diff --git a/core/definitions.mk b/core/definitions.mk
index f8b4a7726..3a32013ed 100644
--- a/core/definitions.mk
+++ b/core/definitions.mk
@@ -637,25 +637,36 @@ endef
 # $(1): library name
 # $(2): Non-empty if IS_HOST_MODULE
 define _java-lib-full-classes.jar
-$(call _java-lib-dir,$(1),$(2))/classes$(COMMON_JAVA_PACKAGE_SUFFIX)
+$(call _java-lib-dir,$(1),$(2))/$(if $(2),javalib,classes)$(COMMON_JAVA_PACKAGE_SUFFIX)
 endef
 
+# Get the jar files (you can pass to "javac -classpath") of static or shared
+# Java libraries that you want to link against.
 # $(1): library name list
 # $(2): Non-empty if IS_HOST_MODULE
 define java-lib-files
 $(foreach lib,$(1),$(call _java-lib-full-classes.jar,$(lib),$(2)))
 endef
 
-# $(1): library name
-# $(2): Non-empty if IS_HOST_MODULE
-define _java-lib-full-dep
-$(call _java-lib-dir,$(1),$(2))/$(if $(2),javalib,classes)$(COMMON_JAVA_PACKAGE_SUFFIX)
-endef
-
+# Get the dependency files (you can put on the right side of "|" of a build rule)
+# of the Java libraries.
 # $(1): library name list
 # $(2): Non-empty if IS_HOST_MODULE
+# Historically for target Java libraries we used a different file (javalib.jar)
+# as the dependency.
+# Now we can use classes.jar as dependency, so java-lib-deps is the same
+# as java-lib-files.
 define java-lib-deps
-$(foreach lib,$(1),$(call _java-lib-full-dep,$(lib),$(2)))
+$(call java-lib-files,$(1),$(2))
+endef
+
+# Get the jar files (you can pass to "javac -classpath") of host dalvik Java libraries.
+# You can also use them as dependency files.
+# A host dalvik Java library is different from a host Java library in that
+# the java lib file is classes.jar, not javalib.jar.
+# $(1): library name list
+define host-dex-java-lib-files
+$(foreach lib,$(1),$(call _java-lib-dir,$(lib),true)/classes.jar)
 endef
 
 ###########################################################
@@ -676,16 +687,10 @@ define jack-lib-files
 $(foreach lib,$(1),$(call _jack-lib-full-classes,$(lib),$(2)))
 endef
 
-# $(1): library name
-# $(2): Non-empty if IS_HOST_MODULE
-define _jack-lib-full-dep
-$(call _jack-lib-full-classes,$(1),$(2))
-endef
-
 # $(1): library name list
 # $(2): Non-empty if IS_HOST_MODULE
 define jack-lib-deps
-$(foreach lib,$(1),$(call _jack-lib-full-dep,$(lib),$(2)))
+$(call jack-lib-files,$(1),$(2))
 endef
 
 ###########################################################
diff --git a/core/java_common.mk b/core/java_common.mk
index ba475fa33..4096078eb 100644
--- a/core/java_common.mk
+++ b/core/java_common.mk
@@ -173,14 +173,13 @@ ifeq ($(USE_CORE_LIB_BOOTCLASSPATH),true)
 ifeq ($(LOCAL_NO_STANDARD_LIBRARIES),true)
 my_bootclasspath := ""
 else
-my_bootclasspath := $(call java-lib-files,core-oj-hostdex,$(LOCAL_IS_HOST_MODULE)):$(call java-lib-files,core-libart-hostdex,$(LOCAL_IS_HOST_MODULE))
+my_bootclasspath := $(call normalize-path-list,$(call host-dex-java-lib-files,core-oj-hostdex core-libart-hostdex))
 endif
 $(LOCAL_INTERMEDIATE_TARGETS): PRIVATE_BOOTCLASSPATH := -bootclasspath $(my_bootclasspath)
 
-full_shared_java_libs := $(call java-lib-files,$(LOCAL_JAVA_LIBRARIES),$(LOCAL_IS_HOST_MODULE))
-full_java_lib_deps := $(call java-lib-deps,$(LOCAL_JAVA_LIBRARIES),$(LOCAL_IS_HOST_MODULE)) \
-    $(full_shared_java_libs)
-else
+full_shared_java_libs := $(call host-dex-java-lib-files,$(LOCAL_JAVA_LIBRARIES))
+full_java_lib_deps := $(full_shared_java_libs)
+else # !USE_CORE_LIB_BOOTCLASSPATH
 $(LOCAL_INTERMEDIATE_TARGETS): PRIVATE_BOOTCLASSPATH :=
 
 full_shared_java_libs := $(addprefix $(HOST_OUT_JAVA_LIBRARIES)/,\