diff --git a/src/lib9/utf/utf.h b/src/lib9/utf/utf.h
index 22d4184360..ff5193ad40 100644
--- a/src/lib9/utf/utf.h
+++ b/src/lib9/utf/utf.h
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ int chartorune(Rune* r, const char* s);
 // n bytes of s.  If the UTF sequence is incomplete within n bytes,
 // charntorune will set *r to Runeerror and return 0. If it is complete
 // but not in UTF format, it will set *r to Runeerror and return 1.
-// 
+//
 // Added 2004-09-24 by Wei-Hwa Huang
 
 int charntorune(Rune* r, const char* s, int n);
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ int utfnlen(const char* s, long n);
 // byte terminating a string is considered to be part of the string s.
 // (cf. strchr)
 
-const char* utfrune(const char* s, Rune r);
+/*const*/ char* utfrune(const char* s, Rune r);
 
 
 // utfrrune returns a pointer to the last occurrence of rune r in the
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ const char* utfrune(const char* s, Rune r);
 // byte terminating a string is considered to be part of the string s.
 // (cf. strrchr)
 
-const char* utfrrune(const char* s, Rune r);
+/*const*/ char* utfrrune(const char* s, Rune r);
 
 
 // utfutf returns a pointer to the first occurrence of the UTF string
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ char* utfecpy(char *s1, char *es1, const char *s2);
 
 // These functions are rune-string analogues of the corresponding
 // functions in strcat (3).
-// 
+//
 // These routines first appeared in Plan 9.
 // SEE ALSO
 // memmove (3)
@@ -205,8 +205,8 @@ Rune totitlerune(Rune r);
 
 // isupperrune tests for upper case characters, including Unicode
 // upper case letters and targets of the toupper mapping. islowerrune
-// and istitlerune are defined analogously. 
- 
+// and istitlerune are defined analogously.
+
 int isupperrune(Rune r);
 int islowerrune(Rune r);
 int istitlerune(Rune r);
diff --git a/src/lib9/utf/utfrrune.c b/src/lib9/utf/utfrrune.c
index c0b89f5c66..95d2a9d8af 100644
--- a/src/lib9/utf/utfrrune.c
+++ b/src/lib9/utf/utfrrune.c
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 #include "utf.h"
 #include "utfdef.h"
 
-const
+/* const - removed for go code */
 char*
 utfrrune(const char *s, Rune c)
 {
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ utfrrune(const char *s, Rune c)
 		c1 = *(uchar*)s;
 		if(c1 < Runeself) {	/* one byte rune */
 			if(c1 == 0)
-				return s1;
+				return (char*)s1;
 			if(c1 == c)
 				s1 = s;
 			s++;
diff --git a/src/lib9/utf/utfrune.c b/src/lib9/utf/utfrune.c
index 913783f376..b4017d26c6 100644
--- a/src/lib9/utf/utfrune.c
+++ b/src/lib9/utf/utfrune.c
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 #include "utf.h"
 #include "utfdef.h"
 
-const
+/* const - removed for go code */
 char*
 utfrune(const char *s, Rune c)
 {
@@ -33,13 +33,13 @@ utfrune(const char *s, Rune c)
 			if(c1 == 0)
 				return 0;
 			if(c1 == c)
-				return s;
+				return (char*)s;
 			s++;
 			continue;
 		}
 		n = chartorune(&r, s);
 		if(r == c)
-			return s;
+			return (char*)s;
 		s += n;
 	}
 	return 0;