diff --git a/src/basic/terminal-util.c b/src/basic/terminal-util.c
index a5e4de00b0..ceba7d0ff8 100644
--- a/src/basic/terminal-util.c
+++ b/src/basic/terminal-util.c
@@ -979,53 +979,56 @@ int get_ctty_devnr(pid_t pid, dev_t *d) {
         return 0;
 }
 
-int get_ctty(pid_t pid, dev_t *_devnr, char **r) {
-        char fn[STRLEN("/dev/char/") + 2*DECIMAL_STR_MAX(unsigned) + 1 + 1], *b = NULL;
-        _cleanup_free_ char *s = NULL;
-        const char *p;
+int get_ctty(pid_t pid, dev_t *ret_devnr, char **ret) {
+        _cleanup_free_ char *fn = NULL, *b = NULL;
         dev_t devnr;
-        int k;
+        int r;
 
-        assert(r);
+        r = get_ctty_devnr(pid, &devnr);
+        if (r < 0)
+                return r;
 
-        k = get_ctty_devnr(pid, &devnr);
-        if (k < 0)
-                return k;
+        r = device_path_make_canonical(S_IFCHR, devnr, &fn);
+        if (r < 0) {
+                if (r != -ENOENT) /* No symlink for this in /dev/char/? */
+                        return r;
 
-        sprintf(fn, "/dev/char/%u:%u", major(devnr), minor(devnr));
-
-        k = readlink_malloc(fn, &s);
-        if (k < 0) {
-
-                if (k != -ENOENT)
-                        return k;
-
-                /* This is an ugly hack */
                 if (major(devnr) == 136) {
+                        /* This is an ugly hack: PTY devices are not listed in /dev/char/, as they don't follow the
+                         * Linux device model. This means we have no nice way to match them up against their actual
+                         * device node. Let's hence do the check by the fixed, assigned major number. Normally we try
+                         * to avoid such fixed major/minor matches, but there appears to nother nice way to handle
+                         * this. */
+
                         if (asprintf(&b, "pts/%u", minor(devnr)) < 0)
                                 return -ENOMEM;
                 } else {
-                        /* Probably something like the ptys which have no
-                         * symlink in /dev/char. Let's return something
-                         * vaguely useful. */
+                        /* Probably something similar to the ptys which have no symlink in /dev/char/. Let's return
+                         * something vaguely useful. */
 
-                        b = strdup(fn + 5);
-                        if (!b)
-                                return -ENOMEM;
+                        r = device_path_make_major_minor(S_IFCHR, devnr, &fn);
+                        if (r < 0)
+                                return r;
                 }
-        } else {
-                p = PATH_STARTSWITH_SET(s, "/dev/", "../");
-                if (!p)
-                        p = s;
-
-                b = strdup(p);
-                if (!b)
-                        return -ENOMEM;
         }
 
-        *r = b;
-        if (_devnr)
-                *_devnr = devnr;
+        if (!b) {
+                const char *w;
+
+                w = path_startswith(fn, "/dev/");
+                if (w) {
+                        b = strdup(w);
+                        if (!b)
+                                return -ENOMEM;
+                } else
+                        b = TAKE_PTR(fn);
+        }
+
+        if (ret)
+                *ret = TAKE_PTR(b);
+
+        if (ret_devnr)
+                *ret_devnr = devnr;
 
         return 0;
 }
diff --git a/src/partition/growfs.c b/src/partition/growfs.c
index 8e04eb3c23..b8dc9f2e93 100644
--- a/src/partition/growfs.c
+++ b/src/partition/growfs.c
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #include "parse-util.h"
 #include "path-util.h"
 #include "pretty-print.h"
+#include "stat-util.h"
 #include "strv.h"
 
 static const char *arg_target = NULL;
@@ -69,13 +70,16 @@ static int resize_btrfs(const char *path, int mountfd, int devfd, uint64_t numbl
 
 #if HAVE_LIBCRYPTSETUP
 static int resize_crypt_luks_device(dev_t devno, const char *fstype, dev_t main_devno) {
-        char devpath[DEV_NUM_PATH_MAX], main_devpath[DEV_NUM_PATH_MAX];
-        _cleanup_close_ int main_devfd = -1;
+        _cleanup_free_ char *devpath = NULL, *main_devpath = NULL;
         _cleanup_(crypt_freep) struct crypt_device *cd = NULL;
+        _cleanup_close_ int main_devfd = -1;
         uint64_t size;
         int r;
 
-        xsprintf_dev_num_path(main_devpath, "block", main_devno);
+        r = device_path_make_major_minor(S_IFBLK, main_devno, &main_devpath);
+        if (r < 0)
+                return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to format device major/minor path: %m");
+
         main_devfd = open(main_devpath, O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC);
         if (main_devfd < 0)
                 return log_error_errno(errno, "Failed to open \"%s\": %m", main_devpath);
@@ -85,8 +89,10 @@ static int resize_crypt_luks_device(dev_t devno, const char *fstype, dev_t main_
                                        main_devpath);
 
         log_debug("%s is %"PRIu64" bytes", main_devpath, size);
+        r = device_path_make_major_minor(S_IFBLK, devno, &devpath);
+        if (r < 0)
+                return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to format major/minor path: %m");
 
-        xsprintf_dev_num_path(devpath, "block", devno);
         r = crypt_init(&cd, devpath);
         if (r < 0)
                 return log_error_errno(r, "crypt_init(\"%s\") failed: %m", devpath);
@@ -115,9 +121,8 @@ static int resize_crypt_luks_device(dev_t devno, const char *fstype, dev_t main_
 #endif
 
 static int maybe_resize_slave_device(const char *mountpath, dev_t main_devno) {
+        _cleanup_free_ char *fstype = NULL, *devpath = NULL;
         dev_t devno;
-        char devpath[DEV_NUM_PATH_MAX];
-        _cleanup_free_ char *fstype = NULL;
         int r;
 
 #if HAVE_LIBCRYPTSETUP
@@ -137,7 +142,10 @@ static int maybe_resize_slave_device(const char *mountpath, dev_t main_devno) {
         if (devno == main_devno)
                 return 0;
 
-        xsprintf_dev_num_path(devpath, "block", devno);
+        r = device_path_make_major_minor(S_IFBLK, devno, &devpath);
+        if (r < 0)
+                return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to format device major/minor path: %m");
+
         r = probe_filesystem(devpath, &fstype);
         if (r == -EUCLEAN)
                 return log_warning_errno(r, "Cannot reliably determine probe \"%s\", refusing to proceed.", devpath);
@@ -222,12 +230,13 @@ static int parse_argv(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 }
 
 int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
-        dev_t devno;
         _cleanup_close_ int mountfd = -1, devfd = -1;
-        int blocksize;
+        _cleanup_free_ char *devpath = NULL;
         uint64_t size, numblocks;
-        char devpath[DEV_NUM_PATH_MAX], fb[FORMAT_BYTES_MAX];
+        char fb[FORMAT_BYTES_MAX];
         struct statfs sfs;
+        dev_t devno;
+        int blocksize;
         int r;
 
         log_setup_service();
@@ -264,7 +273,12 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
                 return EXIT_FAILURE;
         }
 
-        xsprintf_dev_num_path(devpath, "block", devno);
+        r = device_path_make_major_minor(S_IFBLK, devno, &devpath);
+        if (r < 0) {
+                log_error_errno(r, "Failed to format device major/minor path: %m");
+                return EXIT_FAILURE;
+        }
+
         devfd = open(devpath, O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC);
         if (devfd < 0) {
                 log_error_errno(errno, "Failed to open \"%s\": %m", devpath);
diff --git a/src/shared/bootspec.c b/src/shared/bootspec.c
index db4fd411e2..7e276f1edf 100644
--- a/src/shared/bootspec.c
+++ b/src/shared/bootspec.c
@@ -405,7 +405,7 @@ static int verify_esp(
                 sd_id128_t *ret_uuid) {
 #if HAVE_BLKID
         _cleanup_(blkid_free_probep) blkid_probe b = NULL;
-        char t[DEV_NUM_PATH_MAX];
+        _cleanup_free_ char *node = NULL;
         const char *v;
 #endif
         uint64_t pstart = 0, psize = 0;
@@ -469,9 +469,11 @@ static int verify_esp(
                 goto finish;
 
 #if HAVE_BLKID
-        xsprintf_dev_num_path(t, "block", st.st_dev);
+        r = device_path_make_major_minor(S_IFBLK, st.st_dev, &node);
+        if (r < 0)
+                return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to format major/minor device path: %m");
         errno = 0;
-        b = blkid_new_probe_from_filename(t);
+        b = blkid_new_probe_from_filename(node);
         if (!b)
                 return log_error_errno(errno ?: ENOMEM, "Failed to open file system \"%s\": %m", p);
 
diff --git a/src/shared/dissect-image.c b/src/shared/dissect-image.c
index 18620a3b19..01b06dbc0b 100644
--- a/src/shared/dissect-image.c
+++ b/src/shared/dissect-image.c
@@ -219,8 +219,9 @@ int dissect_image(
                                         return -ENOMEM;
                         }
 
-                        if (asprintf(&n, "/dev/block/%u:%u", major(st.st_rdev), minor(st.st_rdev)) < 0)
-                                return -ENOMEM;
+                        r = device_path_make_major_minor(st.st_mode, st.st_rdev, &n);
+                        if (r < 0)
+                                return r;
 
                         m->partitions[PARTITION_ROOT] = (DissectedPartition) {
                                 .found = true,