diff --git a/cmd/tools/vast/vast.v b/cmd/tools/vast/vast.v
index 6019e0fbb7..9482bfa689 100644
--- a/cmd/tools/vast/vast.v
+++ b/cmd/tools/vast/vast.v
@@ -784,8 +784,9 @@ fn (t Tree) alias_type_decl(node ast.AliasTypeDecl) &Node {
 	mut obj := new_object()
 	obj.add_terse('ast_type', t.string_node('AliasTypeDecl'))
 	obj.add_terse('name', t.string_node(node.name))
-	obj.add_terse('is_pub', t.bool_node(node.is_pub))
+	obj.add_terse('typ', t.type_node(node.typ))
 	obj.add_terse('parent_type', t.type_node(node.parent_type))
+	obj.add_terse('is_pub', t.bool_node(node.is_pub))
 	obj.add('comments', t.array_node_comment(node.comments))
 	obj.add('pos', t.pos(node.pos))
 	return obj
diff --git a/vlib/v/ast/ast.v b/vlib/v/ast/ast.v
index 33347fb6ab..70bbc5951a 100644
--- a/vlib/v/ast/ast.v
+++ b/vlib/v/ast/ast.v
@@ -1183,6 +1183,7 @@ pub struct AliasTypeDecl {
 pub:
 	name        string
 	is_pub      bool
+	typ         Type
 	parent_type Type
 	pos         token.Pos
 	type_pos    token.Pos
diff --git a/vlib/v/checker/checker.v b/vlib/v/checker/checker.v
index 723a066c1e..b12602ac9f 100644
--- a/vlib/v/checker/checker.v
+++ b/vlib/v/checker/checker.v
@@ -435,32 +435,88 @@ fn (mut c Checker) alias_type_decl(node ast.AliasTypeDecl) {
 		c.check_valid_pascal_case(node.name, 'type alias', node.pos)
 	}
 	c.ensure_type_exists(node.parent_type, node.type_pos) or { return }
-	mut typ_sym := c.table.sym(node.parent_type)
-	if typ_sym.kind in [.placeholder, .int_literal, .float_literal] {
-		c.error('unknown type `${typ_sym.name}`', node.type_pos)
-	} else if typ_sym.kind == .alias {
-		orig_sym := c.table.sym((typ_sym.info as ast.Alias).parent_type)
-		c.error('type `${typ_sym.str()}` is an alias, use the original alias type `${orig_sym.name}` instead',
-			node.type_pos)
-	} else if typ_sym.kind == .chan {
-		c.error('aliases of `chan` types are not allowed.', node.type_pos)
-	} else if typ_sym.kind == .function {
-		orig_sym := c.table.type_to_str(node.parent_type)
-		c.error('type `${typ_sym.str()}` is an alias, use the original alias type `${orig_sym}` instead',
-			node.type_pos)
-	} else if typ_sym.kind == .struct_ {
-		if mut typ_sym.info is ast.Struct {
-			// check if the generic param types have been defined
-			for ct in typ_sym.info.concrete_types {
-				ct_sym := c.table.sym(ct)
-				if ct_sym.kind == .placeholder {
-					c.error('unknown type `${ct_sym.name}`', node.type_pos)
+	mut parent_typ_sym := c.table.sym(node.parent_type)
+	match parent_typ_sym.kind {
+		.placeholder, .int_literal, .float_literal {
+			c.error('unknown aliased type `${parent_typ_sym.name}`', node.type_pos)
+		}
+		.alias {
+			orig_sym := c.table.sym((parent_typ_sym.info as ast.Alias).parent_type)
+			c.error('type `${parent_typ_sym.str()}` is an alias, use the original alias type `${orig_sym.name}` instead',
+				node.type_pos)
+		}
+		.chan {
+			c.error('aliases of `chan` types are not allowed', node.type_pos)
+		}
+		.thread {
+			c.error('aliases of `thread` types are not allowed', node.type_pos)
+		}
+		.multi_return {
+			c.error('aliases of function multi return types are not allowed', node.type_pos)
+		}
+		.void {
+			c.error('aliases of the void type are not allowed', node.type_pos)
+		}
+		.function {
+			orig_sym := c.table.type_to_str(node.parent_type)
+			c.error('type `${parent_typ_sym.str()}` is an alias, use the original alias type `${orig_sym}` instead',
+				node.type_pos)
+		}
+		.struct_ {
+			if mut parent_typ_sym.info is ast.Struct {
+				// check if the generic param types have been defined
+				for ct in parent_typ_sym.info.concrete_types {
+					ct_sym := c.table.sym(ct)
+					if ct_sym.kind == .placeholder {
+						c.error('unknown type `${ct_sym.name}`', node.type_pos)
+					}
 				}
 			}
 		}
+		.array {
+			c.check_alias_vs_element_type_of_parent(node, (parent_typ_sym.info as ast.Array).elem_type,
+				'array')
+		}
+		.array_fixed {
+			c.check_alias_vs_element_type_of_parent(node, (parent_typ_sym.info as ast.ArrayFixed).elem_type,
+				'fixed array')
+		}
+		.map {
+			info := parent_typ_sym.info as ast.Map
+			c.check_alias_vs_element_type_of_parent(node, info.key_type, 'map key')
+			c.check_alias_vs_element_type_of_parent(node, info.value_type, 'map value')
+		}
+		.sum_type {
+			// TODO: decide whether the following should be allowed. Note that it currently works,
+			// while `type Sum = int | Sum` is explicitly disallowed:
+			// type Sum = int | Alias
+			// type Alias = Sum
+		}
+		// The rest of the parent symbol kinds are also allowed, since they are either primitive types,
+		// that in turn do not allow recursion, or are abstract enough so that they can not be checked at comptime:
+		else {}
+		/*
+		.voidptr, .byteptr, .charptr {}
+		.char, .rune, .bool {}
+		.string, .enum_, .none_, .any {}
+		.i8, .i16, .int, .i64, .isize {}
+		.u8, .u16, .u32, .u64, .usize {}
+		.f32, .f64 {}
+		.interface_ {}
+		.generic_inst {}
+		.aggregate {}
+		*/
 	}
 }
 
+fn (mut c Checker) check_alias_vs_element_type_of_parent(node ast.AliasTypeDecl, element_type_of_parent ast.Type, label string) {
+	if node.typ.idx() != element_type_of_parent.idx() {
+		return
+	}
+	c.error('recursive declarations of aliases are not allowed - the alias `${node.name}` is used in the ${label}',
+		node.type_pos)
+}
+
 fn (mut c Checker) fn_type_decl(node ast.FnTypeDecl) {
 	c.check_valid_pascal_case(node.name, 'fn type', node.pos)
 	typ_sym := c.table.sym(node.typ)
@@ -4230,6 +4286,12 @@ fn (mut c Checker) ensure_generic_type_specify_type_names(typ ast.Type, pos toke
 	}
 
 	sym := c.table.final_sym(typ)
+	if c.ensure_generic_type_level > 38 {
+		dump(typ)
+		dump(sym.kind)
+		dump(pos)
+		dump(c.ensure_generic_type_level)
+	}
 	match sym.kind {
 		.function {
 			fn_info := sym.info as ast.FnType
diff --git a/vlib/v/checker/tests/recursive_alias_type_err.out b/vlib/v/checker/tests/recursive_alias_type_err.out
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..af733bcfd1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vlib/v/checker/tests/recursive_alias_type_err.out
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+vlib/v/checker/tests/recursive_alias_type_err.vv:1:24: error: recursive declarations of aliases are not allowed - the alias `VTableTypeArray` is used in the array
+    1 | type VTableTypeArray = []VTableTypeArray
+      |                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+    2 | type VTableTypeArrayPointer = []&VTableTypeArrayPointer
+    3 |
+vlib/v/checker/tests/recursive_alias_type_err.vv:2:31: error: recursive declarations of aliases are not allowed - the alias `VTableTypeArrayPointer` is used in the array
+    1 | type VTableTypeArray = []VTableTypeArray
+    2 | type VTableTypeArrayPointer = []&VTableTypeArrayPointer
+      |                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+    3 | 
+    4 | type VTableTypeArrayFixed = [5]VTableTypeArrayFixed
+vlib/v/checker/tests/recursive_alias_type_err.vv:4:29: error: recursive declarations of aliases are not allowed - the alias `VTableTypeArrayFixed` is used in the fixed array
+    2 | type VTableTypeArrayPointer = []&VTableTypeArrayPointer
+    3 | 
+    4 | type VTableTypeArrayFixed = [5]VTableTypeArrayFixed
+      |                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+    5 | type VTableTypeArrayFixedPointer = [5]&VTableTypeArrayFixedPointer
+    6 |
+vlib/v/checker/tests/recursive_alias_type_err.vv:5:36: error: recursive declarations of aliases are not allowed - the alias `VTableTypeArrayFixedPointer` is used in the fixed array
+    3 | 
+    4 | type VTableTypeArrayFixed = [5]VTableTypeArrayFixed
+    5 | type VTableTypeArrayFixedPointer = [5]&VTableTypeArrayFixedPointer
+      |                                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+    6 | 
+    7 | type VTableTypeMap = map[string]VTableTypeMap
+vlib/v/checker/tests/recursive_alias_type_err.vv:7:22: error: recursive declarations of aliases are not allowed - the alias `VTableTypeMap` is used in the map value
+    5 | type VTableTypeArrayFixedPointer = [5]&VTableTypeArrayFixedPointer
+    6 | 
+    7 | type VTableTypeMap = map[string]VTableTypeMap
+      |                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+    8 | type VTableTypeMapOfPointer = map[string]&VTableTypeMapOfPointer
+    9 |
+vlib/v/checker/tests/recursive_alias_type_err.vv:8:31: error: recursive declarations of aliases are not allowed - the alias `VTableTypeMapOfPointer` is used in the map value
+    6 | 
+    7 | type VTableTypeMap = map[string]VTableTypeMap
+    8 | type VTableTypeMapOfPointer = map[string]&VTableTypeMapOfPointer
+      |                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+    9 | 
+   10 | type VTableTypeMapKey = map[VTableTypeMapKey]int
+vlib/v/checker/tests/recursive_alias_type_err.vv:10:25: error: recursive declarations of aliases are not allowed - the alias `VTableTypeMapKey` is used in the map key
+    8 | type VTableTypeMapOfPointer = map[string]&VTableTypeMapOfPointer
+    9 | 
+   10 | type VTableTypeMapKey = map[VTableTypeMapKey]int
+      |                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+   11 | type VTableTypeMapOfPointerKey = map[&VTableTypeMapOfPointerKey]int
+vlib/v/checker/tests/recursive_alias_type_err.vv:11:34: error: recursive declarations of aliases are not allowed - the alias `VTableTypeMapOfPointerKey` is used in the map key
+    9 | 
+   10 | type VTableTypeMapKey = map[VTableTypeMapKey]int
+   11 | type VTableTypeMapOfPointerKey = map[&VTableTypeMapOfPointerKey]int
+      |                                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
diff --git a/vlib/v/checker/tests/recursive_alias_type_err.vv b/vlib/v/checker/tests/recursive_alias_type_err.vv
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..97d86662e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vlib/v/checker/tests/recursive_alias_type_err.vv
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+type VTableTypeArray = []VTableTypeArray
+type VTableTypeArrayPointer = []&VTableTypeArrayPointer
+
+type VTableTypeArrayFixed = [5]VTableTypeArrayFixed
+type VTableTypeArrayFixedPointer = [5]&VTableTypeArrayFixedPointer
+
+type VTableTypeMap = map[string]VTableTypeMap
+type VTableTypeMapOfPointer = map[string]&VTableTypeMapOfPointer
+
+type VTableTypeMapKey = map[VTableTypeMapKey]int
+type VTableTypeMapOfPointerKey = map[&VTableTypeMapOfPointerKey]int
diff --git a/vlib/v/parser/parser.v b/vlib/v/parser/parser.v
index 42b757876d..559d6bfbcf 100644
--- a/vlib/v/parser/parser.v
+++ b/vlib/v/parser/parser.v
@@ -4000,6 +4000,7 @@ fn (mut p Parser) type_decl() ast.TypeDecl {
 	return ast.AliasTypeDecl{
 		name: name
 		is_pub: is_pub
+		typ: idx
 		parent_type: parent_type
 		type_pos: type_pos.extend(type_end_pos)
 		pos: decl_pos