Java char keyword

Last Updated : 18 Feb 2026

The Java char keyword is a primitive data type. It is used to declare the character-type variables and methods. It is capable of holding the unsigned 16-bit Unicode characters.

Points to remember

The char range lies between 0 to 65,535 (inclusive).
Its default value is '\u0000'.
Its default size is 2 byte.
It is used to store characters.

Why char uses 2 bytes in java?

It is because Java uses Unicode system not ASCII code system.

What is \u0000 ?

The \u0000 is the lowest range of the Unicode system.

Examples of Java char keyword

Example 1

Let's see a simple example of displaying characters.

public class CharExample1 {

	public static void main(String[] args) {

		char char1='a';
		char char2='A';
		

		System.out.println("char1: "+char1);
		System.out.println("char2: "+char2);				
	}		
}

Output:

char1: a
char2: A

Example 2

In this example, we provide integer value to char variable. Here, compiler implicitly typecast integer to char and display the corresponding ASCII value.

public class CharExample2 {

	public static void main(String[] args) {

		char char1=65;
		char char2=97;
		
		System.out.println("char1: "+char1);
		System.out.println("char2: "+char2);

	}
}

Output:

char1: A
char2: a

Example 3

In this example, we typecast the integer value to char explicitly.

public class CharExample3 {

	public static void main(String[] args) {

		int num1=97;
		char char1=(char)num1;
		
		int num2=65;
        char char2=(char)num2;

		System.out.println("char1: "+char1);
		System.out.println("char2: "+char2);

	}
	
}

Output:

char1: a
char2: A

Example 4

Let's see an example to represent the char value in Unicode System.

public class CharExample4 {

	public static void main(String[] args) {
		
        char char1='\u0061';
		char char2='\u0041';
		
		System.out.println("char1: "+char1);
		System.out.println("char2: "+char2);

	}
	
}

Output:

char1: a
char2: A

Example 5

In this example, we increment the provided char value by 1.

public class CharExample5 {

	public static void main(String[] args) {

		char char1='A';
	    char1=(char)(char1+1);
		
		System.out.println("char: "+char1);

	}
}

Output:

char: B

Example 6

Let's see an example to break the string in the form of characters.

import java.util.Arrays;

public class CharExample6 {

	public static void main(String[] args) {

		String str="javatpoint";
		char[] ch=str.toCharArray();

		System.out.println("String: "+str);
		System.out.println("char: "+Arrays.toString(ch));

	}
	
}

Output:

String: javatpoint
char: [j, a, v, a, t, p, o, i, n, t]

Example 7

Let's see an example to invoke the method of the char return type.

public class CharExample7 {

	public static char display()
	{
		
		return 'a';
	}
	
	public static void main(String[] args) {

		CharExample7 c=new CharExample7();
		System.out.println(c.display());

	}
}

Output:

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