How to Create String in Java: Syntax and Examples

In Java, you create a string using the String class either by assigning a string literal like String s = "Hello"; or by using the constructor like String s = new String("Hello");. The first way is simpler and preferred for most cases.

Syntax

There are two main ways to create a string in Java:

• String literal: Directly assign text inside double quotes.
• String object: Use the new String() constructor to create a new string object.

Example syntax:

java

String s1 = "Hello";
String s2 = new String("Hello");

Example

This example shows how to create strings using both methods and print them.

java

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String greeting1 = "Hello, world!"; // string literal
        String greeting2 = new String("Hello, world!"); // string object

        System.out.println(greeting1);
        System.out.println(greeting2);
    }
}

Output

Hello, world!
Hello, world!

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when creating strings include:

• Using == to compare strings instead of .equals(). == checks if two references point to the same object, not if their text is the same.
• Unnecessarily using new String() which creates a new object and wastes memory.

java

public class Pitfall {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String a = "test";
        String b = "test";
        String c = new String("test");

        // Wrong: compares references
        System.out.println(a == b); // true because literals are interned
        System.out.println(a == c); // false because c is a new object

        // Right: compares content
        System.out.println(a.equals(c)); // true
    }
}

Output

true
false
true

Quick Reference

Method	Description	Example
String literal	Creates string from text directly	String s = "Hello";
String constructor	Creates new string object	String s = new String("Hello");
.equals()	Compares string content	s1.equals(s2)
== operator	Compares references (not content)	s1 == s2

Key Takeaways

Create strings using literals for simplicity and efficiency.

Use new String() only when you need a distinct object.

Compare strings with .equals(), not with ==.

String literals with the same text share the same object in memory.

Avoid unnecessary string object creation to save memory.