Java Data Types
As explained in the previous chapter, a variable in Java must be a specified data type:
Example
int myNum = 5; // Integer (whole number)
float myFloatNum = 5.99f; // Floating point number
char myLetter = 'D'; // Character
boolean myBool = true; // Boolean
String myText = "Hello"; // String
Data types are divided into two groups:
- Primitive data types - includes
byte
,short
,int
,long
,float
,double
,boolean
andchar
- Non-primitive data types - such as String, Arrays and Classes (you will learn more about these in a later chapter)
Primitive Data Types
A primitive data type specifies the size and type of variable values, and it has no additional methods.
There are eight primitive data types in Java:
Data Type | Size | Description |
---|---|---|
byte | 1 byte | Stores whole numbers from -128 to 127 |
short | 2 bytes | Stores whole numbers from -32,768 to 32,767 |
int | 4 bytes | Stores whole numbers from -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647 |
long | 8 bytes | Stores whole numbers from -9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 9,223,372,036,854,775,807 |
float | 4 bytes | Stores fractional numbers. Sufficient for storing 6 to 7 decimal digits |
double | 8 bytes | Stores fractional numbers. Sufficient for storing 15 decimal digits |
boolean | 1 bit | Stores true or false values |
char | 2 bytes | Stores a single character/letter or ASCII values |
Numbers
Primitive number types are divided into two groups:
Integer types stores whole numbers, positive or negative (such as 123 or -456), without decimals.
Valid types are byte
, short
, int
and long
. Which type you should use, depends on the numeric value.
Floating point types represents numbers with a fractional part,
containing one or more decimals. There are two types: float
and double
.
int
(for whole numbers) and double
(for floating point numbers). However, we will describe them all as you continue to
readInteger Types
Byte
The byte
data type can store whole numbers
from -128 to 127. This can be used instead of int
or other integer types to
save memory when you are certain that the value will be within -128 and 127:
Example
byte myNum = 100;
System.out.println(myNum);
Short
The short
data type can store whole numbers from -32768 to 32767:
Example
short myNum = 5000;
System.out.println(myNum);
Int
The int
data type can store whole numbers from -2147483648 to 2147483647. In general, and in our tutorial, the int
data type is
the preferred data type when we create variables with a numeric value.
Example
int myNum = 100000;
System.out.println(myNum);
Long
The long
data type can store whole
numbers from -9223372036854775808 to 9223372036854775807. This is used
when int is not large enough to store the value. Note that you should
end the value with an "L":
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