How to find the length of a string in Java

The length of a string is referred to as the total number of characters it contains.

The length() method

To calculate the length of a string in Java, you can use an inbuilt length() method of the Java string class.

In Java, strings are objects created using the string class and the length() method is apublic member method of this class. So, any variable of type string can access this method using the . (dot) operator.

The length() method counts the total number of characters in a String.

The length() method in Java
The length() method in Java

Method signature

The signature of the length() method is as follows:

public int length()

The return type of the length() method is int.

Example

Let’s calculate & printout the length of a string using the length() method.

class CalcLength {
    public static void main( String args[] ) {
       String name = "educative";  //Initilizing a String Object name
       int length = name.length();  //Calling the inbuilt lenght() method
       System.out.println("The length of the String \""+name+"\" is: " +length);    }
}

The length of the string name is 9:

1 of 12
Free AI Mock Interviews
Coding Interview
Coding PatternsFree Interview
Gain insights and practical experience with coding patterns through targeted MCQs and coding problems, designed to match and challenge your expertise level.
System Design
YouTubeFree Interview
Learn to design a video streaming platform like YouTube by tackling functional and non-functional requirements, core components, and high-level to detailed design challenges.

Free Resources

Copyright ©2025 Educative, Inc. All rights reserved