Comments and semicolons

Learn // and /* */ comments and the semicolon rule in Go.

Comments

Go has two kinds of comments: single-line (//) and multi-line (/* ... */). The compiler ignores comments; they are used for explanation and notes.

A single-line comment runs from // to the end of the line. A multi-line comment starts with /* and ends with */; it can span several lines.

Good comments explain the intent; they say why, not what. Avoid comment clutter.

Automatic semicolons

The Go compiler automatically inserts semicolons at line ends. So most lines do not end with a semicolon. If you write one, it does not cause an error but Go tools will strip it.

You can write a semicolon by hand when really needed (e.g. multiple statements on one line). But Go style keeps one statement per line.

This automatic behavior works in harmony with gofmt; running gofmt -w keeps your code consistent.

Exercise Add a comment and output

Add a // comment to the program and produce the output Go is great with fmt.Println.

Show example solution

package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
    // Information
    fmt.Println("Go is great")
}

Test yourself

Which starts a single-line comment in Go?
- #
- --
- //
- ;
Show answer

// — // starts a single-line comment in Go.
Single-line comment
```
// Score ____ 90
```
Show answer
```
// Score value: 90
```
Match the comment kinds

//

Single-line comment
/* */

Multi-line comment
gofmt

Code formatter
comments

Ignored by the compiler

Next lesson: Summary - Go basics

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