In JavaScript, we often see the backslash “\”, which can be confusing. So why do we add backslashes to long code, and what is its function?

Let’s look at some code first.

In JavaScript, strings start and end with single quotes or double quotes. This means the following string will be truncated: *You are the so-caltimes*.

However, by adding a backslash (\) in `\”Vikings\”`, we can convert each double quote into a literal string character. The output result will be: **”Vikings”**.

Now you should understand: some special characters have specific meanings in JavaScript syntax, rather than being plain text. So we need the backslash “\” to **escape** them into normal string characters.

The list below shows other special characters that can be added to text strings using a backslash:

When reading code, just interpret it as a string with the backslashes removed.

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