Is String a primitive type in Java?

Is String a primitive type in Java?

• A. No — String is a reference type
• B. Yes
• C. It depends on the context
• D. String is both primitive and reference

Answer: (A)

In Java, types fall into two broad categories: primitive types and reference types. Primitive types store raw values directly (like 42, true, 3.14). String, however, is a class in java.lang, so variables of type String hold references to String objects. The actual characters are stored inside those objects on the heap, and Strings are immutable. This distinction matters in practice: since String is a reference type, you typically compare content with equals() rather than using the equality operator (which checks if two references point to the same object). So String is not a primitive type; it’s a reference type.

In Java, types fall into two broad categories: primitive types and reference types. Primitive types store raw values directly (like 42, true, 3.14). String, however, is a class in java.lang, so variables of type String hold references to String objects. The actual characters are stored inside those objects on the heap, and Strings are immutable. This distinction matters in practice: since String is a reference type, you typically compare content with equals() rather than using the equality operator (which checks if two references point to the same object). So String is not a primitive type; it’s a reference type.