diff --git a/src/Raku/Actions.nqp b/src/Raku/Actions.nqp
index e666054274c..17d7645508c 100644
--- a/src/Raku/Actions.nqp
+++ b/src/Raku/Actions.nqp
@@ -1257,8 +1257,9 @@ class Raku::Actions is HLL::Actions does Raku::CommonActions {
         my $decl;
         if $<desigilname> {
             my str $name := $<sigil> ~ ($<twigil> || '') ~ $<desigilname>;
+            my $shape := $<semilist> ?? $<semilist>[0].ast !! self.r('SemiList');
             $decl := self.r('VarDeclaration', 'Simple').new:
-                :$scope, :$type, :$name, :$initializer;
+                :$scope, :$type, :$name, :$initializer, :$shape;
             if $scope eq 'my' || $scope eq 'state' || $scope eq 'our' {
                 $*R.declare-lexical($decl);
             }
diff --git a/src/Raku/Grammar.nqp b/src/Raku/Grammar.nqp
index b316f0359c5..f106e7c2d10 100644
--- a/src/Raku/Grammar.nqp
+++ b/src/Raku/Grammar.nqp
@@ -1916,6 +1916,7 @@ grammar Raku::Grammar is HLL::Grammar does Raku::Common {
 
     token variable_declarator {
         :my $*IN_DECL := 'variable';
+        :my $sigil;
         [
         | <sigil> <twigil>? <desigilname>?
         | $<sigil>=['$'] $<desigilname>=[<[/_!¢]>]
@@ -1924,7 +1925,41 @@ grammar Raku::Grammar is HLL::Grammar does Raku::Common {
         {
             $*IN_DECL := '';
             $*LEFTSIGIL := nqp::substr(self.orig(), self.from, 1) unless $*LEFTSIGIL;
+            $sigil := $<sigil>.Str;
         }
+        [
+            <.unsp>?
+            $<shape>=[
+            | '(' ~ ')' <signature>
+                {
+                    if $sigil eq '&' {
+                        self.typed_sorry('X::Syntax::Reserved',
+                            reserved => '() shape syntax in routine declarations',
+                            instead => ' (maybe use :() to declare a longname?)'
+                        );
+                    }
+                    elsif $sigil eq '@' {
+                        self.typed_sorry('X::Syntax::Reserved',
+                            reserved => '() shape syntax in array declarations');
+                    }
+                    elsif $sigil eq '%' {
+                        self.typed_sorry('X::Syntax::Reserved',
+                            reserved => '() shape syntax in hash declarations');
+                    }
+                    else {
+                        self.typed_sorry('X::Syntax::Reserved',
+                            reserved => '() shape syntax in variable declarations');
+                    }
+                }
+            | :dba('shape definition') '[' ~ ']' <semilist>
+                { $sigil ne '@' && self.typed_sorry('X::Syntax::Reserved',
+                    reserved => '[] shape syntax with the ' ~ $sigil ~ ' sigil') }
+            | :dba('shape definition') '{' ~ '}' <semilist>
+                { $sigil ne '%' && self.typed_sorry('X::Syntax::Reserved',
+                    reserved => '{} shape syntax with the ' ~ $sigil ~ ' sigil') }
+            | <?[<]> <postcircumfix> <.NYI: "Shaped variable declarations">
+            ]+
+        ]?
         [ <.ws> <trait>+ ]?
         [<.ws> <initializer>]?
     }
diff --git a/src/Raku/ast/variable-declaration.rakumod b/src/Raku/ast/variable-declaration.rakumod
index f2fd54f34cb..2ef93fb03cb 100644
--- a/src/Raku/ast/variable-declaration.rakumod
+++ b/src/Raku/ast/variable-declaration.rakumod
@@ -164,11 +164,12 @@ class RakuAST::VarDeclaration::Simple is RakuAST::Declaration is RakuAST::Implic
     has str $.name;
     has str $!storage-name;
     has RakuAST::Initializer $.initializer;
+    has RakuAST::SemiList $.shape;
     has RakuAST::Package $!attribute-package;
     has Mu $!package;
 
     method new(str :$name!, RakuAST::Type :$type, RakuAST::Initializer :$initializer,
-               str :$scope) {
+               str :$scope, RakuAST::SemiList :$shape) {
         my $obj := nqp::create(self);
         if nqp::chars($name) < 2 {
             nqp::die('Cannot use RakuAST::VarDeclaration::Simple to declare an anonymous varialbe; use RakuAST::VarDeclaration::Anonymous');
@@ -176,6 +177,7 @@ class RakuAST::VarDeclaration::Simple is RakuAST::Declaration is RakuAST::Implic
         nqp::bindattr_s($obj, RakuAST::VarDeclaration::Simple, '$!name', $name);
         nqp::bindattr_s($obj, RakuAST::Declaration, '$!scope', $scope);
         nqp::bindattr($obj, RakuAST::VarDeclaration::Simple, '$!type', $type // RakuAST::Type);
+        nqp::bindattr($obj, RakuAST::VarDeclaration::Simple, '$!shape', $shape // RakuAST::SemiList);
         nqp::bindattr($obj, RakuAST::VarDeclaration::Simple, '$!initializer',
             $initializer // RakuAST::Initializer);
         $obj
@@ -391,11 +393,16 @@ class RakuAST::VarDeclaration::Simple is RakuAST::Declaration is RakuAST::Implic
                     :scope('lexical'), :decl('contvar'), :name($!name),
                     :value($container)
                 );
-                if self.IMPL-HAS-CONTAINER-BASE-TYPE {
+                if $!shape || self.IMPL-HAS-CONTAINER-BASE-TYPE {
                     $qast := QAST::Op.new( :op('bind'), $qast, QAST::Op.new(
                         :op('callmethod'), :name('new'),
                         QAST::WVal.new( :value(self.IMPL-CONTAINER-BASE-TYPE) )
                     ) );
+                    if $!shape {
+                        my $shape_ast := $!shape.IMPL-TO-QAST($context);
+                        $shape_ast.named('shape');
+                        $qast[1].push($shape_ast);
+                    }
                 }
                 $qast
             }