Declarations and other statements in Java are terminated with which symbol?

In Java, declarations and other statements must end with a semicolon. This symbol serves as a statement terminator and is crucial for the compiler to recognize where one statement ends and the next begins. Every complete statement, such as variable declarations, assignments, method calls, and control flow statements, requires a semicolon; failing to include it will result in a compilation error. Thus, using a semicolon clearly defines each independent instruction for the Java compiler, enabling it to process the program effectively.

Other symbols such as commas, colons, and periods serve different purposes in the language. Commas are typically used to separate items in a list, colons may be part of specific syntax like in switch cases, and periods are used to access methods or fields of an object. Understanding the role of the semicolon is vital for writing valid Java code and for effective programming practices.