diff --git a/kitty/fonts/freetype.py b/kitty/fonts/freetype.py
index 8771d4489..8b0750ea3 100644
--- a/kitty/fonts/freetype.py
+++ b/kitty/fonts/freetype.py
@@ -193,13 +193,16 @@ def render_char(text, bold=False, italic=False, width=1):
 
 def render_complex_char(text, bold=False, italic=False, width=1):
     font, face = face_for_text(text, bold, italic)
-    buf, m, width, height = face.draw_complex_glyph(text)
-    return CharBitmap(
-        buf,
-        ceil_int(abs(m.horiBearingX) / 64),
-        ceil_int(abs(m.horiBearingY) / 64),
-        ceil_int(m.horiAdvance / 64), height, width
-    )
+    if width == 1:
+        buf = CharTexture()
+        ans = (buf,)
+    else:
+        buf = (ctypes.c_ubyte * (cell_width * width * cell_height))()
+        ans = tuple(CharTexture() for i in range(width))
+    face.draw_complex_glyph(text, cell_width, cell_height, ctypes.addressof(buf), width, bold, italic, baseline)
+    if width > 1:
+        face.split_cells(cell_width, cell_height, ctypes.addressof(buf), *(ctypes.addressof(x) for x in ans))
+    return ans
 
 
 def place_char_in_cell(bitmap_char):
@@ -273,26 +276,35 @@ def missing_glyph(width):
 def render_cell(text=' ', bold=False, italic=False):
     width = wcwidth(text[0])
 
-    try:
-        if len(text) > 1:
-            bitmap_char = render_complex_char(text, bold, italic, width)
-        else:
-            bitmap_char = render_char(text, bold, italic, width)
-    except FontNotFound as err:
-        safe_print('ERROR:', err, file=sys.stderr)
-        return missing_glyph(width)
-    except FreeTypeError as err:
-        safe_print('Failed to render text:', repr(text), 'with error:', err, file=sys.stderr)
-        return missing_glyph(width)
-    second = None
-    if width == 2:
-        if bitmap_char.columns > cell_width:
-            bitmap_char, second = split_char_bitmap(bitmap_char)
-            second = place_char_in_cell(second)
-        else:
-            second = render_cell()[0]
+    def safe_freetype(func):
+        try:
+            return func(text, bold, italic, width)
+        except FontNotFound as err:
+            safe_print('ERROR:', err, file=sys.stderr)
+        except FreeTypeError as err:
+            safe_print('Failed to render text:', repr(text), 'with error:', err, file=sys.stderr)
 
-    first = place_char_in_cell(bitmap_char)
+    if len(text) > 1:
+        ret = safe_freetype(render_complex_char)
+        if ret is None:
+            return missing_glyph(width)
+        if width == 1:
+            first, second = ret[0], None
+        else:
+            first, second = ret
+    else:
+        bitmap_char = safe_freetype(render_char)
+        if bitmap_char is None:
+            return missing_glyph(width)
+        second = None
+        if width == 2:
+            if bitmap_char.columns > cell_width:
+                bitmap_char, second = split_char_bitmap(bitmap_char)
+                second = place_char_in_cell(second)
+            else:
+                second = render_cell()[0]
+
+        first = place_char_in_cell(bitmap_char)
 
     return first, second
 
diff --git a/kitty/freetype.c b/kitty/freetype.c
index 229b7ac67..8563ebdab 100644
--- a/kitty/freetype.c
+++ b/kitty/freetype.c
@@ -380,7 +380,7 @@ place_bitmap_in_cell(unsigned char *cell, ProcessedBitmap *bm, size_t cell_width
     ssize_t dy = (ssize_t)((float)metrics->horiBearingY / 64.f + y_offset);
     size_t src_start_row, dest_start_row;
     if (dy > 0 && (size_t)dy > baseline) {
-        src_start_row = dy - baseline;
+        src_start_row = 0;
         dest_start_row = 0;
     } else {
         src_start_row = 0;
@@ -405,7 +405,7 @@ draw_complex_glyph(Face *self, PyObject *args) {
     unsigned int cell_width, cell_height, num_cells, baseline;
     PyObject *addr;
     float x = 0.f, y = 0.f;
-    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "s#IIO!Ipp", &text, &text_len, &cell_width, &cell_height, &PyLong_Type, &addr, &num_cells, &bold, &italic, &baseline)) return NULL;
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "s#IIO!IppI", &text, &text_len, &cell_width, &cell_height, &PyLong_Type, &addr, &num_cells, &bold, &italic, &baseline)) return NULL;
     unsigned char *cell = PyLong_AsVoidPtr(addr);
     ShapeData sd;
     _shape(self, text, text_len, &sd);
@@ -423,6 +423,30 @@ draw_complex_glyph(Face *self, PyObject *args) {
     Py_RETURN_NONE;
 }
 
+static PyObject*
+split_cells(Face UNUSED *self, PyObject *args) {
+#define split_cells_doc "split_cells(cell_width, cell_height, src, *cells)"
+    unsigned int cell_width, cell_height;
+    unsigned char *cells[10], *src;
+    size_t num_cells = PyTuple_GET_SIZE(args) - 3;
+    if (num_cells > sizeof(cells)/sizeof(cells[0])) { PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError, "Too many cells being split"); return NULL; }
+    cell_width = PyLong_AsUnsignedLong(PyTuple_GET_ITEM(args, 0));
+    cell_height = PyLong_AsUnsignedLong(PyTuple_GET_ITEM(args, 1));
+    src = PyLong_AsVoidPtr(PyTuple_GET_ITEM(args, 2));
+    for (size_t i = 3; i < num_cells + 3; i++) cells[i - 3] = PyLong_AsVoidPtr(PyTuple_GET_ITEM(args, i));
+
+    size_t stride = num_cells * cell_width;
+    for (size_t y = 0; y < cell_height; y++) {
+        for (size_t i = 0; i < num_cells; i++) {
+            unsigned char *dest = cells[i] + y * cell_width;
+            for (size_t x = 0; x < cell_width; x++) {
+                dest[x] = src[y * stride + i * cell_width + x];
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    Py_RETURN_NONE;
+}
+
 
 static PyObject*
 trim_to_width(Face UNUSED *self, PyObject *args) {
@@ -486,6 +510,7 @@ static PyMethodDef methods[] = {
     METHOD(load_char, METH_O)
     METHOD(shape, METH_VARARGS)
     METHOD(draw_complex_glyph, METH_VARARGS)
+    METHOD(split_cells, METH_VARARGS)
     METHOD(get_char_index, METH_VARARGS)
     METHOD(glyph_metrics, METH_NOARGS)
     METHOD(bitmap, METH_NOARGS)