---
title: What is Unary Operators in Java? 
description: "W**hat is Unary Operators in Java? ** Unary operators in Java are operators that operate on a single operand to perform various operations, such as incrementing/decrementing a value, negating a boolean value, or inverting the sign of a number. Java provides…"
url: "https://vinothqaacademy.com/docs/what-is-unary-operators-in-java/"
updated: "2025-10-05"
category: Java
tags:
  - Java
---

# What is Unary Operators in Java? 

W**hat is Unary Operators in Java? **

Unary operators in Java are operators that operate on a single operand to perform various operations, such as incrementing/decrementing a value, negating a boolean value, or inverting the sign of a number. Java provides several unary operators:

1. **Unary Plus (*+*)**
2. **Unary Minus (*-*)**
3. **Increment (*++*)**
4. **Decrement (*--*)**
5. **Logical NOT (*!*)**

### **1. Unary Plus (****+****)**

The unary plus operator is used to indicate a positive value. Though it doesn't change the value, it's sometimes used for code readability.

***Example:***

```javascript

                public class UnaryOperatorExample {

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        int a = +5; // Positive value

        System.out.println("a = " + a);

    }

}

Output:
a = 5
```

### **2. Unary Minus (****-****)**

The unary minus operator negates the value of the operand, effectively changing its sign.

***Example:***

```javascript

                public class UnaryOperatorExample {

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        int a = 5;

        int b = -a; // Negates the value of a

        System.out.println("b = " + b);

    }

}

Output:
b = -5
```

### **3. Increment (*++*)**

The increment operator increases the value of the operand by 1. It has two forms:

- Prefix Increment (*++a*): Increments the value before using it in an expression.
- Postfix Increment (*a++*): Uses the current value in an expression, then increments it.

***Example:***

```javascript

                public class UnaryOperatorExample {

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        int a = 5;

        // Prefix: a is incremented to 6, then b is assigned 6
        int b = ++a;

        System.out.println("a = " + a + ", b = " + b);

        int c = 5;

        // Postfix: d is assigned 5, then c is incremented to 6
        int d = c++;

        System.out.println("c = " + c + ", d = " + d);

    }

}

Output:
a = 6, b = 6
```

### **4. Decrement (****--****)**

The decrement operator decreases the value of the operand by 1. It also has two forms:

- Prefix Decrement (*--a*): Decrements the value before using it in an expression.
- Postfix Decrement (*a--*): Uses the current value in an expression, then decrements it.

***Example:***

```javascript

                public class UnaryOperatorExample {

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        int a = 5;

        // Prefix: a is decremented to 4, then b is assigned 4
        int b = --a;

        System.out.println("a = " + a + ", b = " + b);

        int c = 5;

        // Postfix: d is assigned 5, then c is decremented to 4
        int d = c--;

        System.out.println("c = " + c + ", d = " + d);

    }

}

Output:
a = 4, b = 4
c = 4, d = 5
```

### **5. Logical NOT (****!****)**

The logical NOT operator inverts the boolean value of the operand. If the operand is true, it becomes false, and vice versa.

***Example:***

```javascript

                public class UnaryOperatorExample {

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        boolean isTrue = true;

        // Inverts the value of isTrue
        boolean isFalse = !isTrue;

        System.out.println("isTrue = " + isTrue);

        System.out.println("isFalse = " + isFalse);

    }

}

Output:
isTrue = true
isFalse = false
```

### **Summary**

Unary operators in Java are powerful tools for performing basic operations on single operands, such as changing signs, incrementing/decrementing values, or inverting booleans. They are essential for writing concise and efficient code in various programming scenarios.