Java else Keyword

Example

Use the else statement to specify a block of code to be executed if the condition is false.

int time = 20;
if (time < 18) {
  System.out.println("Good day.");
} else {
  System.out.println("Good evening.");
}
// Outputs "Good evening."

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Definition and Usage

The else statement specifies a block of Java code to be executed if a condition is false in an if statement.

Java has the following conditional statements:

Use if to specify a block of code to be executed, if a specified condition is true
Use else to specify a block of code to be executed, if the same condition is false
Use else if to specify a new condition to test, if the first condition is false
Use switch to specify many alternative blocks of code to be executed

More Examples

Example

Use the else if statement to specify a new condition if the first condition is false.

int time = 22;
if (time < 10) {
  System.out.println("Good morning.");
} else if (time < 20) {
  System.out.println("Good day.");
} else {
  System.out.println("Good evening.");
}
// Outputs "Good evening."

Try it Yourself »

Read more about conditions in our Java If...Else Tutorial.

❮ Java Keywords