Data Types in Java

March 4, 2026

Short Answer:
Java data types define the type of data a variable can store. They are divided into Primitive and Non-Primitive (Reference) types.

Detailed Explanation:
Java supports 8 primitive data types and several reference types like String, Array, Class, etc.

1. Primitive Data Types (8 Types)

Type	Size	Example
byte	1 byte	byte b = 10;
short	2 bytes	short s = 200;
int	4 bytes	int i = 1000;
long	8 bytes	long l = 10000L;
float	4 bytes	float f = 10.5f;
double	8 bytes	double d = 20.99;
char	2 bytes	char c = 'A';
boolean	JVM dependent	boolean flag = true;

2. Non-Primitive (Reference) Data Types

String
Array
Class
Interface
Enum

Reference types store the address of the object, not the actual value.

Example

public class Test {
    public static void main(String[] args) {

        int age = 25;                // Primitive
        double salary = 50000.50;    // Primitive

        String name = "Aftab";       // Reference
        int[] arr = {1,2,3};         // Reference

        System.out.println(name + " - " + age);
    }
}