What Does != Mean in Java

In Java, the operators play a key role in evaluating the initialized or user input values and computing the mathematical expressions as well. The “!=” is one such comparison operator that compares the provided values and returns the corresponding outcome as a Boolean or can be used in loops as well.

What Does != Mean in Java?

The “!=” corresponds to the not equal comparison operator that returns a Boolean outcome “true” if the left operand does not equal the right operand and “false” otherwise.

Example 1: Applying Java “!=” Operator

This example applies the “!=” operator to evaluate the initialized integers and return the corresponding Boolean outcome:

public class Notequaloper {
 public static void main(String[] args) {
  int x = 3;
  int y = 5;
  boolean out = x!=y;
  System.out.println("Are the Values Equal ? " +out);
}}

In this code:

Initialize the stated integers that need to be checked for inequality.
Now, apply the “!=” operator to check if both the defined values are not equal and store the result in the “Boolean” type variable.
Lastly, return the corresponding Boolean outcome.

Output

This outcome indicates that the Boolean value “true” is returned against the applied “!=” operator since the values are unequal.

Example 2: Applying Java “!=” Operator With “if/else” Statement

In this specific example, the discussed operator can be implemented with an “if/else” statement to invoke the corresponding condition:

public class Notequaloper {
 public static void main(String[] args) {
  int x = 3;
  int y = 5;
  if (x!=y)
   System.out.println("The values " +x+ " and " +y+ " are not equal!");
  else
   System.out.println("The values " +x+ " and " +y+ " are equal!");
}}

According to these code lines:

Likewise, initialize the given integers.
After that, apply the “!=” operator in the “if” statement to verify if both values are unequal.
If so, the “if” condition executes. Else, the “else” condition will come into effect.

Output

Example 3: Applying Java != Operator Upon the User Input Values

In this particular demonstration, the “!=” operator will be applied to evaluate the user input values for inequality:

import java.util.Scanner;
public class Notequaloper {
 public static void main(String[] args) {
  Scanner x = new Scanner(System.in);
  System.out.println("Input the first value: ");
  int a = x.nextInt();
  System.out.println("Input the second value: ");
  int b = x.nextInt();
  if (a!=b)
   System.out.println("The values " +a+ " and " +b+ " are not equal!");
  else
   System.out.println("The values " +a+ " and " +b+ " are equal!");
   x.close();
}}

According to this block of code:

Import the “java.util.Scanner” package to enable user input.
Create a Scanner object to allow user input.
Now, input two values from the user via the “nextInt()” method.
After that, apply the not equal “!=” operator to check if both the user input values are not equal and invoke the corresponding “if/else” condition.

Output

In this outcome, both scenarios (values being equal and not) are demonstrated accordingly.

Conclusion

The “!=” corresponds to the “not equal” operator that returns a Boolean outcome “true” if the left operand does not equal the right operand and “false” otherwise. This tutorial demonstrated the concept and working of the Java “!=” operator.