What does "char" mean in programming?

char is one of the most common terms in software development. This guide explains what it means, how it is used in practice, and why it matters, with real examples from the developer world.

Definition

A primitive type that stores a single character, typically encoded as a Unicode value. In Java and C# a char is 16 bits; in C it is 8 bits. Several chars combined make a string.

Example

"char initial = 'A'; // stores the single character A"

Related terms

string
integer
primitive type

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