Java Strings & Special Characters

What Is a String?

In Java, a String is a built-in object that stores a sequence of characters.

String Immutability

Strings in Java are immutable. Any operation on a string returns a new object.

String Concatenation

You can join strings using the + operator:

Common String Methods

• .length() – returns number of characters
• .toUpperCase(), .toLowerCase()
• .indexOf() – returns index of first match
• .equals() – compares content
• .contains() – checks if substring is present

Escape Characters

Use escape sequences to include special characters inside strings:

• \\n – new line
• \\t – tab
• \\\" – double quote
• \\\\ – backslash

Comparing Strings

Use equals() instead of == to compare string values:

Practice Question

What will this print?

A. true false

B. false true

C. true true

Hint: Java interned strings with literals.

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