diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index f9594a5624..4d0811286e 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ endif
 
 ### Tests (make check)
 
-TESTS = tests/mantest tests/jqtest tests/shtest tests/utf8test tests/base64test
+TESTS = tests/mantest tests/jqtest tests/shtest tests/utf8test tests/base64test tests/commenttest
 if !WIN32
 TESTS += tests/optionaltest
 endif
@@ -233,6 +233,7 @@ EXTRA_DIST = $(DOC_FILES) $(man_MANS) $(TESTS) $(TEST_LOG_COMPILER)     \
         tests/setup tests/torture/input0.json                           \
         tests/optional.test tests/man.test tests/manonig.test           \
         tests/jq.test tests/onig.test tests/base64.test                 \
+        tests/commenttest                                               \
         tests/utf8-truncate.jq tests/jq-f-test.sh                       \
         tests/no-main-program.jq tests/yes-main-program.jq
 
diff --git a/src/jv.h b/src/jv.h
index 083509ec26..cf9b8401f0 100644
--- a/src/jv.h
+++ b/src/jv.h
@@ -234,6 +234,7 @@ enum {
   JV_PARSE_SEQ              = 1,
   JV_PARSE_STREAMING        = 2,
   JV_PARSE_STREAM_ERRORS    = 4,
+  JV_PARSE_STRIP_COMMENTS   = 8
 };
 
 jv jv_parse(const char* string);
diff --git a/src/jv_parse.c b/src/jv_parse.c
index 9755b8ac47..5f9375b046 100644
--- a/src/jv_parse.c
+++ b/src/jv_parse.c
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ enum last_seen {
 };
 
 struct jv_parser {
+  pfunc (*scan)(struct jv_parser* p, char ch, jv* out);
   const char* curr_buf;
   int curr_buf_length;
   int curr_buf_pos;
@@ -65,9 +66,14 @@ struct jv_parser {
   unsigned int last_ch_was_ws:1;
 };
 
+static pfunc scan_json(struct jv_parser* p, char ch, jv* out);
+static pfunc scan_line_comment(struct jv_parser* p, char ch, jv* out);
+static pfunc scan_slash_comment(struct jv_parser* p, char ch, jv* out);
+static pfunc scan_c_comment(struct jv_parser* p, char ch, jv* out);
 
 static void parser_init(struct jv_parser* p, int flags) {
   p->flags = flags;
+  p->scan = scan_json;
   if ((p->flags & JV_PARSE_STREAMING)) {
     p->path = jv_array();
   } else {
@@ -639,12 +645,42 @@ static int stream_is_top_num(struct jv_parser* p) {
 #define is_top_num(p) \
    (((p)->flags & JV_PARSE_STREAMING) ? stream_is_top_num((p)) : parse_is_top_num((p)))
 
-static pfunc scan(struct jv_parser* p, char ch, jv* out) {
-  p->column++;
-  if (ch == '\n') {
-    p->line++;
-    p->column = 0;
+
+static pfunc scan_line_comment(struct jv_parser* p, char ch, jv* out) {
+  if(ch == '\n')
+    p->scan = scan_json;
+  return 0;
+}
+
+static pfunc scan_c_comment_close(struct jv_parser* p, char ch, jv* out) {
+  if(ch == '/') {
+    p->scan = scan_json;
+  } else {
+    p->scan = scan_c_comment;
+  }
+  return 0;
+}
+
+static pfunc scan_c_comment(struct jv_parser* p, char ch, jv* out) {
+  if(ch == '*') {
+    p->scan = scan_c_comment_close;
+  }
+  return 0;
+}
+
+static pfunc scan_slash_comment(struct jv_parser* p, char ch, jv* out) {
+  if(ch == '/') {
+    p->scan = scan_line_comment;
+    return 0;
   }
+  if(ch == '*') {
+    p->scan = scan_c_comment;
+    return 0;
+  }
+  return "Incomplete comment token; slash must be followed by another slash or asterisk";
+}
+
+static pfunc scan_json(struct jv_parser* p, char ch, jv* out) {
   if ((p->flags & JV_PARSE_SEQ)
       && ch == '\036' /* ASCII RS; see draft-ietf-json-sequence-07 */) {
     if (check_truncation(p)) {
@@ -662,9 +698,15 @@ static pfunc scan(struct jv_parser* p, char ch, jv* out) {
     *out = jv_invalid();
     return OK;
   }
+
   presult answer = 0;
   p->last_ch_was_ws = 0;
   if (p->st == JV_PARSER_NORMAL) {
+    if(ch == '/' && (p->flags & JV_PARSE_STRIP_COMMENTS)) {
+      p->scan = scan_slash_comment;
+      return answer;
+    }
+
     chclass cls = classify(ch);
     if (cls == WHITESPACE)
       p->last_ch_was_ws = 1;
@@ -705,6 +747,15 @@ static pfunc scan(struct jv_parser* p, char ch, jv* out) {
   return answer;
 }
 
+static pfunc scan(struct jv_parser* p, char ch, jv* out) {
+  p->column++;
+  if (ch == '\n') {
+    p->line++;
+    p->column = 0;
+  }
+  return p->scan(p, ch, out);
+}
+
 struct jv_parser* jv_parser_new(int flags) {
   struct jv_parser* p = jv_mem_alloc(sizeof(struct jv_parser));
   parser_init(p, flags);
diff --git a/src/main.c b/src/main.c
index 832330802e..73338741aa 100644
--- a/src/main.c
+++ b/src/main.c
@@ -94,6 +94,7 @@ static void usage(int code, int keep_it_short) {
       "      --stream-errors       implies --stream and report parse error as\n"
       "                            an array;\n"
       "      --seq                 parse input/output as application/json-seq;\n"
+      "      --strip-comments      accept and strip comments from input;\n"
       "  -f, --from-file file      load filter from the file;\n"
       "  -L directory              search modules from the directory;\n"
       "      --arg name value      set $name to the string value;\n"
@@ -471,6 +472,10 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
         parser_flags |= JV_PARSE_STREAMING;
         continue;
       }
+      if (isoption(argv[i], 0, "strip-comments", &short_opts)) {
+        parser_flags |= JV_PARSE_STRIP_COMMENTS;
+        continue;
+      }
       if (isoption(argv[i], 0, "stream-errors", &short_opts)) {
         parser_flags |= JV_PARSE_STREAMING | JV_PARSE_STREAM_ERRORS;
         continue;
diff --git a/tests/commenttest b/tests/commenttest
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..388f85ad49
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/commenttest
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+. "${0%/*}/setup" "$@"
+
+if [ "$(echo '{"hi":"there"/*comment*/}' | $VALGRIND $Q $JQ --strip-comments '.hi')" != '"there"' ]; then
+	echo "C-style comment test failed"
+	exit 1
+fi
+
+if [ "$(printf '{"hi"://comment\n"there"}' | $VALGRIND $Q $JQ --strip-comments '.hi')" != '"there"' ]; then
+	echo "C++-style comment test failed"
+	exit 1
+fi
+
+exit 0