Java.What are literals ?

🔥 What are Literals in Java?

Definition

Literals in Java are fixed, constant values that you write directly in your code. These are “hardcoded” values that represent themselves.

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📦 Examples of Literals (Directly Represented Values)

Type	Example	Explanation
Integer Literal	100, -25	Whole numbers
Floating-point Literal	3.14, -0.001	Decimal numbers
Character Literal	'A', '9'	Single characters (always in single quotes)
String Literal	"Hello", "Java"	Text (always in double quotes)
Boolean Literal	true, false	Boolean values
Null Literal	null	Special literal representing “no object”

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✅ Simple Rule

If you type it directly into your code, and it’s a fixed value (not a variable or expression), it’s a literal.

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🚫 What is NOT a Literal?

Here are things that are NOT literals:

Not Literal	Example	Explanation
Variable	int x = 10;	x is not a literal (but 10 is)
Expression	5 + 3	This is an expression (combines literals to compute a result)
Method Call Result	Math.sqrt(4)	This is a computed value, not a literal
Object Reference	new String("hello")	new String(...) creates an object, not a literal

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📝 Special Case: String Pool

Even though "Hello" is a literal, when you do:

String s = "Hello";

The literal "Hello" gets stored in the String Pool, but s itself is a variable that points to it.
The literal is "Hello" — the value written directly in the code.

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🔧 Quick Test

Which of these are literals?

int x = 5;              // 5 is a literal, x is not.
String s = "Java";       // "Java" is a literal, s is not.
boolean b = true;        // true is a literal, b is not.
double pi = 3.14159;     // 3.14159 is a literal, pi is not.
int sum = x + 10;        // 10 is a literal, x + 10 is an expression.
System.out.println("Hi"); // "Hi" is a literal.

✅ Summary Table

Example	Is Literal?	Why?
"Hello"	✔️	Direct value written into the code
42	✔️	Direct value written into the code
true	✔️	Direct value written into the code
myVariable	❌	This is a variable name, not a literal
x + y	❌	Expression, not a literal
new Object()	❌	Creates an object, not a literal