variant characters
Refers to variant forms of characters, typically kanji or kana. Often used in discussions of character encoding, historical texts, or typography. Compare 異体字, which is more common for variant kanji.
See also: 異体字
To display variant characters correctly, an appropriate font is necessary.
Many variant characters are used in old documents.
異体字 specifically refers to variant kanji, while 異体文字 can include variant kana as well.
Compound of 異体 (variant form) + 文字 (character). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is used in modern Japanese to describe variant character forms.