diff --git a/src/go/scanner/scanner.go b/src/go/scanner/scanner.go
index 29cbf39721..f8bcf4d864 100644
--- a/src/go/scanner/scanner.go
+++ b/src/go/scanner/scanner.go
@@ -969,6 +969,8 @@ scanAgain:
 			}
 		case '|':
 			tok = s.switch3(token.OR, token.OR_ASSIGN, '|', token.LOR)
+		case '~':
+			tok = token.TILDE
 		default:
 			// next reports unexpected BOMs - don't repeat
 			if ch != bom {
diff --git a/src/go/scanner/scanner_test.go b/src/go/scanner/scanner_test.go
index ac8d257716..dd3c7cf838 100644
--- a/src/go/scanner/scanner_test.go
+++ b/src/go/scanner/scanner_test.go
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ type elt struct {
 	class int
 }
 
-var tokens = [...]elt{
+var tokens = []elt{
 	// Special tokens
 	{token.COMMENT, "/* a comment */", special},
 	{token.COMMENT, "// a comment \n", special},
@@ -149,6 +149,7 @@ var tokens = [...]elt{
 	{token.RBRACE, "}", operator},
 	{token.SEMICOLON, ";", operator},
 	{token.COLON, ":", operator},
+	{token.TILDE, "~", operator},
 
 	// Keywords
 	{token.BREAK, "break", keyword},
diff --git a/src/go/token/token.go b/src/go/token/token.go
index 96a1079ec3..d22e575661 100644
--- a/src/go/token/token.go
+++ b/src/go/token/token.go
@@ -125,6 +125,11 @@ const (
 	TYPE
 	VAR
 	keyword_end
+
+	additional_beg
+	// additional tokens, handled in an ad-hoc manner
+	TILDE
+	additional_end
 )
 
 var tokens = [...]string{
@@ -225,6 +230,8 @@ var tokens = [...]string{
 	SWITCH: "switch",
 	TYPE:   "type",
 	VAR:    "var",
+
+	TILDE: "~",
 }
 
 // String returns the string corresponding to the token tok.
@@ -304,7 +311,9 @@ func (tok Token) IsLiteral() bool { return literal_beg < tok && tok < literal_en
 // IsOperator returns true for tokens corresponding to operators and
 // delimiters; it returns false otherwise.
 //
-func (tok Token) IsOperator() bool { return operator_beg < tok && tok < operator_end }
+func (tok Token) IsOperator() bool {
+	return (operator_beg < tok && tok < operator_end) || tok == TILDE
+}
 
 // IsKeyword returns true for tokens corresponding to keywords;
 // it returns false otherwise.