diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/stencil.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/stencil.go
index 8001d6d398..071a2f44c2 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/stencil.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/stencil.go
@@ -553,7 +553,25 @@ func (subst *subster) typ(t *types.Type) *types.Type {
 				return subst.targs[i].Type()
 			}
 		}
-		return t
+		// If t is a simple typeparam T, then t has the name/symbol 'T'
+		// and t.Underlying() == t.
+		//
+		// However, consider the type definition: 'type P[T any] T'. We
+		// might use this definition so we can have a variant of type T
+		// that we can add new methods to. Suppose t is a reference to
+		// P[T]. t has the name 'P[T]', but its kind is TTYPEPARAM,
+		// because P[T] is defined as T. If we look at t.Underlying(), it
+		// is different, because the name of t.Underlying() is 'T' rather
+		// than 'P[T]'. But the kind of t.Underlying() is also TTYPEPARAM.
+		// In this case, we do the needed recursive substitution in the
+		// case statement below.
+		if t.Underlying() == t {
+			// t is a simple typeparam that didn't match anything in tparam
+			return t
+		}
+		// t is a more complex typeparam (e.g. P[T], as above, whose
+		// definition is just T).
+		assert(t.Sym() != nil)
 	}
 
 	var newsym *types.Sym
@@ -591,6 +609,15 @@ func (subst *subster) typ(t *types.Type) *types.Type {
 	var newt *types.Type
 
 	switch t.Kind() {
+	case types.TTYPEPARAM:
+		if t.Sym() == newsym {
+			// The substitution did not change the type.
+			return t
+		}
+		// Substitute the underlying typeparam (e.g. T in P[T], see
+		// the example describing type P[T] above).
+		newt = subst.typ(t.Underlying())
+		assert(newt != t)
 
 	case types.TARRAY:
 		elem := t.Elem()
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/types.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/types.go
index dfcf55d9c8..96bf75d594 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/types.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/types.go
@@ -180,11 +180,18 @@ func (g *irgen) typ0(typ types2.Type) *types.Type {
 		return types.NewInterface(g.tpkg(typ), append(embeddeds, methods...))
 
 	case *types2.TypeParam:
-		tp := types.NewTypeParam(g.tpkg(typ), g.typ(typ.Bound()))
+		tp := types.NewTypeParam(g.tpkg(typ))
 		// Save the name of the type parameter in the sym of the type.
 		// Include the types2 subscript in the sym name
 		sym := g.pkg(typ.Obj().Pkg()).Lookup(types2.TypeString(typ, func(*types2.Package) string { return "" }))
 		tp.SetSym(sym)
+		// Set g.typs[typ] in case the bound methods reference typ.
+		g.typs[typ] = tp
+
+		// TODO(danscales): we don't currently need to use the bounds
+		// anywhere, so eventually we can probably remove.
+		bound := g.typ(typ.Bound())
+		*tp.Methods() = *bound.Methods()
 		return tp
 
 	case *types2.Tuple:
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/types/fmt.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/types/fmt.go
index c59f62e302..e29c826bb7 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/types/fmt.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/types/fmt.go
@@ -318,7 +318,7 @@ func tconv2(b *bytes.Buffer, t *Type, verb rune, mode fmtMode, visited map[*Type
 	}
 
 	// Unless the 'L' flag was specified, if the type has a name, just print that name.
-	if verb != 'L' && t.Sym() != nil && t != Types[t.Kind()] && t.Kind() != TTYPEPARAM {
+	if verb != 'L' && t.Sym() != nil && t != Types[t.Kind()] {
 		switch mode {
 		case fmtTypeID, fmtTypeIDName:
 			if verb == 'S' {
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/types/type.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/types/type.go
index d76d9b409f..ffaf755345 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/types/type.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/types/type.go
@@ -1742,12 +1742,9 @@ func NewInterface(pkg *Pkg, methods []*Field) *Type {
 	return t
 }
 
-// NewTypeParam returns a new type param with the given constraint (which may
-// not really be needed except for the type checker).
-func NewTypeParam(pkg *Pkg, constraint *Type) *Type {
+// NewTypeParam returns a new type param.
+func NewTypeParam(pkg *Pkg) *Type {
 	t := New(TTYPEPARAM)
-	constraint.wantEtype(TINTER)
-	t.methods = constraint.methods
 	t.Extra.(*Interface).pkg = pkg
 	t.SetHasTParam(true)
 	return t
diff --git a/test/typeparam/absdiff.go b/test/typeparam/absdiff.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5dd58f14f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/typeparam/absdiff.go
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+// run -gcflags=-G=3
+
+// Copyright 2020 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	//"math"
+)
+
+type Numeric interface {
+	type int, int8, int16, int32, int64,
+		uint, uint8, uint16, uint32, uint64, uintptr,
+		float32, float64,
+		complex64, complex128
+}
+
+// numericAbs matches numeric types with an Abs method.
+type numericAbs[T any] interface {
+	Numeric
+	Abs() T
+}
+
+// AbsDifference computes the absolute value of the difference of
+// a and b, where the absolute value is determined by the Abs method.
+func absDifference[T numericAbs[T]](a, b T) T {
+	d := a - b
+	return d.Abs()
+}
+
+// orderedNumeric matches numeric types that support the < operator.
+type orderedNumeric interface {
+	type int, int8, int16, int32, int64,
+		uint, uint8, uint16, uint32, uint64, uintptr,
+		float32, float64
+}
+
+// Complex matches the two complex types, which do not have a < operator.
+type Complex interface {
+	type complex64, complex128
+}
+
+// orderedAbs is a helper type that defines an Abs method for
+// ordered numeric types.
+type orderedAbs[T orderedNumeric] T
+
+func (a orderedAbs[T]) Abs() orderedAbs[T] {
+	// TODO(danscales): orderedAbs[T] conversion shouldn't be needed
+	if a < orderedAbs[T](0) {
+		return -a
+	}
+	return a
+}
+
+// complexAbs is a helper type that defines an Abs method for
+// complex types.
+// type complexAbs[T Complex] T
+
+// func (a complexAbs[T]) Abs() complexAbs[T] {
+// 	r := float64(real(a))
+// 	i := float64(imag(a))
+// 	d := math.Sqrt(r * r + i * i)
+// 	return complexAbs[T](complex(d, 0))
+// }
+
+// OrderedAbsDifference returns the absolute value of the difference
+// between a and b, where a and b are of an ordered type.
+func orderedAbsDifference[T orderedNumeric](a, b T) T {
+	return T(absDifference(orderedAbs[T](a), orderedAbs[T](b)))
+}
+
+// ComplexAbsDifference returns the absolute value of the difference
+// between a and b, where a and b are of a complex type.
+// func complexAbsDifference[T Complex](a, b T) T {
+// 	return T(absDifference(complexAbs[T](a), complexAbs[T](b)))
+// }
+
+func main() {
+	if got, want := orderedAbsDifference(1.0, -2.0), 3.0; got != want {
+		panic(fmt.Sprintf("got = %v, want = %v", got, want))
+	}
+	if got, want := orderedAbsDifference(-1.0, 2.0), 3.0; got != want {
+		panic(fmt.Sprintf("got = %v, want = %v", got, want))
+	}
+	if got, want := orderedAbsDifference(-20, 15), 35; got != want {
+		panic(fmt.Sprintf("got = %v, want = %v", got, want))
+	}
+
+	// Still have to handle built-ins real/abs to make this work
+	// if got, want := complexAbsDifference(5.0 + 2.0i, 2.0 - 2.0i), 5; got != want {
+	//	panic(fmt.Sprintf("got = %v, want = %v", got, want)
+	// }
+	// if got, want := complexAbsDifference(2.0 - 2.0i, 5.0 + 2.0i), 5; got != want {
+	//	panic(fmt.Sprintf("got = %v, want = %v", got, want)
+	// }
+}