diff --git a/add-patch.c b/add-patch.c
index 7390677795..4a10237d50 100644
--- a/add-patch.c
+++ b/add-patch.c
@@ -1114,10 +1114,10 @@ static int edit_hunk_manually(struct add_p_state *s, struct hunk *hunk)
 				"To remove '%c' lines, make them ' ' lines "
 				"(context).\n"
 				"To remove '%c' lines, delete them.\n"
-				"Lines starting with %c will be removed.\n"),
+				"Lines starting with %s will be removed.\n"),
 			      s->mode->is_reverse ? '+' : '-',
 			      s->mode->is_reverse ? '-' : '+',
-			      comment_line_char);
+			      comment_line_str);
 	strbuf_commented_addf(&s->buf, comment_line_str, "%s",
 			      _(s->mode->edit_hunk_hint));
 	/*
diff --git a/builtin/branch.c b/builtin/branch.c
index 2d8c89e9ac..faf6ea1b7b 100644
--- a/builtin/branch.c
+++ b/builtin/branch.c
@@ -676,8 +676,8 @@ static int edit_branch_description(const char *branch_name)
 	strbuf_commented_addf(&buf, comment_line_str,
 		    _("Please edit the description for the branch\n"
 		      "  %s\n"
-		      "Lines starting with '%c' will be stripped.\n"),
-		    branch_name, comment_line_char);
+		      "Lines starting with '%s' will be stripped.\n"),
+		    branch_name, comment_line_str);
 	write_file_buf(edit_description(), buf.buf, buf.len);
 	strbuf_reset(&buf);
 	if (launch_editor(edit_description(), &buf, NULL)) {
diff --git a/builtin/commit.c b/builtin/commit.c
index 9b139fc795..066dc42a3d 100644
--- a/builtin/commit.c
+++ b/builtin/commit.c
@@ -910,18 +910,18 @@ static int prepare_to_commit(const char *index_file, const char *prefix,
 		struct ident_split ci, ai;
 		const char *hint_cleanup_all = allow_empty_message ?
 			_("Please enter the commit message for your changes."
-			  " Lines starting\nwith '%c' will be ignored.\n") :
+			  " Lines starting\nwith '%s' will be ignored.\n") :
 			_("Please enter the commit message for your changes."
-			  " Lines starting\nwith '%c' will be ignored, and an empty"
+			  " Lines starting\nwith '%s' will be ignored, and an empty"
 			  " message aborts the commit.\n");
 		const char *hint_cleanup_space = allow_empty_message ?
 			_("Please enter the commit message for your changes."
 			  " Lines starting\n"
-			  "with '%c' will be kept; you may remove them"
+			  "with '%s' will be kept; you may remove them"
 			  " yourself if you want to.\n") :
 			_("Please enter the commit message for your changes."
 			  " Lines starting\n"
-			  "with '%c' will be kept; you may remove them"
+			  "with '%s' will be kept; you may remove them"
 			  " yourself if you want to.\n"
 			  "An empty message aborts the commit.\n");
 		if (whence != FROM_COMMIT) {
@@ -944,12 +944,12 @@ static int prepare_to_commit(const char *index_file, const char *prefix,
 
 		fprintf(s->fp, "\n");
 		if (cleanup_mode == COMMIT_MSG_CLEANUP_ALL)
-			status_printf(s, GIT_COLOR_NORMAL, hint_cleanup_all, comment_line_char);
+			status_printf(s, GIT_COLOR_NORMAL, hint_cleanup_all, comment_line_str);
 		else if (cleanup_mode == COMMIT_MSG_CLEANUP_SCISSORS) {
 			if (whence == FROM_COMMIT)
 				wt_status_add_cut_line(s);
 		} else /* COMMIT_MSG_CLEANUP_SPACE, that is. */
-			status_printf(s, GIT_COLOR_NORMAL, hint_cleanup_space, comment_line_char);
+			status_printf(s, GIT_COLOR_NORMAL, hint_cleanup_space, comment_line_str);
 
 		/*
 		 * These should never fail because they come from our own
diff --git a/builtin/merge.c b/builtin/merge.c
index 4e47434708..1e33aa49a0 100644
--- a/builtin/merge.c
+++ b/builtin/merge.c
@@ -821,7 +821,7 @@ static const char scissors_editor_comment[] =
 N_("An empty message aborts the commit.\n");
 
 static const char no_scissors_editor_comment[] =
-N_("Lines starting with '%c' will be ignored, and an empty message aborts\n"
+N_("Lines starting with '%s' will be ignored, and an empty message aborts\n"
    "the commit.\n");
 
 static void write_merge_heads(struct commit_list *);
@@ -861,7 +861,7 @@ static void prepare_to_commit(struct commit_list *remoteheads)
 					      _(scissors_editor_comment));
 		else
 			strbuf_commented_addf(&msg, comment_line_str,
-				_(no_scissors_editor_comment), comment_line_char);
+				_(no_scissors_editor_comment), comment_line_str);
 	}
 	if (signoff)
 		append_signoff(&msg, ignored_log_message_bytes(msg.buf, msg.len), 0);
diff --git a/builtin/tag.c b/builtin/tag.c
index 1c708785bf..721d07a589 100644
--- a/builtin/tag.c
+++ b/builtin/tag.c
@@ -158,11 +158,11 @@ static int do_sign(struct strbuf *buffer)
 
 static const char tag_template[] =
 	N_("\nWrite a message for tag:\n  %s\n"
-	"Lines starting with '%c' will be ignored.\n");
+	"Lines starting with '%s' will be ignored.\n");
 
 static const char tag_template_nocleanup[] =
 	N_("\nWrite a message for tag:\n  %s\n"
-	"Lines starting with '%c' will be kept; you may remove them"
+	"Lines starting with '%s' will be kept; you may remove them"
 	" yourself if you want to.\n");
 
 static int git_tag_config(const char *var, const char *value,
@@ -292,10 +292,10 @@ static void create_tag(const struct object_id *object, const char *object_ref,
 			strbuf_addch(&buf, '\n');
 			if (opt->cleanup_mode == CLEANUP_ALL)
 				strbuf_commented_addf(&buf, comment_line_str,
-				      _(tag_template), tag, comment_line_char);
+				      _(tag_template), tag, comment_line_str);
 			else
 				strbuf_commented_addf(&buf, comment_line_str,
-				      _(tag_template_nocleanup), tag, comment_line_char);
+				      _(tag_template_nocleanup), tag, comment_line_str);
 			write_or_die(fd, buf.buf, buf.len);
 			strbuf_release(&buf);
 		}
diff --git a/fmt-merge-msg.c b/fmt-merge-msg.c
index 79e8aad086..ae201e21db 100644
--- a/fmt-merge-msg.c
+++ b/fmt-merge-msg.c
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ static void credit_people(struct strbuf *out,
 	     skip_prefix(me, them->items->string, &me) &&
 	     starts_with(me, " <")))
 		return;
-	strbuf_addf(out, "\n%c %s ", comment_line_char, label);
+	strbuf_addf(out, "\n%s %s ", comment_line_str, label);
 	add_people_count(out, them);
 }
 
diff --git a/sequencer.c b/sequencer.c
index d12c5a8a03..b75d0c098d 100644
--- a/sequencer.c
+++ b/sequencer.c
@@ -663,7 +663,7 @@ void append_conflicts_hint(struct index_state *istate,
 	if (cleanup_mode == COMMIT_MSG_CLEANUP_SCISSORS) {
 		strbuf_addch(msgbuf, '\n');
 		wt_status_append_cut_line(msgbuf);
-		strbuf_addch(msgbuf, comment_line_char);
+		strbuf_addstr(msgbuf, comment_line_str);
 	}
 
 	strbuf_addch(msgbuf, '\n');
@@ -1948,7 +1948,7 @@ static int append_squash_message(struct strbuf *buf, const char *body,
 	     (starts_with(body, "squash!") || starts_with(body, "fixup!"))))
 		commented_len = commit_subject_length(body);
 
-	strbuf_addf(buf, "\n%c ", comment_line_char);
+	strbuf_addf(buf, "\n%s ", comment_line_str);
 	strbuf_addf(buf, _(nth_commit_msg_fmt),
 		    ++opts->current_fixup_count + 1);
 	strbuf_addstr(buf, "\n\n");
@@ -2008,7 +2008,7 @@ static int update_squash_messages(struct repository *r,
 		eol = buf.buf[0] != comment_line_char ?
 			buf.buf : strchrnul(buf.buf, '\n');
 
-		strbuf_addf(&header, "%c ", comment_line_char);
+		strbuf_addf(&header, "%s ", comment_line_str);
 		strbuf_addf(&header, _(combined_commit_msg_fmt),
 			    opts->current_fixup_count + 2);
 		strbuf_splice(&buf, 0, eol - buf.buf, header.buf, header.len);
@@ -2034,9 +2034,9 @@ static int update_squash_messages(struct repository *r,
 			repo_unuse_commit_buffer(r, head_commit, head_message);
 			return error(_("cannot write '%s'"), rebase_path_fixup_msg());
 		}
-		strbuf_addf(&buf, "%c ", comment_line_char);
+		strbuf_addf(&buf, "%s ", comment_line_str);
 		strbuf_addf(&buf, _(combined_commit_msg_fmt), 2);
-		strbuf_addf(&buf, "\n%c ", comment_line_char);
+		strbuf_addf(&buf, "\n%s ", comment_line_str);
 		strbuf_addstr(&buf, is_fixup_flag(command, flag) ?
 			      _(skip_first_commit_msg_str) :
 			      _(first_commit_msg_str));
@@ -2058,7 +2058,7 @@ static int update_squash_messages(struct repository *r,
 	if (command == TODO_SQUASH || is_fixup_flag(command, flag)) {
 		res = append_squash_message(&buf, body, command, opts, flag);
 	} else if (command == TODO_FIXUP) {
-		strbuf_addf(&buf, "\n%c ", comment_line_char);
+		strbuf_addf(&buf, "\n%s ", comment_line_str);
 		strbuf_addf(&buf, _(skip_nth_commit_msg_fmt),
 			    ++opts->current_fixup_count + 1);
 		strbuf_addstr(&buf, "\n\n");
@@ -5667,8 +5667,8 @@ static int make_script_with_merges(struct pretty_print_context *pp,
 				    oid_to_hex(&commit->object.oid),
 				    oneline.buf);
 			if (is_empty)
-				strbuf_addf(&buf, " %c empty",
-					    comment_line_char);
+				strbuf_addf(&buf, " %s empty",
+					    comment_line_str);
 
 			FLEX_ALLOC_STR(entry, string, buf.buf);
 			oidcpy(&entry->entry.oid, &commit->object.oid);
@@ -5758,7 +5758,7 @@ static int make_script_with_merges(struct pretty_print_context *pp,
 		entry = oidmap_get(&state.commit2label, &commit->object.oid);
 
 		if (entry)
-			strbuf_addf(out, "\n%c Branch %s\n", comment_line_char, entry->string);
+			strbuf_addf(out, "\n%s Branch %s\n", comment_line_str, entry->string);
 		else
 			strbuf_addch(out, '\n');
 
@@ -5895,7 +5895,7 @@ int sequencer_make_script(struct repository *r, struct strbuf *out, int argc,
 			    oid_to_hex(&commit->object.oid));
 		pretty_print_commit(&pp, commit, out);
 		if (is_empty)
-			strbuf_addf(out, " %c empty", comment_line_char);
+			strbuf_addf(out, " %s empty", comment_line_str);
 		strbuf_addch(out, '\n');
 	}
 	if (skipped_commit)
diff --git a/wt-status.c b/wt-status.c
index ae623e760e..6201a97de0 100644
--- a/wt-status.c
+++ b/wt-status.c
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ static void status_vprintf(struct wt_status *s, int at_bol, const char *color,
 	strbuf_vaddf(&sb, fmt, ap);
 	if (!sb.len) {
 		if (s->display_comment_prefix) {
-			strbuf_addch(&sb, comment_line_char);
+			strbuf_addstr(&sb, comment_line_str);
 			if (!trail)
 				strbuf_addch(&sb, ' ');
 		}
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ static void status_vprintf(struct wt_status *s, int at_bol, const char *color,
 
 		strbuf_reset(&linebuf);
 		if (at_bol && s->display_comment_prefix) {
-			strbuf_addch(&linebuf, comment_line_char);
+			strbuf_addstr(&linebuf, comment_line_str);
 			if (*line != '\n' && *line != '\t')
 				strbuf_addch(&linebuf, ' ');
 		}
@@ -1090,7 +1090,7 @@ size_t wt_status_locate_end(const char *s, size_t len)
 	const char *p;
 	struct strbuf pattern = STRBUF_INIT;
 
-	strbuf_addf(&pattern, "\n%c %s", comment_line_char, cut_line);
+	strbuf_addf(&pattern, "\n%s %s", comment_line_str, cut_line);
 	if (starts_with(s, pattern.buf + 1))
 		len = 0;
 	else if ((p = strstr(s, pattern.buf)))
@@ -1218,8 +1218,8 @@ static void wt_longstatus_print_tracking(struct wt_status *s)
 				 "%s%.*s", comment_line_string,
 				 (int)(ep - cp), cp);
 	if (s->display_comment_prefix)
-		color_fprintf_ln(s->fp, color(WT_STATUS_HEADER, s), "%c",
-				 comment_line_char);
+		color_fprintf_ln(s->fp, color(WT_STATUS_HEADER, s), "%s",
+				 comment_line_str);
 	else
 		fputs("\n", s->fp);
 	strbuf_release(&sb);
