diff --git a/lib/fs.js b/lib/fs.js
index 9554620a040a3a..7d25db7280236a 100644
--- a/lib/fs.js
+++ b/lib/fs.js
@@ -2379,8 +2379,13 @@ WriteStream.prototype.open = function() {
 
 
 WriteStream.prototype._write = function(data, encoding, cb) {
-  if (!(data instanceof Buffer))
-    return this.emit('error', new Error('Invalid data'));
+  if (!(data instanceof Buffer)) {
+    const err = new errors.TypeError('ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE',
+                                     'data',
+                                     'Buffer',
+                                     data);
+    return this.emit('error', err);
+  }
 
   if (typeof this.fd !== 'number') {
     return this.once('open', function() {
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-fs-write-stream.js b/test/parallel/test-fs-write-stream.js
index bba2debf9156e5..1dc25547a9b5b0 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-fs-write-stream.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-fs-write-stream.js
@@ -49,3 +49,16 @@ common.refreshTmpDir();
   });
   stream.destroy();
 }
+
+// Throws if data is not of type Buffer.
+{
+  const stream = fs.createWriteStream(file);
+  common.expectsError(() => {
+    stream._write(42, null, function() {});
+  }, {
+    code: 'ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE',
+    type: TypeError,
+    message: 'The "data" argument must be of type Buffer. Received type number'
+  });
+  stream.destroy();
+}