diff --git a/google-cloud-spanner/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/connection/StatementParser.java b/google-cloud-spanner/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/connection/StatementParser.java
index 335eb12534..3bfc67908f 100644
--- a/google-cloud-spanner/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/connection/StatementParser.java
+++ b/google-cloud-spanner/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/connection/StatementParser.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 import com.google.common.annotations.VisibleForTesting;
 import com.google.common.base.Preconditions;
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableSet;
+import com.google.common.collect.Sets;
 import com.google.spanner.v1.ExecuteSqlRequest.QueryOptions;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.Objects;
@@ -315,6 +316,10 @@ public boolean isQuery(String sql) {
    */
   @InternalApi
   public boolean isUpdateStatement(String sql) {
+    // Skip any query hints at the beginning of the query.
+    if (sql.startsWith("@")) {
+      sql = removeStatementHint(sql);
+    }
     return statementStartsWith(sql, dmlStatements);
   }
 
@@ -453,12 +458,16 @@ static String removeStatementHint(String sql) {
     // searching for the first occurrence of a keyword that should be preceded by a closing curly
     // brace at the end of the statement hint.
     int startStatementHintIndex = sql.indexOf('{');
-    // Statement hints are only allowed for queries.
+    // Statement hints are allowed for both queries and DML statements.
     int startQueryIndex = -1;
     String upperCaseSql = sql.toUpperCase();
-    for (String keyword : selectStatements) {
+    Set<String> selectAndDmlStatements =
+        Sets.union(selectStatements, dmlStatements).immutableCopy();
+    for (String keyword : selectAndDmlStatements) {
       startQueryIndex = upperCaseSql.indexOf(keyword);
-      if (startQueryIndex > -1) break;
+      if (startQueryIndex > -1) {
+        break;
+      }
     }
     if (startQueryIndex > -1) {
       int endStatementHintIndex = sql.substring(0, startQueryIndex).lastIndexOf('}');
diff --git a/google-cloud-spanner/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/connection/StatementParserTest.java b/google-cloud-spanner/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/connection/StatementParserTest.java
index edde69a05b..6e0fe00720 100644
--- a/google-cloud-spanner/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/connection/StatementParserTest.java
+++ b/google-cloud-spanner/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/spanner/connection/StatementParserTest.java
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ public void testIsQuery() {
   }
 
   @Test
-  public void testQueryHints() {
+  public void testIsQuery_QueryHints() {
     // Valid query hints.
     assertTrue(parser.isQuery("@{JOIN_METHOD=HASH_JOIN} SELECT * FROM PersonsTable"));
     assertTrue(parser.isQuery("@ {JOIN_METHOD=HASH_JOIN} SELECT * FROM PersonsTable"));
@@ -358,9 +358,51 @@ public void testQueryHints() {
     assertFalse(parser.isQuery("@{JOIN_METHOD=HASH_JOIN SELECT * FROM PersonsTable"));
     assertFalse(parser.isQuery("@JOIN_METHOD=HASH_JOIN} SELECT * FROM PersonsTable"));
     assertFalse(parser.isQuery("@JOIN_METHOD=HASH_JOIN SELECT * FROM PersonsTable"));
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testIsUpdate_QueryHints() {
+    // Valid query hints.
+    assertTrue(
+        parser.isUpdateStatement(
+            "@{LOCK_SCANNED_RANGES=exclusive} UPDATE FOO SET NAME='foo' WHERE ID=1"));
+    assertTrue(
+        parser.isUpdateStatement(
+            "@ {LOCK_SCANNED_RANGES=exclusive} UPDATE FOO SET NAME='foo' WHERE ID=1"));
+    assertTrue(
+        parser.isUpdateStatement(
+            "@{ LOCK_SCANNED_RANGES=exclusive} UPDATE FOO SET NAME='foo' WHERE ID=1"));
+    assertTrue(
+        parser.isUpdateStatement(
+            "@{LOCK_SCANNED_RANGES=exclusive } UPDATE FOO SET NAME='foo' WHERE ID=1"));
+    assertTrue(
+        parser.isUpdateStatement(
+            "@{LOCK_SCANNED_RANGES=exclusive}\nUPDATE FOO SET NAME='foo' WHERE ID=1"));
+    assertTrue(
+        parser.isUpdateStatement(
+            "@{\nLOCK_SCANNED_RANGES =  exclusive   \t}\n\t UPDATE FOO SET NAME='foo' WHERE ID=1"));
+    assertTrue(
+        parser.isUpdateStatement(
+            "@{LOCK_SCANNED_RANGES=exclusive}\n -- Single line comment\nUPDATE FOO SET NAME='foo' WHERE ID=1"));
+    assertTrue(
+        parser.isUpdateStatement(
+            "@{LOCK_SCANNED_RANGES=exclusive}\n /* Multi line comment\n with more comments\n */UPDATE FOO SET NAME='foo' WHERE ID=1"));
+
+    // Multiple query hints.
+    assertTrue(
+        StatementParser.INSTANCE.isUpdateStatement(
+            "@{LOCK_SCANNED_RANGES=exclusive} @{USE_ADDITIONAL_PARALLELISM=TRUE} UPDATE FOO SET NAME='foo' WHERE ID=1"));
+
+    // Invalid query hints.
     assertFalse(
-        StatementParser.INSTANCE.isQuery(
-            "@{FORCE_INDEX=index_name} @{JOIN_METHOD=HASH_JOIN} UPDATE tbl set FOO=1 WHERE ID=2"));
+        parser.isUpdateStatement(
+            "@{LOCK_SCANNED_RANGES=exclusive UPDATE FOO SET NAME='foo' WHERE ID=1"));
+    assertFalse(
+        parser.isUpdateStatement(
+            "@LOCK_SCANNED_RANGES=exclusive} UPDATE FOO SET NAME='foo' WHERE ID=1"));
+    assertFalse(
+        parser.isUpdateStatement(
+            "@LOCK_SCANNED_RANGES=exclusive UPDATE FOO SET NAME='foo' WHERE ID=1"));
   }
 
   @Test