diff --git a/flang/include/flang/Optimizer/Dialect/FIRType.h b/flang/include/flang/Optimizer/Dialect/FIRType.h
--- a/flang/include/flang/Optimizer/Dialect/FIRType.h
+++ b/flang/include/flang/Optimizer/Dialect/FIRType.h
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@
 mlir::Type fromRealTypeID(mlir::MLIRContext *context, llvm::Type::TypeID typeID,
                           fir::KindTy kind);
 
-int getTypeCode(mlir::Type ty, KindMapping &kindMap);
+int getTypeCode(mlir::Type ty, const KindMapping &kindMap);
 
 inline bool BaseBoxType::classof(mlir::Type type) {
   return type.isa<fir::BoxType, fir::ClassType>();
@@ -413,6 +413,14 @@
   return fir::unwrapRefType(t).isa<fir::BaseBoxType>();
 }
 
+/// Return a string representation of `ty`. The fir.ref is omitted in the
+/// representation.
+///
+/// fir.array<10x10xf32> -> prefix_10x10xf32
+/// fir.ref<i32> -> i32
+std::string getTypeAsString(mlir::Type ty, const KindMapping &kindMap,
+                            llvm::StringRef prefix = "");
+
 } // namespace fir
 
 #endif // FORTRAN_OPTIMIZER_DIALECT_FIRTYPE_H
diff --git a/flang/lib/Optimizer/Dialect/FIRType.cpp b/flang/lib/Optimizer/Dialect/FIRType.cpp
--- a/flang/lib/Optimizer/Dialect/FIRType.cpp
+++ b/flang/lib/Optimizer/Dialect/FIRType.cpp
@@ -383,7 +383,7 @@
 }
 
 /// Return the ISO_C_BINDING intrinsic module value of type \p ty.
-int getTypeCode(mlir::Type ty, fir::KindMapping &kindMap) {
+int getTypeCode(mlir::Type ty, const fir::KindMapping &kindMap) {
   unsigned width = 0;
   if (mlir::IntegerType intTy = ty.dyn_cast<mlir::IntegerType>()) {
     switch (intTy.getWidth()) {
@@ -473,6 +473,50 @@
   llvm_unreachable("unsupported type");
 }
 
+std::string getTypeAsString(mlir::Type ty, const fir::KindMapping &kindMap,
+                            llvm::StringRef prefix) {
+  std::stringstream name;
+  name << prefix.str();
+  if (!prefix.empty())
+    name << "_";
+  ty = fir::unwrapRefType(ty);
+  while (ty) {
+    if (fir::isa_trivial(ty)) {
+      if (ty.isIntOrIndex()) {
+        name << 'i' << ty.getIntOrFloatBitWidth();
+      } else if (ty.isa<mlir::FloatType>()) {
+        name << 'f' << ty.getIntOrFloatBitWidth();
+      } else if (fir::isa_complex(ty)) {
+        name << 'z';
+        if (auto cplxTy = mlir::dyn_cast_or_null<mlir::ComplexType>(ty)) {
+          auto floatTy = cplxTy.getElementType().cast<mlir::FloatType>();
+          name << floatTy.getWidth();
+        } else if (auto cplxTy = mlir::dyn_cast_or_null<fir::ComplexType>(ty)) {
+          name << kindMap.getRealBitsize(cplxTy.getFKind());
+        }
+      } else if (auto logTy = mlir::dyn_cast_or_null<fir::LogicalType>(ty)) {
+        name << 'l' << kindMap.getLogicalBitsize(logTy.getFKind());
+      } else {
+        llvm::report_fatal_error("unsupported type");
+      }
+      break;
+    } else if (auto charTy = mlir::dyn_cast_or_null<fir::CharacterType>(ty)) {
+      name << 'c' << kindMap.getCharacterBitsize(charTy.getFKind());
+      if (charTy.getLen() != fir::CharacterType::singleton())
+        name << "x" << charTy.getLen();
+      break;
+    } else if (auto seqTy = mlir::dyn_cast_or_null<fir::SequenceType>(ty)) {
+      for (auto extent : seqTy.getShape())
+        name << extent << 'x';
+      ty = seqTy.getEleTy();
+    } else {
+      // TODO: add support for RecordType/BaseBoxType
+      llvm::report_fatal_error("unsupported type");
+    }
+  }
+  return name.str();
+}
+
 } // namespace fir
 
 namespace {
diff --git a/flang/unittests/Optimizer/FIRTypesTest.cpp b/flang/unittests/Optimizer/FIRTypesTest.cpp
--- a/flang/unittests/Optimizer/FIRTypesTest.cpp
+++ b/flang/unittests/Optimizer/FIRTypesTest.cpp
@@ -8,13 +8,19 @@
 
 #include "gtest/gtest.h"
 #include "flang/Optimizer/Dialect/FIRType.h"
+#include "flang/Optimizer/Dialect/Support/KindMapping.h"
 #include "flang/Optimizer/Support/InitFIR.h"
 
 struct FIRTypesTest : public testing::Test {
 public:
-  void SetUp() { fir::support::loadDialects(context); }
-
+  void SetUp() {
+    fir::support::loadDialects(context);
+    kindMap = new fir::KindMapping(&context, kindMapInit, "r42a10c14d28i40l41");
+  }
   mlir::MLIRContext context;
+  fir::KindMapping *kindMap{};
+  std::string kindMapInit =
+      "i10:80,l3:24,a1:8,r54:Double,r62:X86_FP80,r11:PPC_FP128";
 };
 
 // Test fir::isPolymorphicType from flang/Optimizer/Dialect/FIRType.h.
@@ -253,3 +259,22 @@
     EXPECT_EQ(ptrArrNone, fir::updateTypeForUnlimitedPolymorphic(ptrArrTy));
   }
 }
+
+TEST_F(FIRTypesTest, getTypeAsString) {
+  EXPECT_EQ("i32",
+      fir::getTypeAsString(mlir::IntegerType::get(&context, 32), *kindMap));
+  EXPECT_EQ(
+      "f64", fir::getTypeAsString(mlir::FloatType::getF64(&context), *kindMap));
+  EXPECT_EQ(
+      "l8", fir::getTypeAsString(fir::LogicalType::get(&context, 1), *kindMap));
+  EXPECT_EQ("z32",
+      fir::getTypeAsString(
+          mlir::ComplexType::get(mlir::FloatType::getF32(&context)), *kindMap));
+  EXPECT_EQ("c8",
+      fir::getTypeAsString(fir::CharacterType::get(&context, 1, 1), *kindMap));
+  EXPECT_EQ("c8x10",
+      fir::getTypeAsString(fir::CharacterType::get(&context, 1, 10), *kindMap));
+  mlir::Type ty = mlir::IntegerType::get(&context, 64);
+  mlir::Type arrTy = fir::SequenceType::get({10, 20}, ty);
+  EXPECT_EQ("10x20xi64", fir::getTypeAsString(arrTy, *kindMap));
+}