diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssagen/ssa.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssagen/ssa.go
index a37604963f..e67241004e 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssagen/ssa.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/ssagen/ssa.go
@@ -3277,10 +3277,15 @@ func (s *state) exprCheckPtr(n ir.Node, checkPtrOK bool) *ssa.Value {
 		// slice.ptr
 		n := n.(*ir.ConvExpr)
 		v := s.expr(n.X)
-		arrlen := s.constInt(types.Types[types.TINT], n.Type().Elem().NumElem())
+		nelem := n.Type().Elem().NumElem()
+		arrlen := s.constInt(types.Types[types.TINT], nelem)
 		cap := s.newValue1(ssa.OpSliceLen, types.Types[types.TINT], v)
 		s.boundsCheck(arrlen, cap, ssa.BoundsConvert, false)
-		return s.newValue1(ssa.OpSlicePtrUnchecked, n.Type(), v)
+		op := ssa.OpSlicePtr
+		if nelem == 0 {
+			op = ssa.OpSlicePtrUnchecked
+		}
+		return s.newValue1(op, n.Type(), v)
 
 	case ir.OCALLFUNC:
 		n := n.(*ir.CallExpr)
diff --git a/test/nilptr3.go b/test/nilptr3.go
index 0e818ebf66..5f08a5b20c 100644
--- a/test/nilptr3.go
+++ b/test/nilptr3.go
@@ -248,3 +248,10 @@ func f10(p **int) int {
 	/* */
 	*p // ERROR "removed nil check"
 }
+
+func f11(x []byte) {
+	p := (*[0]byte)(x)
+	_ = *p // ERROR "generated nil check"
+	q := (*[4]byte)(x)
+	_ = *q // ERROR "removed nil check"
+}