diff --git a/mlir/lib/Dialect/Complex/IR/ComplexDialect.cpp b/mlir/lib/Dialect/Complex/IR/ComplexDialect.cpp
--- a/mlir/lib/Dialect/Complex/IR/ComplexDialect.cpp
+++ b/mlir/lib/Dialect/Complex/IR/ComplexDialect.cpp
@@ -48,11 +48,16 @@
     ::llvm::function_ref<::mlir::InFlightDiagnostic()> emitError,
     ::llvm::APFloat real, ::llvm::APFloat imag, ::mlir::Type type) {
 
-  if (!type.isa<FloatType>())
+  if (!type.isa<ComplexType>())
+    return emitError() << "complex attribute must be a complex type.";
+
+  Type elementType = type.cast<ComplexType>().getElementType();
+  if (!elementType.isa<FloatType>())
     return emitError()
-           << "element of the complex attribute must be float like type.";
+           << "element type of the complex attribute must be float like type.";
 
-  const auto &typeFloatSemantics = type.cast<FloatType>().getFloatSemantics();
+  const auto &typeFloatSemantics =
+      elementType.cast<FloatType>().getFloatSemantics();
   if (&real.getSemantics() != &typeFloatSemantics)
     return emitError()
            << "type doesn't match the type implied by its `real` value";
@@ -64,7 +69,8 @@
 }
 
 void complex::NumberAttr::print(AsmPrinter &printer) const {
-  printer << "<:" << getType() << " " << getReal() << ", " << getImag() << ">";
+  printer << "<:" << getType().cast<ComplexType>().getElementType() << " "
+          << getReal() << ", " << getImag() << ">";
 }
 
 Attribute complex::NumberAttr::parse(AsmParser &parser, Type odsType) {
@@ -82,5 +88,6 @@
   APFloat imagFloat(imag);
   imagFloat.convert(type.cast<FloatType>().getFloatSemantics(),
                     APFloat::rmNearestTiesToEven, &unused);
-  return NumberAttr::get(parser.getContext(), realFloat, imagFloat, type);
+  return NumberAttr::get(parser.getContext(), realFloat, imagFloat,
+                         ComplexType::get(type));
 }
diff --git a/mlir/test/Dialect/Complex/attribute.mlir b/mlir/test/Dialect/Complex/attribute.mlir
--- a/mlir/test/Dialect/Complex/attribute.mlir
+++ b/mlir/test/Dialect/Complex/attribute.mlir
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 func.func @number_attr_f64() {
   "test.number_attr"() {
-    // CHECK: attr = #complex.number<:f64 1.000000e+00, 0.000000e+00> : f64
+    // CHECK: attr = #complex.number<:f64 1.000000e+00, 0.000000e+00> : complex<f64>
     attr = #complex.number<:f64 1.0, 0.0>
   } : () -> ()
 
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 func.func @number_attr_f32() {
   "test.number_attr"() {
-    // CHECK: attr = #complex.number<:f32 1.000000e+00, 0.000000e+00> : f32
+    // CHECK: attr = #complex.number<:f32 1.000000e+00, 0.000000e+00> : complex<f32>
     attr = #complex.number<:f32 1.0, 0.0>
   } : () -> ()