Operators in Java – Complete Guide with Examples

Java operators are symbols that perform operations on variables and values. In this blog, we will understand each type of operator in Java with simple examples.

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1. Arithmetic Operators

Arithmetic operators are used to perform mathematical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc.

Operator	Description
+	Addition
-	Subtraction
*	Multiplication
/	Division
%	Modulus (remainder)

Example:

public class ArithmeticExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int a = 10;
        int b = 3;

        System.out.println("Addition: " + (a + b));
        System.out.println("Subtraction: " + (a - b));
        System.out.println("Multiplication: " + (a * b));
        System.out.println("Division: " + (a / b));
        System.out.println("Modulus: " + (a % b));
    }
}

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2. Relational (Comparison) Operators

These operators compare two values and return a boolean result (true or false).

Operator	Description
==	Equal to
!=	Not equal to
>	Greater than
<	Less than
>=	Greater than or equal
<=	Less than or equal

Example:

public class RelationalExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int a = 10;
        int b = 20;

        System.out.println(a == b);
        System.out.println(a != b);
        System.out.println(a > b);
        System.out.println(a < b);
        System.out.println(a >= b);
        System.out.println(a <= b);
    }
}

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3. Logical Operators

Logical operators are used with boolean conditions.

Operator	Description
&&	Logical AND
			Logical OR
!	Logical NOT

Example:

public class LogicalExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int age = 25;

        System.out.println(age > 18 && age < 30); // true
        System.out.println(age > 18 || age < 10); // true
        System.out.println(!(age > 18)); // false
    }
}

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4. Assignment Operators

Assignment operators are used to assign values to variables.

Operator	Example	Equivalent To
=	a = 5	Assign
+=	a += 5	a = a + 5
-=	a -= 5	a = a - 5
*=	a *= 5	a = a * 5
/=	a /= 5	a = a / 5
%=	a %= 5	a = a % 5

Example:

public class AssignmentExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int a = 10;

        a += 5;
        System.out.println(a);

        a -= 3;
        System.out.println(a);

        a *= 2;
        System.out.println(a);

        a /= 4;
        System.out.println(a);

        a %= 3;
        System.out.println(a);
    }
}

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5. Increment and Decrement Operators

These operators increase or decrease the value by 1.

Operator	Description
++	Increment
--	Decrement

Example:

public class IncrementExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int a = 5;

        System.out.println(a++); // Post-increment
        System.out.println(++a); // Pre-increment
        System.out.println(a--); // Post-decrement
        System.out.println(--a); // Pre-decrement
    }
}

Difference:

• a++ → First use, then increase

• ++a → First increase, then use

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6. Ternary Operator

The ternary operator is a shortcut for if-else.

Syntax:

condition ? value_if_true : value_if_false;

Example:

public class TernaryExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int a = 10;
        int b = 20;

        int max = (a > b) ? a : b;
        System.out.println("Maximum: " + max);
    }
}

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7. Bitwise Operators

Bitwise operators work on bits (binary values).

Operator	Description
&	AND
		OR
^	XOR
~	NOT
<<	Left Shift
>>	Right Shift

Example:

public class BitwiseExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int a = 5;  // 0101
        int b = 3;  // 0011

        System.out.println(a & b);
        System.out.println(a | b);
        System.out.println(a ^ b);
        System.out.println(~a);
        System.out.println(a << 1);
        System.out.println(a >> 1);
    }
}

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Final Summary

Operator Type	Operators
Arithmetic	+ - * / %
Relational	== != > < >= <=
Logical	&&		!
Assignment	= += -= *= /= %=
Increment/Decrement	++ --
Ternary	? :
Bitwise	&	^ ~ << >>

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Conclusion

Operators are the basic building blocks of Java programming. They help in performing mathematical operations, comparisons, logical decisions, and bit-level operations. Understanding operators is very important before moving to loops, conditions, and data structures in Java.

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