diff --git a/include/verilated.cpp b/include/verilated.cpp
index 00600f7ca..6d9d7b6e4 100644
--- a/include/verilated.cpp
+++ b/include/verilated.cpp
@@ -1079,7 +1079,17 @@ IData _vl_vsscanf(FILE* fp,  // If a fscanf
                 WData qowp[VL_WQ_WORDS_E];
                 VL_SET_WQ(qowp, 0ULL);
                 WDataOutP owp = qowp;
-                if (obits > VL_QUADSIZE) owp = va_arg(ap, WDataOutP);
+                if (obits == -1) {  // string
+                    owp = nullptr;
+                    if (VL_UNCOVERABLE(fmt != 's')) {
+                        VL_FATAL_MT(
+                            __FILE__, __LINE__, "",
+                            "Internal: format other than %s is passed to string");  // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
+                    }
+                } else if (obits > VL_QUADSIZE) {
+                    owp = va_arg(ap, WDataOutP);
+                }
+
                 for (int i = 0; i < VL_WORDS_I(obits); ++i) owp[i] = 0;
                 switch (fmt) {
                 case 'c': {
@@ -1093,11 +1103,13 @@ IData _vl_vsscanf(FILE* fp,  // If a fscanf
                     _vl_vsss_skipspace(fp, floc, fromp, fstr);
                     _vl_vsss_read_str(fp, floc, fromp, fstr, tmp, nullptr);
                     if (!tmp[0]) goto done;
-                    int lpos = (static_cast<int>(strlen(tmp))) - 1;
-                    int lsb = 0;
-                    for (int i = 0; i < obits && lpos >= 0; --lpos) {
-                        _vl_vsss_setbit(owp, obits, lsb, 8, tmp[lpos]);
-                        lsb += 8;
+                    if (owp) {
+                        int lpos = (static_cast<int>(strlen(tmp))) - 1;
+                        int lsb = 0;
+                        for (int i = 0; i < obits && lpos >= 0; --lpos) {
+                            _vl_vsss_setbit(owp, obits, lsb, 8, tmp[lpos]);
+                            lsb += 8;
+                        }
                     }
                     break;
                 }
@@ -1194,6 +1206,9 @@ IData _vl_vsscanf(FILE* fp,  // If a fscanf
                 if (!inIgnore) ++got;
                 // Reload data if non-wide (if wide, we put it in the right place directly)
                 if (obits == 0) {  // Due to inIgnore
+                } else if (obits == -1) {  // string
+                    std::string* p = va_arg(ap, std::string*);
+                    *p = tmp;
                 } else if (obits <= VL_BYTESIZE) {
                     CData* p = va_arg(ap, CData*);
                     *p = owp[0];
@@ -1252,36 +1267,44 @@ void _VL_STRING_TO_VINT(int obits, void* destp, size_t srclen, const char* srcp)
     for (; i < bytes; ++i) { *op++ = 0; }
 }
 
-IData VL_FGETS_IXI(int obits, void* destp, IData fpi) VL_MT_SAFE {
+static IData getLine(std::string& str, IData fpi, size_t maxLen) VL_MT_SAFE {
+    str.clear();
+
     // While threadsafe, each thread can only access different file handles
     FILE* fp = VL_CVT_I_FP(fpi);
     if (VL_UNLIKELY(!fp)) return 0;
 
-    // The string needs to be padded with 0's in unused spaces in front of
-    // any read data.  This means we can't know in what location the first
-    // character will finally live, so we need to copy.  Yuk.
-    IData bytes = VL_BYTES_I(obits);
-    char buffer[VL_TO_STRING_MAX_WORDS * VL_EDATASIZE + 1];
+    // We don't use fgets, as we must read \0s.
+    while (str.size() < maxLen) {
+        const int c = getc(fp);  // getc() is threadsafe
+        if (c == EOF) break;
+        str.push_back(c);
+        if (c == '\n') break;
+    }
+    return str.size();
+}
+
+IData VL_FGETS_IXI(int obits, void* destp, IData fpi) VL_MT_SAFE {
+    std::string str;
+    const IData bytes = VL_BYTES_I(obits);
+    IData got = getLine(str, fpi, bytes);
+
+    if (VL_UNLIKELY(str.empty())) return 0;
+
     // V3Emit has static check that bytes < VL_TO_STRING_MAX_WORDS, but be safe
-    if (VL_UNCOVERABLE(bytes > VL_TO_STRING_MAX_WORDS * VL_EDATASIZE)) {
+    if (VL_UNCOVERABLE(bytes < str.size())) {
         VL_FATAL_MT(__FILE__, __LINE__, "", "Internal: fgets buffer overrun");  // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
     }
 
-    // We don't use fgets, as we must read \0s.
-    IData got = 0;
-    char* cp = buffer;
-    while (got < bytes) {
-        int c = getc(fp);  // getc() is threadsafe
-        if (c == EOF) break;
-        *cp++ = c;
-        got++;
-        if (c == '\n') break;
-    }
-
-    _VL_STRING_TO_VINT(obits, destp, got, buffer);
+    _VL_STRING_TO_VINT(obits, destp, got, str.data());
     return got;
 }
 
+// declared in verilated_heavy.h
+IData VL_FGETS_NI(std::string& str, IData fpi) VL_MT_SAFE {
+    return getLine(str, fpi, std::numeric_limits<size_t>::max());
+}
+
 IData VL_FERROR_IN(IData, std::string& outputr) VL_MT_SAFE {
     // We ignore lhs/fpi - IEEE says "most recent error" so probably good enough
     IData ret = errno;
diff --git a/include/verilated_heavy.h b/include/verilated_heavy.h
index 2d110567a..3d4795de0 100644
--- a/include/verilated_heavy.h
+++ b/include/verilated_heavy.h
@@ -546,6 +546,8 @@ inline IData VL_CMP_NN(const std::string& lhs, const std::string& rhs, bool igno
 
 extern IData VL_ATOI_N(const std::string& str, int base) VL_PURE;
 
+extern IData VL_FGETS_NI(std::string& destp, IData fpi);
+
 //======================================================================
 // Dumping
 
diff --git a/src/V3AstNodes.h b/src/V3AstNodes.h
index e2e5d48dc..3630f88ed 100644
--- a/src/V3AstNodes.h
+++ b/src/V3AstNodes.h
@@ -7959,7 +7959,10 @@ public:
         V3ERROR_NA;
     }
     virtual string emitVerilog() override { return "%f$fgets(%l,%r)"; }
-    virtual string emitC() override { return "VL_FGETS_%nqX%rq(%lw, %P, &(%li), %ri)"; }
+    virtual string emitC() override {
+        return strgp()->dtypep()->basicp()->isString() ? "VL_FGETS_NI(%li, %ri)"
+                                                       : "VL_FGETS_%nqX%rq(%lw, %P, &(%li), %ri)";
+    }
     virtual bool cleanOut() const override { return false; }
     virtual bool cleanLhs() const override { return true; }
     virtual bool cleanRhs() const override { return true; }
diff --git a/src/V3EmitC.cpp b/src/V3EmitC.cpp
index b723ec475..c07416528 100644
--- a/src/V3EmitC.cpp
+++ b/src/V3EmitC.cpp
@@ -2199,7 +2199,12 @@ void EmitCStmts::displayArg(AstNode* dispp, AstNode** elistp, bool isScan, const
     }
     emitDispState.pushFormat(pfmt);
     if (!ignore) {
-        emitDispState.pushArg(' ', nullptr, cvtToStr(argp->widthMin()));
+        if (argp->dtypep()->basicp()->keyword() == AstBasicDTypeKwd::STRING) {
+            // string in SystemVerilog is std::string in C++ which is not POD
+            emitDispState.pushArg(' ', nullptr, "-1");
+        } else {
+            emitDispState.pushArg(' ', nullptr, cvtToStr(argp->widthMin()));
+        }
         emitDispState.pushArg(fmtLetter, argp, "");
     } else {
         emitDispState.pushArg(fmtLetter, nullptr, "");
diff --git a/test_regress/t/t_sys_file_basic.v b/test_regress/t/t_sys_file_basic.v
index e264f676a..d38c8580a 100644
--- a/test_regress/t/t_sys_file_basic.v
+++ b/test_regress/t/t_sys_file_basic.v
@@ -134,6 +134,12 @@ module t;
 	 if (chars != 10) $stop;
 	 if (letterw != "\0\0\0\0\0\0widestuff\n") $stop;
 
+	 s = "";
+	 chars = $fgets(s, file);
+	 if (`verbose) $write("c=%0d w=%s", chars, s); // Output includes newline
+	 if (chars != 7) $stop;
+	 if (s != "string\n") $stop;
+
 	 // $sscanf
 	 if ($sscanf("x","")!=0) $stop;
 	 if ($sscanf("z","z")!=0) $stop;
@@ -173,6 +179,12 @@ module t;
 	 `checkr(r, 0.1);
 	 if (letterq != 64'hfffffffffffc65a5) $stop;
 
+	 chars = $sscanf("scan from string",
+			 "scan %s string", s);
+	 if (`verbose) $write("c=%0d s=%s\n", chars, s);
+	 if (chars != 1) $stop;
+	 if (s != "from") $stop;
+
 	 // Cover quad and %e/%f
 	 chars = $sscanf("r=0.2",
 			 "r=%e", r);
@@ -245,6 +257,11 @@ module t;
 	 if (chars != 1) $stop;
 	 if (letterl != "\n") $stop;
 
+	 chars = $fscanf(file, "%c%s not_included\n", letterl, s);
+	 if (`verbose) $write("c=%0d l=%s\n", chars, s);
+	 if (chars != 2) $stop;
+	 if (s != "BCD") $stop;
+
 	 // msg1229
 	 v_a = $fgetc(file);
 	 v_b = $fgetc(file);
diff --git a/test_regress/t/t_sys_file_basic_input.dat b/test_regress/t/t_sys_file_basic_input.dat
index 0e640b4ed..53d20630c 100644
--- a/test_regress/t/t_sys_file_basic_input.dat
+++ b/test_regress/t/t_sys_file_basic_input.dat
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 hi
 lquad
 widestuff
+string
 *xa=1f xb=237904689_02348923
 *ba=10 bb=11010010101001010101 note_the_two
 *oa=23 ob=12563
 *d=-236123
 *u=-236124
 *fredfishblah
+aBCD not_included
 12346789