diff --git a/serde/src/private/de.rs b/serde/src/private/de.rs
index 804bed2e..4b96f628 100644
--- a/serde/src/private/de.rs
+++ b/serde/src/private/de.rs
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ pub use self::content::{
     TagOrContentField, TagOrContentFieldVisitor, TaggedContentVisitor, UntaggedUnitVisitor,
 };
 
-pub use serde_core::de::InPlaceSeed;
+pub use serde_core::__private::InPlaceSeed;
 
 /// If the missing field is of type `Option<T>` then treat is as `None`,
 /// otherwise it is an error.
@@ -209,11 +209,11 @@ mod content {
     use crate::lib::*;
 
     use crate::de::{
-        self, size_hint, Deserialize, DeserializeSeed, Deserializer, EnumAccess, Expected,
-        IgnoredAny, MapAccess, SeqAccess, Unexpected, Visitor,
+        self, Deserialize, DeserializeSeed, Deserializer, EnumAccess, Expected, IgnoredAny,
+        MapAccess, SeqAccess, Unexpected, Visitor,
     };
     pub use serde_core::__private::Content;
-    use serde_core::__private::ContentVisitor;
+    use serde_core::__private::{size_hint, ContentVisitor};
 
     pub fn content_as_str<'a, 'de>(content: &'a Content<'de>) -> Option<&'a str> {
         match *content {
diff --git a/serde/src/private/mod.rs b/serde/src/private/mod.rs
index 7202677d..1d4d494e 100644
--- a/serde/src/private/mod.rs
+++ b/serde/src/private/mod.rs
@@ -15,11 +15,7 @@ pub use crate::lib::option::Option::{self, None, Some};
 pub use crate::lib::ptr;
 pub use crate::lib::result::Result::{self, Err, Ok};
 
-pub use self::string::from_utf8_lossy;
+pub use serde_core::__private::string::from_utf8_lossy;
 
 #[cfg(any(feature = "alloc", feature = "std"))]
 pub use crate::lib::{ToString, Vec};
-
-mod string {
-    pub use serde_core::from_utf8_lossy;
-}
diff --git a/serde_core/src/de/impls.rs b/serde_core/src/de/impls.rs
index 7f1962ff..ab1a893c 100644
--- a/serde_core/src/de/impls.rs
+++ b/serde_core/src/de/impls.rs
@@ -4,11 +4,10 @@ use crate::de::{
     Deserialize, Deserializer, EnumAccess, Error, MapAccess, SeqAccess, Unexpected, VariantAccess,
     Visitor,
 };
-
-use crate::seed::InPlaceSeed;
+use crate::private::{self, InPlaceSeed};
 
 #[cfg(any(feature = "std", feature = "alloc"))]
-use crate::de::size_hint;
+use crate::private::size_hint;
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
@@ -2174,7 +2173,7 @@ impl<'de> Deserialize<'de> for Duration {
                             b"secs" => Ok(Field::Secs),
                             b"nanos" => Ok(Field::Nanos),
                             _ => {
-                                let value = crate::lib::from_utf8_lossy(value);
+                                let value = private::string::from_utf8_lossy(value);
                                 Err(Error::unknown_field(&*value, FIELDS))
                             }
                         }
@@ -2465,6 +2464,7 @@ mod range {
     use crate::lib::*;
 
     use crate::de::{Deserialize, Deserializer, Error, MapAccess, SeqAccess, Visitor};
+    use crate::private;
 
     pub const FIELDS: &[&str] = &["start", "end"];
 
@@ -2510,7 +2510,7 @@ mod range {
                         b"start" => Ok(Field::Start),
                         b"end" => Ok(Field::End),
                         _ => {
-                            let value = crate::lib::from_utf8_lossy(value);
+                            let value = private::string::from_utf8_lossy(value);
                             Err(Error::unknown_field(&*value, FIELDS))
                         }
                     }
@@ -2623,6 +2623,7 @@ mod range_from {
     use crate::lib::*;
 
     use crate::de::{Deserialize, Deserializer, Error, MapAccess, SeqAccess, Visitor};
+    use crate::private;
 
     pub const FIELDS: &[&str] = &["start"];
 
@@ -2665,7 +2666,7 @@ mod range_from {
                     match value {
                         b"start" => Ok(Field::Start),
                         _ => {
-                            let value = crate::lib::from_utf8_lossy(value);
+                            let value = private::string::from_utf8_lossy(value);
                             Err(Error::unknown_field(&*value, FIELDS))
                         }
                     }
@@ -2761,6 +2762,7 @@ mod range_to {
     use crate::lib::*;
 
     use crate::de::{Deserialize, Deserializer, Error, MapAccess, SeqAccess, Visitor};
+    use crate::private;
 
     pub const FIELDS: &[&str] = &["end"];
 
@@ -2803,7 +2805,7 @@ mod range_to {
                     match value {
                         b"end" => Ok(Field::End),
                         _ => {
-                            let value = crate::lib::from_utf8_lossy(value);
+                            let value = private::string::from_utf8_lossy(value);
                             Err(Error::unknown_field(&*value, FIELDS))
                         }
                     }
diff --git a/serde_core/src/de/mod.rs b/serde_core/src/de/mod.rs
index fa1fecdf..b036f478 100644
--- a/serde_core/src/de/mod.rs
+++ b/serde_core/src/de/mod.rs
@@ -120,10 +120,9 @@ pub mod value;
 
 mod ignored_any;
 mod impls;
-pub mod size_hint;
 
 pub use self::ignored_any::IgnoredAny;
-pub use crate::seed::InPlaceSeed;
+pub use crate::private::InPlaceSeed;
 #[cfg(all(not(feature = "std"), no_core_error))]
 #[doc(no_inline)]
 pub use crate::std_error::Error as StdError;
diff --git a/serde_core/src/de/value.rs b/serde_core/src/de/value.rs
index 8f9c0b48..3d5475de 100644
--- a/serde_core/src/de/value.rs
+++ b/serde_core/src/de/value.rs
@@ -24,7 +24,8 @@
 use crate::lib::*;
 
 use self::private::{First, Second};
-use crate::de::{self, size_hint, Deserializer, Expected, IntoDeserializer, SeqAccess, Visitor};
+use crate::de::{self, Deserializer, Expected, IntoDeserializer, SeqAccess, Visitor};
+use crate::private::size_hint;
 use crate::ser;
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
diff --git a/serde_core/src/lib.rs b/serde_core/src/lib.rs
index 50fa971e..c45435a2 100644
--- a/serde_core/src/lib.rs
+++ b/serde_core/src/lib.rs
@@ -103,7 +103,6 @@ mod lib {
     pub use self::core::{cmp, mem};
 
     pub use self::core::cell::{Cell, RefCell};
-
     pub use self::core::cmp::Reverse;
     pub use self::core::fmt::{self, Debug, Display, Write as FmtWrite};
     pub use self::core::marker::PhantomData;
@@ -203,27 +202,6 @@ mod lib {
 
     #[cfg(not(no_core_num_saturating))]
     pub use self::core::num::Saturating;
-    #[cfg(any(feature = "std", feature = "alloc"))]
-    #[doc(hidden)]
-    pub fn from_utf8_lossy(bytes: &[u8]) -> Cow<'_, str> {
-        String::from_utf8_lossy(bytes)
-    }
-
-    // The generated code calls this like:
-    //
-    //     let value = &_serde::__private::from_utf8_lossy(bytes);
-    //     Err(_serde::de::Error::unknown_variant(value, VARIANTS))
-    //
-    // so it is okay for the return type to be different from the std case as long
-    // as the above works.
-    #[cfg(not(any(feature = "std", feature = "alloc")))]
-    #[doc(hidden)]
-    pub fn from_utf8_lossy(bytes: &[u8]) -> &str {
-        // Three unicode replacement characters if it fails. They look like a
-        // white-on-black question mark. The user will recognize it as invalid
-        // UTF-8.
-        str::from_utf8(bytes).unwrap_or("\u{fffd}\u{fffd}\u{fffd}")
-    }
 }
 
 // None of this crate's error handling needs the `From::from` error conversion
@@ -243,8 +221,6 @@ macro_rules! tri {
 
 #[macro_use]
 mod macros;
-#[doc(hidden)]
-pub use crate::lib::result::Result;
 
 #[macro_use]
 mod integer128;
@@ -259,20 +235,12 @@ pub use crate::de::{Deserialize, Deserializer};
 #[doc(inline)]
 pub use crate::ser::{Serialize, Serializer};
 
-#[doc(hidden)]
-pub use lib::from_utf8_lossy;
-
 // Used by generated code. Not public API.
-#[cfg(all(not(no_serde_derive), any(feature = "std", feature = "alloc")))]
 #[doc(hidden)]
-#[path = "private.rs"]
+#[path = "private/mod.rs"]
 pub mod __private;
-#[cfg(all(not(no_serde_derive), any(feature = "std", feature = "alloc")))]
 use self::__private as private;
 
-#[path = "de/seed.rs"]
-mod seed;
-
 #[cfg(all(not(feature = "std"), no_core_error))]
 mod std_error;
 
diff --git a/serde_core/src/macros.rs b/serde_core/src/macros.rs
index 8bf2d442..b9567305 100644
--- a/serde_core/src/macros.rs
+++ b/serde_core/src/macros.rs
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ macro_rules! forward_to_deserialize_any {
 macro_rules! forward_to_deserialize_any_method {
     ($func:ident<$l:tt, $v:ident>($($arg:ident : $ty:ty),*)) => {
         #[inline]
-        fn $func<$v>(self, $($arg: $ty,)* visitor: $v) -> $crate::Result<$v::Value, <Self as $crate::de::Deserializer<$l>>::Error>
+        fn $func<$v>(self, $($arg: $ty,)* visitor: $v) -> $crate::__private::Result<$v::Value, <Self as $crate::de::Deserializer<$l>>::Error>
         where
             $v: $crate::de::Visitor<$l>,
         {
diff --git a/serde_core/src/private.rs b/serde_core/src/private/content.rs
similarity index 97%
rename from serde_core/src/private.rs
rename to serde_core/src/private/content.rs
index 7abdee7d..8052d1d4 100644
--- a/serde_core/src/private.rs
+++ b/serde_core/src/private/content.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-use crate::de::{
-    self, size_hint, Deserialize, Deserializer, EnumAccess, MapAccess, SeqAccess, Visitor,
-};
+use crate::de::{self, Deserialize, Deserializer, EnumAccess, MapAccess, SeqAccess, Visitor};
 use crate::lib::*;
+use crate::private::size_hint;
 
 // Used from generated code to buffer the contents of the Deserializer when
 // deserializing untagged enums and internally tagged enums.
diff --git a/serde_core/src/private/mod.rs b/serde_core/src/private/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..745f40d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/serde_core/src/private/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+#[cfg(all(not(no_serde_derive), any(feature = "std", feature = "alloc")))]
+mod content;
+mod seed;
+
+#[doc(hidden)]
+pub mod size_hint;
+
+#[doc(hidden)]
+pub mod string;
+
+#[cfg(all(not(no_serde_derive), any(feature = "std", feature = "alloc")))]
+#[doc(hidden)]
+pub use self::content::{Content, ContentVisitor};
+#[doc(hidden)]
+pub use self::seed::InPlaceSeed;
+#[doc(hidden)]
+pub use crate::lib::result::Result;
diff --git a/serde_core/src/de/seed.rs b/serde_core/src/private/seed.rs
similarity index 100%
rename from serde_core/src/de/seed.rs
rename to serde_core/src/private/seed.rs
diff --git a/serde_core/src/de/size_hint.rs b/serde_core/src/private/size_hint.rs
similarity index 71%
rename from serde_core/src/de/size_hint.rs
rename to serde_core/src/private/size_hint.rs
index 92d19270..783281b4 100644
--- a/serde_core/src/de/size_hint.rs
+++ b/serde_core/src/private/size_hint.rs
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
-//! Provides helpers for creating size hints for container deserialization.
 #[cfg(any(feature = "std", feature = "alloc"))]
 use crate::lib::*;
 
-/// Extracts the exact size of an iterator if it has a known upper bound and it matches the lower bound.
 pub fn from_bounds<I>(iter: &I) -> Option<usize>
 where
     I: Iterator,
@@ -10,7 +8,6 @@ where
     helper(iter.size_hint())
 }
 
-/// Returns conservative size estimate for a container, clamping the result to a maximum size.
 #[cfg(any(feature = "std", feature = "alloc"))]
 pub fn cautious<Element>(hint: Option<usize>) -> usize {
     const MAX_PREALLOC_BYTES: usize = 1024 * 1024;
diff --git a/serde_core/src/private/string.rs b/serde_core/src/private/string.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c8121a0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/serde_core/src/private/string.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+use crate::lib::*;
+
+#[cfg(any(feature = "std", feature = "alloc"))]
+#[doc(hidden)]
+pub fn from_utf8_lossy(bytes: &[u8]) -> Cow<'_, str> {
+    String::from_utf8_lossy(bytes)
+}
+
+// The generated code calls this like:
+//
+//     let value = &_serde::__private::from_utf8_lossy(bytes);
+//     Err(_serde::de::Error::unknown_variant(value, VARIANTS))
+//
+// so it is okay for the return type to be different from the std case as long
+// as the above works.
+#[cfg(not(any(feature = "std", feature = "alloc")))]
+#[doc(hidden)]
+pub fn from_utf8_lossy(bytes: &[u8]) -> &str {
+    // Three unicode replacement characters if it fails. They look like a
+    // white-on-black question mark. The user will recognize it as invalid
+    // UTF-8.
+    str::from_utf8(bytes).unwrap_or("\u{fffd}\u{fffd}\u{fffd}")
+}