Java "';' expected" Error: Missing Semicolons and Braces (AP CSA)

';' expected means the compiler reached the end of what should be a statement but did not find the semicolon that ends it. It is one of the most common beginner compiler errors, and the fix is usually a single missing semicolon, often on the line above the one reported.

Why students see this error

Every simple statement in Java ends with a semicolon. The compiler uses semicolons to know where one statement stops and the next begins. When it parses a statement and reaches the next token without finding the expected ;, it reports ';' expected. Because the compiler only notices once it reads too far, the error is often reported on the line after the one actually missing the semicolon.

• Forgetting the semicolon at the end of a statement.
• A line break that makes it look like a statement ended when it did not.
• Confusing places that do not take semicolons (like the end of an if (...) header or a method signature) with ones that do.

Broken code that triggers it

public class Total {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    int a = 5;
    int b = 7   // missing semicolon here
    int sum = a + b;
    System.out.println(sum);
  }
}

The line int b = 7 has no terminating semicolon. The compiler keeps reading into the next line looking for the end of the statement, then reports ';' expected because it found the keyword int where a semicolon should have been.

Trace: watch where it breaks

The compiler scans for the end of each statement:

The error may be reported on the int sum line because that is where the compiler finally noticed; the missing semicolon is on the line above.

The fix

public class Total {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    int a = 5;
    int b = 7;   // semicolon added
    int sum = a + b;
    System.out.println(sum);
  }
}

Adding the semicolon ends the statement and the code compiles. A useful habit: when you see ';' expected on a line that clearly has its semicolon, check the line directly above it.

How College Board tests this concept

Note which constructs do NOT take a semicolon: the header of an if, for, while, or a method signature followed by a block. Adding a stray semicolon there causes different bugs, such as an empty loop body, which the exam does test.

Common MCQ traps (practice set)

Question 1: Where is the missing semicolon?

1: int x = 10;
2: int y = 20
3: int z = x + y;

Question 2: Which need a semicolon?

Consider where a semicolon belongs.

I.    int count = 0
II.   if (count > 0)
III.  System.out.println(count)

Question 3: Spot the silent bug

This compiles but behaves unexpectedly.

for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++);
{
  System.out.println(i);
}