diff --git a/api/filters/refvar/refvar.go b/api/filters/refvar/refvar.go
index 516058b05..822d20b49 100644
--- a/api/filters/refvar/refvar.go
+++ b/api/filters/refvar/refvar.go
@@ -66,8 +66,7 @@ func updateNodeValue(node *yaml.Node, newValue interface{}) {
 }
 
 func (f Filter) setScalar(node *yaml.RNode) error {
-	if node.YNode().Kind != yaml.ScalarNode || node.YNode().Tag != yaml.NodeTagString {
-		// Only process string values
+	if !yaml.IsYNodeString(node.YNode()) {
 		return nil
 	}
 	v := expansion2.Expand(node.YNode().Value, f.MappingFunc)
@@ -78,11 +77,10 @@ func (f Filter) setScalar(node *yaml.RNode) error {
 func (f Filter) setMap(node *yaml.RNode) error {
 	contents := node.YNode().Content
 	for i := 0; i < len(contents); i += 2 {
-		if contents[i].Kind != yaml.ScalarNode || contents[i].Tag != yaml.NodeTagString {
+		if !yaml.IsYNodeString(contents[i]) {
 			return fmt.Errorf("invalid map key: %s, type: %s", contents[i].Value, contents[i].Tag)
 		}
-		if contents[i+1].Kind != yaml.ScalarNode || contents[i+1].Tag != yaml.NodeTagString {
-			// value is not a string
+		if !yaml.IsYNodeString(contents[i+1]) {
 			continue
 		}
 		newValue := expansion2.Expand(contents[i+1].Value, f.MappingFunc)
@@ -93,8 +91,7 @@ func (f Filter) setMap(node *yaml.RNode) error {
 
 func (f Filter) setSeq(node *yaml.RNode) error {
 	for _, item := range node.YNode().Content {
-		if item.Kind != yaml.ScalarNode || item.Tag != yaml.NodeTagString {
-			// value is not a string
+		if !yaml.IsYNodeString(item) {
 			return fmt.Errorf("invalid value type expect a string")
 		}
 		newValue := expansion2.Expand(item.Value, f.MappingFunc)
diff --git a/kyaml/yaml/types.go b/kyaml/yaml/types.go
index afa361793..6258fbd6f 100644
--- a/kyaml/yaml/types.go
+++ b/kyaml/yaml/types.go
@@ -45,10 +45,7 @@ func IsEmpty(node *RNode) bool {
 
 // IsEmptyMap returns true if the RNode is an empty node or an empty map
 func IsEmptyMap(node *RNode) bool {
-	if IsEmpty(node) {
-		return true
-	}
-	return IsYNodeEmptyMap(node.YNode())
+	return IsEmpty(node) || IsYNodeEmptyMap(node.YNode())
 }
 
 // IsNil return true if the node is nil, or its underlying YNode is nil.