Comparison operators

Learn to compare values with ==, !=, <, >, <= and >=.

Comparison operators

Comparison operators compare two values and return a Boolean: == (equal), != (not equal), < (less than), > (greater than), <= (less or equal), >= (greater or equal).

These operators are commonly used in if conditions and loop conditions.

println(5 == 5)   // true
println(3 < 2)    // false
println(10 >= 10) // true

Exercise Try comparison

Write a fun main(). Declare val a = 7 and val b = 10. Compare with println(a < b).

Show example solution

fun main() {
    val a = 7
    val b = 10
    println(a < b)
}

== vs ===

In Kotlin == checks structural equality (is the content the same). For reference equality (is it the same object) use ===.

For simple types (Int, String) == is enough; it does a content comparison. For objects, == actually calls the equals() method. So you can safely use == to check whether two separate lists hold the same content.

Test yourself

Comparison operators: match the terms

==

Equal
!=

Not equal
<

Less than
>=

Greater or equal
What does `3 < 2` return?
- true
- false
- 3
- It throws an error
Show answer

false — 3 is not less than 2, so it returns false.

Comparison operators: fill in the missing part

val same = (5 ____ 5)
println(same)  // true

Show answer

val same = (5 == 5)
println(same)  // true

Next lesson: Logical operators

We Are Enhancing Your Experience

Cookie Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Analytical Cookies