksh/check.t,v 1.338 2009/11/21 22:29:12 tg Exp $
 # $OpenBSD: bksl-nl.t,v 1.2 2001/01/28 23:04:56 niklas Exp $
 # $OpenBSD: history.t,v 1.5 2001/01/28 23:04:56 niklas Exp $
 # $OpenBSD: read.t,v 1.3 2003/03/10 03:48:16 david Exp $
@@ -5249,6 +5249,18 @@ expected-stdout:
 	c we
 	d we
 ---
+name: varexpand-null-1
+description:
+	Ensure empty strings expand emptily
+stdin:
+	print x ${a} ${b} y
+	print z ${a#?} ${b%?} w
+	print v ${a=} ${b/c/d} u
+expected-stdout:
+	x y
+	z w
+	v u
+---
 name: print-funny-chars
 description:
 	Check print builtin's capability to output designated characters
diff --git a/eval.c b/eval.c
index 31ef823..928fec3 100644
--- a/eval.c
+++ b/eval.c
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 
 #include "sh.h"
 
-__RCSID("$MirOS: src/bin/mksh/eval.c,v 1.70 2009/10/30 00:57:37 tg Exp $");
+__RCSID("$MirOS: src/bin/mksh/eval.c,v 1.71 2009/11/21 22:29:11 tg Exp $");
 
 /*
  * string expansion
@@ -591,7 +591,7 @@ expand(const char *cp,	/* input word */
 					 */
 					x.str = trimsub(str_val(st->var),
 						dp, st->stype);
-					type = XSUB;
+					type = strlen(x.str) ? XSUB : XNULLSUB;
 					if (f&DOBLANK)
 						doblank++;
 					st = st->prev;