Primitive types

Learn primitives byte, short, int, long, float, double, char, boolean.

What are primitive types?

Java has eight primitive types. They are the most basic data types and store values directly in memory.

Integer: byte (8 bit), short (16 bit), int (32 bit), long (64 bit)
Decimal: float (32 bit), double (64 bit)
Character: char (16 bit Unicode)
Logical: boolean (true/false)

The most common are int and double. long is for very large numbers, char for single characters.

char holds a single character

char holds a single Unicode character. It is written in single quotes:

char letter = 'A';
char digit = '7';
char sign = '$';

A char is actually a 16-bit number, so it can take part in arithmetic. 'A' + 1 yields the numeric value of 'B'.

Double quotes "A" make a String, single quotes 'A' make a char. The distinction matters.

Exercise Define primitives and print them

Write a Main class with a main method. Assign 100 to int code and 'A' to char initial. Print both with println.

Show example solution

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int code = 100;
        char initial = 'A';
        System.out.println(code);
        System.out.println(initial);
    }
}

Test yourself

Which is a primitive type?
- String
- char
- Scanner
- Main
Show answer

char — char is a primitive; String is a reference type.

Assign a value to a long variable

long population = ____;

Show answer

long population = 8000000000L;

Match the primitive types

byte

8 bit
short

16 bit
int

32 bit
long

64 bit

Next lesson: Type casting

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