diff --git a/src/uu/mkfifo/locales/en-US.ftl b/src/uu/mkfifo/locales/en-US.ftl
index c6dcae83180..af9f169e4ac 100644
--- a/src/uu/mkfifo/locales/en-US.ftl
+++ b/src/uu/mkfifo/locales/en-US.ftl
@@ -9,6 +9,6 @@ mkfifo-help-context = like -Z, or if CTX is specified then set the SELinux or SM
 # Error messages
 mkfifo-error-invalid-mode = invalid mode: { $error }
 mkfifo-error-missing-operand = missing operand
-mkfifo-error-cannot-create-fifo = cannot create fifo { $path }: File exists
+mkfifo-error-cannot-create-fifo = cannot create fifo { $path }: { $error }
 mkfifo-error-cannot-set-permissions = cannot set permissions on { $path }: { $error }
 mkfifo-error-non-file-permission = mode must specify only file permission bits
diff --git a/src/uu/mkfifo/locales/fr-FR.ftl b/src/uu/mkfifo/locales/fr-FR.ftl
index 14cfc6dd582..da91e0c7bc6 100644
--- a/src/uu/mkfifo/locales/fr-FR.ftl
+++ b/src/uu/mkfifo/locales/fr-FR.ftl
@@ -9,6 +9,6 @@ mkfifo-help-context = comme -Z, ou si CTX est spécifié, définir le contexte d
 # Messages d'erreur
 mkfifo-error-invalid-mode = mode invalide : { $error }
 mkfifo-error-missing-operand = opérande manquant
-mkfifo-error-cannot-create-fifo = impossible de créer le fifo { $path } : Le fichier existe
+mkfifo-error-cannot-create-fifo = impossible de créer le fifo { $path } : { $error }
 mkfifo-error-cannot-set-permissions = impossible de définir les permissions sur { $path } : { $error }
 mkfifo-error-non-file-permission = le mode ne doit spécifier que des bits de permission de fichier
diff --git a/src/uu/mkfifo/src/mkfifo.rs b/src/uu/mkfifo/src/mkfifo.rs
index 46898ade7b6..a21345e380f 100644
--- a/src/uu/mkfifo/src/mkfifo.rs
+++ b/src/uu/mkfifo/src/mkfifo.rs
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 use clap::{Arg, ArgAction, Command, value_parser};
 use rustix::fs::Mode;
 use rustix::process::umask;
+use std::io;
 use uucore::display::Quotable;
 use uucore::error::{UResult, USimpleError};
 use uucore::translate;
@@ -55,10 +56,14 @@ pub fn uumain(args: impl uucore::Args) -> UResult<()> {
         let mkfifo_result = create_fifo(f.as_str(), mode);
         umask(prev_umask);
 
-        if mkfifo_result.is_err() {
+        if let Err(e) = mkfifo_result {
             show!(USimpleError::new(
                 1,
-                translate!("mkfifo-error-cannot-create-fifo", "path" => f.quote()),
+                translate!(
+                    "mkfifo-error-cannot-create-fifo",
+                    "path" => f.quote(),
+                    "error" => os_err_msg(&e)
+                ),
             ));
         } else {
             // Apply SELinux context if requested
@@ -136,19 +141,36 @@ pub fn uu_app() -> Command {
 // libc's path-based `mkfifo` there. Both rely on the caller having cleared
 // the umask so the requested mode is applied atomically (see issue #10020).
 #[cfg(not(target_vendor = "apple"))]
-fn create_fifo(path: &str, mode: u32) -> Result<(), ()> {
+fn create_fifo(path: &str, mode: u32) -> Result<(), io::Error> {
     use rustix::fs::{CWD, mkfifoat};
-    mkfifoat(CWD, path, Mode::from_bits_truncate(mode)).map_err(|_| ())
+    mkfifoat(CWD, path, Mode::from_bits_truncate(mode))
+        .map_err(|errno: rustix::io::Errno| io::Error::from_raw_os_error(errno.raw_os_error()))
 }
 
 #[cfg(target_vendor = "apple")]
-fn create_fifo(path: &str, mode: u32) -> Result<(), ()> {
+fn create_fifo(path: &str, mode: u32) -> Result<(), io::Error> {
     use std::ffi::CString;
-    let c_path = CString::new(path).map_err(|_| ())?;
+    let c_path = CString::new(path).map_err(|e| io::Error::new(io::ErrorKind::InvalidInput, e))?;
     // SAFETY: `c_path` is a valid NUL-terminated C string and `mode` is a
     // standard mode_t bit pattern.
     let rc = unsafe { libc::mkfifo(c_path.as_ptr(), mode as libc::mode_t) };
-    if rc == 0 { Ok(()) } else { Err(()) }
+    if rc == 0 {
+        Ok(())
+    } else {
+        Err(io::Error::last_os_error())
+    }
+}
+
+/// Returns the OS error message without Rust's appended `(os error N)` suffix,
+/// so the output matches the format produced by GNU coreutils (e.g. "File exists"
+/// rather than "File exists (os error 17)").
+fn os_err_msg(e: &io::Error) -> String {
+    let s = e.to_string();
+    if let Some(idx) = s.rfind(" (os error ") {
+        s[..idx].to_string()
+    } else {
+        s
+    }
 }
 
 fn calculate_mode(mode_option: Option<&String>) -> Result<u32, String> {
diff --git a/tests/by-util/test_mkfifo.rs b/tests/by-util/test_mkfifo.rs
index 02fa91b2a52..e8ab3df9678 100644
--- a/tests/by-util/test_mkfifo.rs
+++ b/tests/by-util/test_mkfifo.rs
@@ -86,6 +86,16 @@ fn test_create_one_fifo_already_exists() {
         .stderr_is("mkfifo: cannot create fifo 'abcdef': File exists\n");
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn test_create_fifo_in_missing_directory() {
+    // Regression test for #12669: when the parent directory doesn't exist,
+    // mkfifo used to always report "File exists" regardless of the actual
+    // OS error. It should report the real reason instead, matching GNU.
+    new_ucmd!().arg("no-such-directory/fifo").fails().stderr_is(
+        "mkfifo: cannot create fifo 'no-such-directory/fifo': No such file or directory\n",
+    );
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn test_create_fifo_with_mode_and_umask() {
     use uucore::fs::display_permissions;
@@ -158,7 +168,9 @@ fn test_create_fifo_permission_denied() {
 
     // We no longer attempt to modify file permission if the file was failed to be created.
     // Therefore the error message should only contain "cannot create".
-    let err_msg = format!("mkfifo: cannot create fifo '{named_pipe}': File exists\n");
+    // The directory has mode 0o644 (no execute bit), so the real OS error is
+    // EACCES ("Permission denied"), not EEXIST ("File exists").
+    let err_msg = format!("mkfifo: cannot create fifo '{named_pipe}': Permission denied\n");
 
     scene
         .ucmd()