The Bitwise operators in Java programming are used to perform bit operations. In Java bitwise, all the decimal values will convert into binary values (sequence of bits i.e., 0100, 1100, 1000, 1001, etc.). The Java Bitwise Operators will work on these bits such as shifting them left to right or converting bit value from 0 to 1 etc.
The table below shows the different Java Bitwise operators and their meaning. For example, Consider x = 6 and y = 8 and their values in binary form are
x = 0110
y = 1000
Bitwise Operators in Java | Meaning of operators | Examples |
---|---|---|
& | Bitwise AND | X & Y = 0000 |
| | Bitwise OR | X | Y = 1110 |
^ | Bitwise exclusive OR | X ^ Y = 1110 |
~ | Bitwise complement | ~X = 00001001 (Bitwise Not operator will convert all 0 into 1). Remember, the Bitwise Compliment of N will be -(N + 1) |
<< | Shift left | X << 1 = 00001100 (Bits will move 1 step left. If we use 2 or 3, then they shift accordingly) |
>> | Shift right | Y >> 1 = 00000100 |
Let us see the Truth Table behind Bitwise Operators in Java programming Language
x | y | x & y | X | y | x ^ y |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Bitwise operators in Java example
This example helps to understand the Bitwise Operators practically. This program allows the user to enter two integer variables a and b, and we are going to use these two variables to show various Bitwise operators.
// Bitwise operators in Java Example package JavaOperators; import java.util.Scanner; public class BitwiseOperators { private static Scanner sc; public static void main(String[] args) { int a, b; sc = new Scanner(System.in); System.out.println(" Please Enter two integer Value: "); a = sc.nextInt(); b = sc.nextInt(); System.out.format(" Bitwise AND Operator: %d & %d = %d \n", a, b, a & b); System.out.format(" Bitwise OR Operator: %d | %d = %d \n", a, b, a | b); System.out.format(" Bitwise EXCLUSIVE OR: Operator %d ^ %d = %d \n", a, b, a ^ b); System.out.format(" Bitwise NOT Operator: ~%d = %d \n", a, ~a); System.out.format(" LEFT SHIFT Operator: %d << 1 = %d \n", a, a << 1); System.out.format(" RIGHT SHIFT Operator: %d >> 1 = %d \n", b, b >> 1); } }

In this Java bitwise operator example, the following statement will ask the user to enter integer values a, b. Next, we are going to assign the user input values to the variables.
System.out.println(" Please Enter two integer Value: "); a = sc.nextInt(); b = sc.nextInt();
The following System.out.format statements will perform the Java bitwise operations on a and b, and then they will display the output
System.out.format(" Bitwise AND Operator: %d & %d = %d \n", a, b, a & b); System.out.format(" Bitwise OR Operator: %d | %d = %d \n", a, b, a | b); System.out.format(" Bitwise EXCLUSIVE OR: Operator %d ^ %d = %d \n", a, b, a ^ b); System.out.format(" Bitwise NOT Operator: ~%d = %d \n", a, ~a); System.out.format(" LEFT SHIFT Operator: %d << 1 = %d \n", a, a << 1); System.out.format(" RIGHT SHIFT Operator: %d >> 1 = %d \n", b, b >> 1);
In this Java bitwise operator example, we assigned the values as a = 12 and b = 25. The binary form of 12 = 00001100 and 25 = 00011001.
Let us see the calculations.
Java Bitwise AND Operation = a & b
00001100 & 00011001 ==> 00001000 = 8
Java Bitwise OR Operation = a || b
00001100 || 00011001 ==> 00011101 = 29
Next, Bitwise Exclusive OR Operation = a ^ b
00001100 || 00011001 ==> 00010101 = 21
Bitwise Complement Operation = ~a
As we said before, Bitwise Compliment of N will be -(N + 1). It means – (12 + 1) = -13
Left Shift of Java Operator = a << 1
00001100 << 1 = 00011000 = 24
Java Right Shift = b >> 1
00011001 >> 1 = 00001100 = 12