diff --git a/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/reporting/diagnostic/ErrorMessageID.scala b/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/reporting/diagnostic/ErrorMessageID.scala
index 3365459486a4..aa7a58e5024d 100644
--- a/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/reporting/diagnostic/ErrorMessageID.scala
+++ b/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/reporting/diagnostic/ErrorMessageID.scala
@@ -148,7 +148,8 @@ enum ErrorMessageID extends java.lang.Enum[ErrorMessageID] {
     IllegalSuperAccessorID,
     TraitParameterUsedAsParentPrefixID,
     UnknownNamedEnclosingClassOrObjectID,
-    IllegalCyclicTypeReferenceID
+    IllegalCyclicTypeReferenceID,
+    MissingTypeParameterInTypeAppID
 
   def errorNumber = ordinal - 2
 }
diff --git a/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/reporting/diagnostic/messages.scala b/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/reporting/diagnostic/messages.scala
index f1088b68b27b..ffb1d7299a4a 100644
--- a/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/reporting/diagnostic/messages.scala
+++ b/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/reporting/diagnostic/messages.scala
@@ -1457,6 +1457,15 @@ object messages {
     val explanation: String = ""
   }
 
+  case class MissingTypeParameterInTypeApp(tpe: Type)(implicit ctx: Context)
+    extends Message(MissingTypeParameterInTypeAppID) {
+    val numParams = tpe.typeParams.length
+    val parameters = if (numParams == 1) "parameter" else "parameters"
+    val msg: String = em"Missing type $parameters for $tpe"
+    val kind: String = "Type Mismatch"
+    val explanation: String = em"A fully applied type is expected but $tpe takes $numParams $parameters."
+  }
+
   case class DoesNotConformToBound(tpe: Type, which: String, bound: Type)(
     err: Errors)(implicit ctx: Context)
     extends Message(DoesNotConformToBoundID) {
diff --git a/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/typer/Checking.scala b/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/typer/Checking.scala
index 7df77bcee979..7fc252c5d6b0 100644
--- a/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/typer/Checking.scala
+++ b/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/typer/Checking.scala
@@ -50,8 +50,7 @@ object Checking {
   def checkBounds(args: List[tpd.Tree], boundss: List[TypeBounds], instantiate: (Type, List[Type]) => Type, app: Type = NoType)(implicit ctx: Context): Unit = {
     args.lazyZip(boundss).foreach { (arg, bound) =>
       if (!bound.isLambdaSub && !arg.tpe.hasSimpleKind)
-        // see MissingTypeParameterFor
-        ctx.error(ex"missing type parameter(s) for $arg", arg.sourcePos)
+        errorTree(arg, MissingTypeParameterInTypeApp(arg.tpe))
     }
     for ((arg, which, bound) <- ctx.boundsViolations(args, boundss, instantiate, app))
       ctx.error(
diff --git a/compiler/test/dotty/tools/dotc/reporting/ErrorMessagesTests.scala b/compiler/test/dotty/tools/dotc/reporting/ErrorMessagesTests.scala
index eb5c7f4930d6..79718477c6c4 100644
--- a/compiler/test/dotty/tools/dotc/reporting/ErrorMessagesTests.scala
+++ b/compiler/test/dotty/tools/dotc/reporting/ErrorMessagesTests.scala
@@ -636,6 +636,21 @@ class ErrorMessagesTests extends ErrorMessagesTest {
       assertEquals("List", tpe.show)
     }
 
+  @Test def missingTypeParameterInTypeApp =
+    checkMessagesAfter(RefChecks.name) {
+      """object Scope {
+        |  def f[T] = ???
+        |  val x = f[List]
+        |  val y = f[Either]
+        |}""".stripMargin
+    }
+    .expect { (ictx, messages) =>
+      implicit val ctx: Context = ictx
+      assertMessageCount(2, messages)
+      assertEquals("Missing type parameter for List", messages(1).msg)
+      assertEquals("Missing type parameters for Either", messages(0).msg)
+    }
+
   @Test def doesNotConformToBound =
     checkMessagesAfter(RefChecks.name) {
       """class WithParam[A <: List[Int]]
diff --git a/tests/neg/kinds2.check b/tests/neg/kinds2.check
index 7f9f3b20e0bc..cd38fc409479 100644
--- a/tests/neg/kinds2.check
+++ b/tests/neg/kinds2.check
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
--- Error: tests/neg/kinds2.scala:14:4 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+-- [E141] Type Mismatch Error: tests/neg/kinds2.scala:14:4 -------------------------------------------------------------
 14 |  f[C] // error: missing type parameter(s)
    |    ^
-   |    missing type parameter(s) for C
+   |    Missing type parameter for Test.C
+
+longer explanation available when compiling with `-explain`