diff --git a/autotests/syntaxrepository_test.cpp b/autotests/syntaxrepository_test.cpp
--- a/autotests/syntaxrepository_test.cpp
+++ b/autotests/syntaxrepository_test.cpp
@@ -142,6 +142,12 @@
         QVERIFY(def.isValid());
         QVERIFY(!def.indentationBasedFoldingEnabled());
 
+        // comment markers
+        QCOMPARE(def.singleLineCommentMarker(), QLatin1String("//"));
+        QCOMPARE(def.singleLineCommentPosition(), KSyntaxHighlighting::CommentPosition::StartOfLine);
+        const auto cppMultiLineCommentMarker = QPair<QString, QString>(QLatin1String("/*"), QLatin1String("*/"));
+        QCOMPARE(def.multiLineCommentMarker(), cppMultiLineCommentMarker);
+
         def = m_repo.definitionForName(QLatin1String("Python"));
         QVERIFY(def.isValid());
 
@@ -276,6 +282,11 @@
         QVERIFY(def.keywordLists().isEmpty());
         QVERIFY(def.formats().isEmpty());
         QVERIFY(def.includedDefinitions().isEmpty());
+        QVERIFY(def.singleLineCommentMarker().isEmpty());
+        QCOMPARE(def.singleLineCommentPosition(), KSyntaxHighlighting::CommentPosition::StartOfLine);
+        const auto emptyPair = QPair<QString, QString>();
+        QCOMPARE(def.multiLineCommentMarker(), emptyPair);
+
 
         for (QChar c : QStringLiteral("\t !%&()*+,-./:;<=>?[\\]^{|}~")) {
             QVERIFY(def.isWordDelimiter(c));
diff --git a/src/lib/definition.h b/src/lib/definition.h
--- a/src/lib/definition.h
+++ b/src/lib/definition.h
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 #include "ksyntaxhighlighting_export.h"
 
 #include <QTypeInfo>
+#include <QPair>
 
 #include <memory>
 
@@ -37,6 +38,20 @@
 
 class DefinitionData;
 
+/**
+ * Defines the insert position when commenting code.
+ * @since 5.50
+ * @see Definition::singleLineCommentPosition()
+ */
+enum class CommentPosition
+{
+    //! The comment marker is inserted at the beginning of a line at column 0
+    StartOfLine = 0,
+    //! The comment marker is inserted after leading whitespaces right befire
+    //! the first non-whitespace character.
+    AfterWhitespace
+};
+
 /**
  * Represents a syntax definition.
  *
@@ -258,6 +273,29 @@
      */
     QVector<Definition> includedDefinitions() const;
 
+    /**
+     * Returns the marker that starts a single line comment.
+     * For instance, in C++ the single line comment marker is "//".
+     * @since 5.50
+     * @see singleLineCommentPosition();
+     */
+    QString singleLineCommentMarker() const;
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the insert position of the comment marker for sinle line
+     * comments.
+     * @since 5.50
+     * @see singleLineCommentMarker();
+     */
+    CommentPosition singleLineCommentPosition() const;
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the markers that start and end multiline comments.
+     * For instance, in XML this is defined as "<!--" and "-->".
+     * @since 5.50
+     */
+    QPair<QString, QString> multiLineCommentMarker() const;
+
 private:
     friend class DefinitionData;
     friend class DefinitionRef;
diff --git a/src/lib/definition.cpp b/src/lib/definition.cpp
--- a/src/lib/definition.cpp
+++ b/src/lib/definition.cpp
@@ -250,6 +250,24 @@
     return definitions;
 }
 
+QString Definition::singleLineCommentMarker() const
+{
+    d->load();
+    return d->singleLineCommentMarker;
+}
+
+CommentPosition Definition::singleLineCommentPosition() const
+{
+    d->load();
+    return d->singleLineCommentPosition;
+}
+
+QPair<QString, QString> Definition::multiLineCommentMarker() const
+{
+    d->load();
+    return { d->multiLineCommentStartMarker, d->multiLineCommentEndMarker };
+}
+
 Context* DefinitionData::initialContext() const
 {
     Q_ASSERT(!contexts.isEmpty());
@@ -542,6 +560,8 @@
                         indentationBasedFolding = Xml::attrToBool(reader.attributes().value(QStringLiteral("indentationsensitive")));
                 } else if (reader.name() == QLatin1String("emptyLines")) {
                     loadFoldingIgnoreList(reader);
+                } else if (reader.name() == QLatin1String("comments")) {
+                    loadComments(reader);
                 } else {
                     reader.skipCurrentElement();
                 }
@@ -560,6 +580,45 @@
     }
 }
 
+void DefinitionData::loadComments(QXmlStreamReader &reader)
+{
+    Q_ASSERT(reader.name() == QLatin1String("comments"));
+    Q_ASSERT(reader.tokenType() == QXmlStreamReader::StartElement);
+    reader.readNext();
+
+    // reference counter to count XML child elements, to not return too early
+    int elementRefCounter = 1;
+
+    while (!reader.atEnd()) {
+        switch (reader.tokenType()) {
+            case QXmlStreamReader::StartElement:
+                ++elementRefCounter;
+                if (reader.name() == QLatin1String("comment")) {
+                    const bool isSingleLine = reader.attributes().value(QStringLiteral("name")) == QStringLiteral("singleLine");
+                    if (isSingleLine) {
+                        singleLineCommentMarker = reader.attributes().value(QStringLiteral("start")).toString();
+                        const bool afterWhiteSpace = reader.attributes().value(QStringLiteral("position")).toString() == QStringLiteral("afterwhitespace");
+                        singleLineCommentPosition = afterWhiteSpace ? CommentPosition::AfterWhitespace : CommentPosition::StartOfLine;
+                    } else {
+                        multiLineCommentStartMarker = reader.attributes().value(QStringLiteral("start")).toString();
+                        multiLineCommentEndMarker = reader.attributes().value(QStringLiteral("end")).toString();
+                    }
+                }
+                reader.readNext();
+                break;
+            case QXmlStreamReader::EndElement:
+                --elementRefCounter;
+                if (elementRefCounter == 0)
+                    return;
+                reader.readNext();
+                break;
+            default:
+                reader.readNext();
+                break;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 void DefinitionData::loadFoldingIgnoreList(QXmlStreamReader& reader)
 {
     Q_ASSERT(reader.name() == QLatin1String("emptyLines"));
diff --git a/src/lib/definition_p.h b/src/lib/definition_p.h
--- a/src/lib/definition_p.h
+++ b/src/lib/definition_p.h
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 #define KSYNTAXHIGHLIGHTING_DEFINITION_P_H
 
 #include "definitionref_p.h"
+#include "definition.h"
 
 #include <QHash>
 #include <QString>
@@ -31,7 +32,6 @@
 
 namespace KSyntaxHighlighting {
 
-class Definition;
 class Repository;
 
 class DefinitionData
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@
     void loadContexts(QXmlStreamReader &reader);
     void loadItemData(QXmlStreamReader &reader);
     void loadGeneral(QXmlStreamReader &reader);
+    void loadComments(QXmlStreamReader &reader);
     void loadFoldingIgnoreList(QXmlStreamReader &reader);
     bool checkKateVersion(const QStringRef &verStr);
 
@@ -77,6 +78,10 @@
     QString wordWrapDelimiters;
     bool indentationBasedFolding = false;
     QStringList foldingIgnoreList;
+    QString singleLineCommentMarker;
+    CommentPosition singleLineCommentPosition = CommentPosition::StartOfLine;
+    QString multiLineCommentStartMarker;
+    QString multiLineCommentEndMarker;
 
     QString fileName;
     QString name;