Java Special Characters


Strings - Special Characters

Because strings must be written within quotes, Java will misunderstand this string, and generate an error:

String txt = "We are the so-called "Vikings" from the north.";

The solution to avoid this problem, is to use the backslash escape character.

The backslash (\) escape character turns special characters into string characters:

Escape character Result Description
\' ' Single quote
\" " Double quote
\\ \ Backslash

The sequence \"  inserts a double quote in a string:

Example

String txt = "We are the so-called \"Vikings\" from the north.";

Try it Yourself »

The sequence \'  inserts a single quote in a string:

Example

String txt = "It\'s alright.";

Try it Yourself »

The sequence \\  inserts a single backslash in a string:

Example

String txt = "The character \\ is called backslash.";

Try it Yourself »

Other common escape sequences that are valid in Java are:

Code Result Try it
\n New Line Try it »
\r Carriage Return Try it »
\t Tab Try it »
\b Backspace Try it »
\f Form Feed


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