A colon is a dot on top of another dot ( : ). It is used to give a set of information related to the clause before it. The details could be a list, example, or explanation. You can also use a colon instead of saying "which is/are", "as follows," or “thus” in a sentence. For example, "I like eating Japanese food as follows ramen, tempura, and takoyaki." This can be written as "I like eating Japanese food: ramen, tempura, and takoyaki." On the other hand, a semicolon, a dot over a comma ( ; ), is used to join two sentences or clauses just like a conjunction. For instance: I like eating Japanese food; it is always warm and comforting. ( I like eating Japanese food because [conjunction] it is always warm and comforting.)