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Java String equals() Method

Last Updated : 23 Jul, 2025
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String equals() method in Java compares the content of two strings. It compares the value's character by character, irrespective of whether two strings are stored in the same memory location. The String equals() method overrides the equals() method of the object class.

  • false if any of the characters are not matched.
  • true if all characters are matched in the Strings.

Example: Basic Comparision

Java 
class Geeks 
{
    public static void main(String[] args) 
    {

        String str1 = "Learn Java";
        String str2 = "Learn Java";
        String str3 = "Learn Kotlin";
        boolean result;

        // Comparing str1 with str2
        result = str1.equals(str2);
        System.out.println(result);

        // Comparing str1 with str3
        result = str1.equals(str3);
        System.out.println(result);

        // Comparing str3 with str1
        result = str3.equals(str1);
        System.out.println(result);
      
    }
}

Output
true
false
false

Syntax

string.equals(object)

Return Type: The return type for the equals method is Boolean.

Case-Insensitive Comparison of Strings

It compares the difference between uppercase and lowercase characters. We compare three strings using the equalsIgnoreCase() method of str1, str2, and str3 to check case-insensitive comparison.

Example:

Java 
// Working equalsIgnoreCase() Method 
import java.io.*;

public class Geeks
{
    public static void main(String[] args) 
    {
        // Define three strings
        String str1 = "Hello";
        String str2 = "hello";
        String str3 = "WORLD";


        // Comparison between str1 and str2
        System.out.println("str1.equals(str2): "+ str1.equals(str2)); 

        // Comparison between str1 and str2(Case Insensitive)
        System.out.println("str1.equalsIgnoreCase(str2): "+ str1.equalsIgnoreCase(str2)); 

        // Comparison between str2 and str3
        System.out.println("str2.equalsIgnoreCase(str3): "+ str2.equalsIgnoreCase(str3)); 
    }
}

Output
str1.equals(str2): false
str1.equalsIgnoreCase(str2): true
str2.equalsIgnoreCase(str3): false



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