diff --git a/Objects/dict-common.h b/Objects/dict-common.h
index 3e524686b4..806225fc03 100644
--- a/Objects/dict-common.h
+++ b/Objects/dict-common.h
@@ -59,14 +59,7 @@ struct _dictkeysobject {
        - 8 bytes otherwise (int64_t*)
 
        Dynamically sized, 8 is minimum. */
-    union {
-        int8_t as_1[8];
-        int16_t as_2[4];
-        int32_t as_4[2];
-#if SIZEOF_VOID_P > 4
-        int64_t as_8[1];
-#endif
-    } dk_indices;
+    int64_t dk_indices[1];
 
     /* "PyDictKeyEntry dk_entries[dk_usable];" array follows:
        see the DK_ENTRIES() macro */
diff --git a/Objects/dictobject.c b/Objects/dictobject.c
index 01d913bfce..0b756b68df 100644
--- a/Objects/dictobject.c
+++ b/Objects/dictobject.c
@@ -298,7 +298,7 @@ PyDict_Fini(void)
             2 : sizeof(int32_t))
 #endif
 #define DK_ENTRIES(dk) \
-    ((PyDictKeyEntry*)(&(dk)->dk_indices.as_1[DK_SIZE(dk) * DK_IXSIZE(dk)]))
+    ((PyDictKeyEntry*)(&((int8_t*)((dk)->dk_indices))[DK_SIZE(dk) * DK_IXSIZE(dk)]))
 
 #define DK_DEBUG_INCREF _Py_INC_REFTOTAL _Py_REF_DEBUG_COMMA
 #define DK_DEBUG_DECREF _Py_DEC_REFTOTAL _Py_REF_DEBUG_COMMA
@@ -316,21 +316,21 @@ dk_get_index(PyDictKeysObject *keys, Py_ssize_t i)
     Py_ssize_t ix;
 
     if (s <= 0xff) {
-        int8_t *indices = keys->dk_indices.as_1;
+        int8_t *indices = (int8_t*)(keys->dk_indices);
         ix = indices[i];
     }
     else if (s <= 0xffff) {
-        int16_t *indices = keys->dk_indices.as_2;
+        int16_t *indices = (int16_t*)(keys->dk_indices);
         ix = indices[i];
     }
 #if SIZEOF_VOID_P > 4
     else if (s > 0xffffffff) {
-        int64_t *indices = keys->dk_indices.as_8;
+        int64_t *indices = keys->dk_indices;
         ix = indices[i];
     }
 #endif
     else {
-        int32_t *indices = keys->dk_indices.as_4;
+        int32_t *indices = (int32_t*)(keys->dk_indices);
         ix = indices[i];
     }
     assert(ix >= DKIX_DUMMY);
@@ -346,23 +346,23 @@ dk_set_index(PyDictKeysObject *keys, Py_ssize_t i, Py_ssize_t ix)
     assert(ix >= DKIX_DUMMY);
 
     if (s <= 0xff) {
-        int8_t *indices = keys->dk_indices.as_1;
+        int8_t *indices = (int8_t*)(keys->dk_indices);
         assert(ix <= 0x7f);
         indices[i] = (char)ix;
     }
     else if (s <= 0xffff) {
-        int16_t *indices = keys->dk_indices.as_2;
+        int16_t *indices = (int16_t*)(keys->dk_indices);
         assert(ix <= 0x7fff);
         indices[i] = (int16_t)ix;
     }
 #if SIZEOF_VOID_P > 4
     else if (s > 0xffffffff) {
-        int64_t *indices = keys->dk_indices.as_8;
+        int64_t *indices = keys->dk_indices;
         indices[i] = ix;
     }
 #endif
     else {
-        int32_t *indices = keys->dk_indices.as_4;
+        int32_t *indices = (int32_t*)(keys->dk_indices);
         assert(ix <= 0x7fffffff);
         indices[i] = (int32_t)ix;
     }
@@ -421,8 +421,7 @@ static PyDictKeysObject empty_keys_struct = {
         lookdict_split, /* dk_lookup */
         0, /* dk_usable (immutable) */
         0, /* dk_nentries */
-        .dk_indices = { .as_1 = {DKIX_EMPTY, DKIX_EMPTY, DKIX_EMPTY, DKIX_EMPTY,
-                                 DKIX_EMPTY, DKIX_EMPTY, DKIX_EMPTY, DKIX_EMPTY}},
+        {DKIX_EMPTY}, /* dk_indices */
 };
 
 static PyObject *empty_values[1] = { NULL };
@@ -543,7 +542,7 @@ static PyDictKeysObject *new_keys_object(Py_ssize_t size)
     dk->dk_usable = usable;
     dk->dk_lookup = lookdict_unicode_nodummy;
     dk->dk_nentries = 0;
-    memset(&dk->dk_indices.as_1[0], 0xff, es * size);
+    memset(&dk->dk_indices[0], 0xff, es * size);
     memset(DK_ENTRIES(dk), 0, sizeof(PyDictKeyEntry) * usable);
     return dk;
 }