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Java - Unary Operators

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Unary Operators in Java

Java unary operators need only one operand to perform any operation, and these operators modify the value of a variable based on the operation performed. These operators include increasing a value by 1, decreasing a value by 1, and negating an expression.

These operators work with numeric data types like int, float, double, and long. The most common unary operators are post-increment (x++) and post-decrement (x--), used for loop control.

List of Java Unary Operators

The following table lists the unary operators in Java:

Name Operator Description Example
Unary plus +

The unary plus operator indicates a positive value(numbers are positive without this, however).

 x = 5;
y = +x;
// y=5
Unary minus - The unary minus operator can be used to convert a positive value to a negative value. x = 5;
y = -x;
// y = -5(negates the value)
Increment ++ The increment operator increases the value by 1(pre-increment and post-increment). x = 5;
y = x++;
// y = 5, x = 6 (post-increment)
z = ++x;
// pre-increment: x = 7, z = 7
Decrement -- The decrement operator decreases the value by 1(pre-decrement and post-decrement). x = 5;
y = x--;
// y = 5, x = 4 (post-decrement)
z = --x;
// pre-decrement: x = 3, z = 3

Unary Operators Examples

The following programs are simple examples that demonstrate the unary operators in Java:

Example 1

In this example, we’re creating a variable "x" with a value of 10. We've performed the unary plus and unary minus operations on "x" and printed the results:

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


      System.out.println("The value of +x = " + (+x));
      System.out.println("The value of -x = " + (-x));
   }
}

Output

The value of +x = 10
The value of -x = -10

Example 2

In this example, we’re creating a variable "x" with a value of 5. We've performed the post-increment and pre-increment operations on "x" and printed the results:

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


      System.out.println("The value of x++ = " + (x++)); 
      System.out.println("The value of ++x = " + (++x));
   }
}

Output

The value of x++ = 5
The value of ++x = 7

Example 3

In this example, we’re creating a variable "y" with a value of 5. We've performed the post-decrement and pre-decrement operations on "y" and printed the results:

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


      System.out.println("The value of y-- = " + (y--));
      System.out.println("The value of --y = " + (--y));
   }
}

Output

The value of y-- = 5
The value of --y = 3
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