diff --git a/mesonbuild/scripts/env2mfile.py b/mesonbuild/scripts/env2mfile.py
index bd7b8d5682c0..62fc42258b51 100755
--- a/mesonbuild/scripts/env2mfile.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/scripts/env2mfile.py
@@ -160,6 +160,11 @@ def get_args_from_envvars(infos: MachineInfo) -> None:
     'hurd': 'gnu',
 }
 
+# map from DEB_HOST_ARCH_OS to Meson machine.kernel()
+deb_kernel_map = {
+    'kfreebsd': 'freebsd',
+}
+
 def deb_detect_cmake(infos: MachineInfo, data: T.Dict[str, str]) -> None:
     system_name_map = {'linux': 'Linux', 'kfreebsd': 'kFreeBSD', 'hurd': 'GNU'}
     system_processor_map = {'arm': 'armv7l', 'mips64el': 'mips64', 'powerpc64le': 'ppc64le'}
@@ -203,7 +208,8 @@ def dpkg_architecture_to_machine_info(output: str, options: T.Any) -> MachineInf
     host_os = deb_os_map.get(data['DEB_HOST_ARCH_OS'],
                              data['DEB_HOST_ARCH_OS'])
     host_subsystem = host_os
-    host_kernel = 'linux'
+    host_kernel = deb_kernel_map.get(data['DEB_HOST_ARCH_OS'],
+                                     data['DEB_HOST_ARCH_OS'])
     host_cpu_family = deb_cpu_family_map.get(data['DEB_HOST_GNU_CPU'],
                                              data['DEB_HOST_GNU_CPU'])
     host_cpu = deb_cpu_map.get(data['DEB_HOST_ARCH'],
diff --git a/unittests/internaltests.py b/unittests/internaltests.py
index ccec6d5eae34..915e2881ac60 100644
--- a/unittests/internaltests.py
+++ b/unittests/internaltests.py
@@ -1978,7 +1978,9 @@ def locate_path(program: str) -> T.List[str]:
                     },
                     system='gnu',
                     subsystem='gnu',
-                    # TODO: Currently linux, but should be gnu/hurd/mach?
+                    # TODO: Currently hurd; should match whatever happens
+                    # during native builds, but at the moment native builds
+                    # fail when kernel() is called.
                     # https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/issues/13740
                     kernel='TODO',
                     # TODO: Currently hurd-i386, but should be i686
@@ -2036,8 +2038,7 @@ def locate_path(program: str) -> T.List[str]:
                     },
                     system='kfreebsd',
                     subsystem='kfreebsd',
-                    # TODO: Currently linux but should be freebsd
-                    kernel='TODO',
+                    kernel='freebsd',
                     # TODO: Currently kfreebsd-amd64 but should be x86_64
                     cpu='TODO',
                     cpu_family='x86_64',