diff --git a/src/reflect/all_test.go b/src/reflect/all_test.go
index 4431ce2391..fbb6feb0d9 100644
--- a/src/reflect/all_test.go
+++ b/src/reflect/all_test.go
@@ -787,6 +787,7 @@ type Loopy interface{}
 
 var loop1, loop2 Loop
 var loopy1, loopy2 Loopy
+var cycleMap1, cycleMap2, cycleMap3 map[string]interface{}
 
 func init() {
 	loop1 = &loop2
@@ -794,6 +795,13 @@ func init() {
 
 	loopy1 = &loopy2
 	loopy2 = &loopy1
+
+	cycleMap1 = map[string]interface{}{}
+	cycleMap1["cycle"] = cycleMap1
+	cycleMap2 = map[string]interface{}{}
+	cycleMap2["cycle"] = cycleMap2
+	cycleMap3 = map[string]interface{}{}
+	cycleMap3["different"] = cycleMap3
 }
 
 var deepEqualTests = []DeepEqualTest{
@@ -860,6 +868,8 @@ var deepEqualTests = []DeepEqualTest{
 	{&loop1, &loop2, true},
 	{&loopy1, &loopy1, true},
 	{&loopy1, &loopy2, true},
+	{&cycleMap1, &cycleMap2, true},
+	{&cycleMap1, &cycleMap3, false},
 }
 
 func TestDeepEqual(t *testing.T) {
@@ -868,7 +878,7 @@ func TestDeepEqual(t *testing.T) {
 			test.b = test.a
 		}
 		if r := DeepEqual(test.a, test.b); r != test.eq {
-			t.Errorf("DeepEqual(%v, %v) = %v, want %v", test.a, test.b, r, test.eq)
+			t.Errorf("DeepEqual(%#v, %#v) = %v, want %v", test.a, test.b, r, test.eq)
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/reflect/deepequal.go b/src/reflect/deepequal.go
index 5b6694d3f0..f2d46165b5 100644
--- a/src/reflect/deepequal.go
+++ b/src/reflect/deepequal.go
@@ -33,18 +33,20 @@ func deepValueEqual(v1, v2 Value, visited map[visit]bool, depth int) bool {
 
 	// We want to avoid putting more in the visited map than we need to.
 	// For any possible reference cycle that might be encountered,
-	// hard(t) needs to return true for at least one of the types in the cycle.
-	hard := func(k Kind) bool {
-		switch k {
+	// hard(v1, v2) needs to return true for at least one of the types in the cycle,
+	// and it's safe and valid to get Value's internal pointer.
+	hard := func(v1, v2 Value) bool {
+		switch v1.Kind() {
 		case Map, Slice, Ptr, Interface:
-			return true
+			// Nil pointers cannot be cyclic. Avoid putting them in the visited map.
+			return !v1.IsNil() && !v2.IsNil()
 		}
 		return false
 	}
 
-	if v1.CanAddr() && v2.CanAddr() && hard(v1.Kind()) {
-		addr1 := unsafe.Pointer(v1.UnsafeAddr())
-		addr2 := unsafe.Pointer(v2.UnsafeAddr())
+	if hard(v1, v2) {
+		addr1 := v1.ptr
+		addr2 := v2.ptr
 		if uintptr(addr1) > uintptr(addr2) {
 			// Canonicalize order to reduce number of entries in visited.
 			// Assumes non-moving garbage collector.