diff --git a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/backend/jvm/EmitVariable.java b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/backend/jvm/EmitVariable.java
index c484a205b..f0e4c5a52 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/backend/jvm/EmitVariable.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/backend/jvm/EmitVariable.java
@@ -1096,11 +1096,12 @@ static void handleMyOperator(EmitterVisitor emitterVisitor, OperatorNode node) {
                     if (CompilerOptions.DEBUG_ENABLED) emitterVisitor.ctx.logDebug("MY " + operator + " " + sigil + name);
                     if (emitterVisitor.ctx.symbolTable.getVariableIndexInCurrentScope(var) != -1) {
                         if (Warnings.warningManager.isWarningEnabled("redefine")) {
+                            String message = operator.equals("our")
+                                    ? "\"" + operator + "\" variable " + var + " redeclared"
+                                    : "\"" + operator + "\" variable " + var + " masks earlier declaration in same scope";
                             System.err.println(
                                     emitterVisitor.ctx.errorUtil.errorMessage(node.getIndex(),
-                                            "Warning: \"" + operator + "\" variable "
-                                                    + var
-                                                    + " masks earlier declaration in same ctx.symbolTable"));
+                                            message));
                         }
                     }
                     int varIndex = emitterVisitor.ctx.symbolTable.addVariable(var, operator, sigilNode);
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/frontend/parser/OperatorParser.java b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/frontend/parser/OperatorParser.java
index ce48e6ec6..ad8e9c69a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/frontend/parser/OperatorParser.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/frontend/parser/OperatorParser.java
@@ -234,11 +234,11 @@ private static void addVariableToScope(EmitterContext ctx, String operator, Oper
                 String name = ((IdentifierNode) identifierNode).name;
                 String var = sigil + name;
                 if (ctx.symbolTable.getVariableIndexInCurrentScope(var) != -1) {
+                    String message = operator.equals("our")
+                            ? "\"" + operator + "\" variable " + var + " redeclared"
+                            : "\"" + operator + "\" variable " + var + " masks earlier declaration in same scope";
                     System.err.println(
-                            ctx.errorUtil.errorMessage(node.getIndex(),
-                                    "Warning: \"" + operator + "\" variable "
-                                            + var
-                                            + " masks earlier declaration in same ctx.symbolTable"));
+                            ctx.errorUtil.errorMessage(node.getIndex(), message));
                 }
                 int varIndex = ctx.symbolTable.addVariable(var, operator, node);
                 // Note: the isDeclaredReference flag is stored in node.annotations