Assignment Operator in Java Explained with Examples (2026 Guide)

The assignment operator in Java is used to assign a value to a variable. While the basic = operator is the most familiar, Java also offers several compound assignment operators that combine an operation with assignment in a single step.

The Simple Assignment Operator (=)

Assigns the value on the right-hand side to the variable on the left-hand side.

int age = 25;

Compound Assignment Operators

These operators perform an operation and assign the result back to the same variable, making code shorter and often clearer.

Addition Assignment (+=)

int total = 10;
total += 5; // same as total = total + 5, now 15

Subtraction Assignment (-=)

int stock = 20;
stock -= 4; // now 16

Multiplication Assignment (*=)

int price = 100;
price *= 2; // now 200

Division Assignment (/=)

int value = 50;
value /= 5; // now 10

Modulus Assignment (%=)

int num = 17;
num %= 5; // now 2

Bitwise Compound Assignment Operators

Java also supports compound versions of bitwise operators, such as &=, |=, ^=, <<=, and >>=, which apply a bitwise operation and reassign the result.

• = — assigns a value
• +=, -=, *=, /=, %= — arithmetic compound assignment
• &=, |=, ^=, <<=, >>= — bitwise compound assignment