diff --git a/docs/mkdocs/docs/features/binary_formats/bjdata.md b/docs/mkdocs/docs/features/binary_formats/bjdata.md
index faff64f16..d3f63a9b8 100644
--- a/docs/mkdocs/docs/features/binary_formats/bjdata.md
+++ b/docs/mkdocs/docs/features/binary_formats/bjdata.md
@@ -125,6 +125,7 @@ The library uses the following mapping from JSON values types to BJData types ac
 
     - `"_ArrayType_"` is one of `uint8`, `int8`, `uint16`, `int16`, `uint32`, `int32`, `uint64`, `int64`, `single`,
       `double`, `char`, or `byte`,
+    - `"_ArraySize_"` is an array, since the dimensions are written as the ND-array header's length,
     - every entry of `"_ArraySize_"` is a non-negative integer, and their product is representable as a `std::size_t`,
     - `"_ArrayData_"` holds exactly that many elements, and
     - every element of `"_ArrayData_"` is a number of the kind named by `"_ArrayType_"` (a floating-point number for
diff --git a/include/nlohmann/detail/output/binary_writer.hpp b/include/nlohmann/detail/output/binary_writer.hpp
index e636c6d84..b8e9efa45 100644
--- a/include/nlohmann/detail/output/binary_writer.hpp
+++ b/include/nlohmann/detail/output/binary_writer.hpp
@@ -1668,6 +1668,15 @@ class binary_writer
         CharType dtype = it->second;
 
         key = "_ArraySize_";
+        // the dimensions are written verbatim as the header length below, so a
+        // value that is not an array cannot produce a valid one: null emits 'Z'
+        // and an object emits '{', neither of which a reader accepts after '#'.
+        // Such an object is not a valid ndarray and falls back to a plain object.
+        if (!value.at(key).is_array())
+        {
+            return true;
+        }
+
         std::size_t len = (value.at(key).empty() ? 0 : 1);
         for (const auto& el : value.at(key))
         {
diff --git a/single_include/nlohmann/json.hpp b/single_include/nlohmann/json.hpp
index 9c6ed1335..31bfb869d 100644
--- a/single_include/nlohmann/json.hpp
+++ b/single_include/nlohmann/json.hpp
@@ -18676,6 +18676,15 @@ class binary_writer
         CharType dtype = it->second;
 
         key = "_ArraySize_";
+        // the dimensions are written verbatim as the header length below, so a
+        // value that is not an array cannot produce a valid one: null emits 'Z'
+        // and an object emits '{', neither of which a reader accepts after '#'.
+        // Such an object is not a valid ndarray and falls back to a plain object.
+        if (!value.at(key).is_array())
+        {
+            return true;
+        }
+
         std::size_t len = (value.at(key).empty() ? 0 : 1);
         for (const auto& el : value.at(key))
         {
diff --git a/tests/src/unit-bjdata.cpp b/tests/src/unit-bjdata.cpp
index 41feb5288..7d0dd5ff2 100644
--- a/tests/src/unit-bjdata.cpp
+++ b/tests/src/unit-bjdata.cpp
@@ -2751,6 +2751,31 @@ TEST_CASE("BJData")
                 CHECK(json::to_bjdata(j_ok) == std::vector<uint8_t>({'[', '$', 'U', '#', '[', 'i', 2, 'i', 3, ']', 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}));
                 CHECK(json::from_bjdata(json::to_bjdata(j_ok), true, true) == j_ok);
             }
+
+            SECTION("ndarray whose _ArraySize_ is not an array stays as object")
+            {
+                // the shape is written verbatim as the header length, so a
+                // value that is not an array cannot produce a valid one: null
+                // would emit 'Z' and an object '{', neither of which a reader
+                // accepts after '#'. Both have to stay plain objects.
+                json const j_null = json({{"_ArrayType_", "uint8"}, {"_ArraySize_", nullptr}, {"_ArrayData_", json::array()}});
+                const auto out_null = json::to_bjdata(j_null);
+                CHECK(out_null.at(0) == '{');
+                CHECK(json::from_bjdata(out_null) == j_null);
+
+                // an object shape passes the per-entry check by iterating its
+                // values rather than dimensions, so it needs rejecting too
+                json const j_obj = json({{"_ArrayType_", "uint8"}, {"_ArraySize_", {{"a", 1}}}, {"_ArrayData_", {1}}});
+                const auto out_obj = json::to_bjdata(j_obj);
+                CHECK(out_obj.at(0) == '{');
+                CHECK(json::from_bjdata(out_obj) == j_obj);
+
+                // a scalar shape is not a dimension list either
+                json const j_num = json({{"_ArrayType_", "uint8"}, {"_ArraySize_", 1}, {"_ArrayData_", {1}}});
+                const auto out_num = json::to_bjdata(j_num);
+                CHECK(out_num.at(0) == '{');
+                CHECK(json::from_bjdata(out_num) == j_num);
+            }
         }
     }