diff --git a/src/nano.h b/src/nano.h
index 1a030b622d26660bb00b15dd33c97bf1c5ad5955..fa38de149eb3e71505f7afe06b054ddad5a943cc 100644
--- a/src/nano.h
+++ b/src/nano.h
@@ -597,6 +597,9 @@ enum
 /* The default width of a tab in spaces. */
 #define WIDTH_OF_TAB 8
 
+/* The default comment character when a syntax does not specify any. */
+#define GENERAL_COMMENT_CHARACTER "#"
+
 /* The maximum number of search/replace history strings saved, not
  * counting the blank lines at their ends. */
 #define MAX_SEARCH_HISTORY 100
diff --git a/src/rcfile.c b/src/rcfile.c
index 2e71a05a466c27cfc8422eff37c196720be22104..1b60addd93547a30a8a42d7c641d3d02d91d484a 100644
--- a/src/rcfile.c
+++ b/src/rcfile.c
@@ -315,7 +315,11 @@ void parse_syntax(char *ptr)
     live_syntax->magics = NULL;
     live_syntax->linter = NULL;
     live_syntax->formatter = NULL;
+#ifdef ENABLE_COMMENT
+    live_syntax->comment = mallocstrcpy(NULL, GENERAL_COMMENT_CHARACTER);
+#else
     live_syntax->comment = NULL;
+#endif
     live_syntax->color = NULL;
     lastcolor = NULL;
     live_syntax->nmultis = 0;
diff --git a/src/text.c b/src/text.c
index 1355454d5f535b421820dbb9f474935bde4b6ca8..c745e6cab5fcc1fe429df2ee2c36d21b9eabe085 100644
--- a/src/text.c
+++ b/src/text.c
@@ -458,7 +458,7 @@ bool white_string(const char *s)
 /* Comment or uncomment the current line or the marked lines. */
 void do_comment()
 {
-    const char *comment_seq = "#";
+    const char *comment_seq = GENERAL_COMMENT_CHARACTER;
     undo_type action = UNCOMMENT;
     filestruct *top, *bot, *f;
     size_t top_x, bot_x;
@@ -467,11 +467,11 @@ void do_comment()
     assert(openfile->current != NULL && openfile->current->data != NULL);
 
 #ifndef DISABLE_COLOR
-    if (openfile->syntax && openfile->syntax->comment)
+    if (openfile->syntax)
 	comment_seq = openfile->syntax->comment;
 
     /* Does the syntax not allow comments? */
-    if (strlen(comment_seq) == 0) {
+    if (comment_seq == NULL) {
 	statusbar(_("Commenting is not supported for this file type"));
 	return;
     }