diff --git a/src/V3Width.cpp b/src/V3Width.cpp
index 6c8578780..604ae8497 100644
--- a/src/V3Width.cpp
+++ b/src/V3Width.cpp
@@ -6082,6 +6082,39 @@ private:
         // Check using assignment-like context rules
         // if (debug()) nodep->dumpTree("-  checkass: ");
         UASSERT_OBJ(stage == FINAL, nodep, "Bad width call");
+        // Create unpacked byte from string perl IEEE 1800-2017 5.9
+        if (AstConst* constp = VN_CAST(rhsp, Const)) {
+            if (const AstUnpackArrayDType* const arrayp
+                = VN_CAST(lhsDTypep->skipRefp(), UnpackArrayDType)) {
+                if (AstBasicDType* basicp = VN_CAST(arrayp->subDTypep()->skipRefp(), BasicDType)) {
+                    if (basicp->width() == 8 && constp->num().isFromString()) {
+                        AstInitArray* newp = new AstInitArray{
+                            constp->fileline(), lhsDTypep,
+                            new AstConst{constp->fileline(), AstConst::WidthedValue{}, 8, 0}};
+                        for (int aindex = arrayp->lo(); aindex <= arrayp->hi(); ++aindex) {
+                            int cindex = arrayp->declRange().littleEndian()
+                                             ? (arrayp->hi() - aindex)
+                                             : (aindex - arrayp->lo());
+                            V3Number selected{constp, 8};
+                            selected.opSel(constp->num(), cindex * 8 + 7, cindex * 8);
+                            UINFO(0, "   aindex=" << aindex << "  cindex=" << cindex
+                                                  << "  c=" << selected << endl);
+                            if (!selected.isFourState()) {
+                                if (const uint32_t c = selected.toUInt()) {
+                                    newp->addIndexValuep(
+                                        aindex, new AstConst{constp->fileline(),
+                                                             AstConst::WidthedValue{}, 8, c});
+                                }
+                            }
+                        }
+                        UINFO(6, "   unpackFromString: " << nodep << endl);
+                        rhsp->replaceWith(newp);
+                        VL_DO_DANGLING(pushDeletep(rhsp), rhsp);
+                        rhsp = newp;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
         // We iterate and size the RHS based on the result of RHS evaluation
         checkClassAssign(nodep, side, rhsp, lhsDTypep);
         const bool lhsStream
diff --git a/test_regress/t/t_string_byte.pl b/test_regress/t/t_string_byte.pl
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..1aa73f80a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_regress/t/t_string_byte.pl
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env perl
+if (!$::Driver) { use FindBin; exec("$FindBin::Bin/bootstrap.pl", @ARGV, $0); die; }
+# DESCRIPTION: Verilator: Verilog Test driver/expect definition
+#
+# Copyright 2022 by Wilson Snyder. This program is free software; you
+# can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of either the GNU
+# Lesser General Public License Version 3 or the Perl Artistic License
+# Version 2.0.
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-3.0-only OR Artistic-2.0
+
+scenarios(simulator => 1);
+
+compile(
+    );
+
+execute(
+    check_finished => 1,
+    );
+
+ok(1);
+1;
diff --git a/test_regress/t/t_string_byte.v b/test_regress/t/t_string_byte.v
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..58ad58b47
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_regress/t/t_string_byte.v
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+// DESCRIPTION: Verilator: Verilog Test module
+//
+// This file ONLY is placed under the Creative Commons Public Domain, for
+// any use, without warranty, 2022 by Wilson Snyder.
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: CC0-1.0
+
+`define stop $stop
+`define checkh(gotv,expv) do if ((gotv) !== (expv)) begin $write("%%Error: %s:%0d:  got='h%x exp='h%x\n", `__FILE__,`__LINE__, (gotv), (expv)); `stop; end while(0);
+
+module t(/*AUTOARG*/);
+
+   // Unpacked byte from string IEEE 1800-2017 5.9
+   byte bh[3:0] = "hi2";
+   byte bl[0:3] = "lo2";
+
+   initial begin
+      `checkh(bh[0], "2");
+      `checkh(bh[1], "i");
+      `checkh(bh[2], "h");
+      `checkh(bh[3], 0);
+      `checkh(bl[0], 0);
+      `checkh(bl[1], "l");
+      `checkh(bl[2], "o");
+      `checkh(bl[3], "2");
+      $write("*-* All Finished *-*\n");
+      $finish;
+   end
+
+endmodule