Ternary Operator in Java with Examples: Ternary Operator vs. if...else Statement

The ternary operator is Java's only conditional operator that takes three operands, making it a compact shorthand for simple if...else logic. It's written using ? and :.

Syntax

variable = (condition) ? valueIfTrue : valueIfFalse;

Basic Example

int age = 20;
String status = (age >= 18) ? "Adult" : "Minor";
System.out.println(status); // Adult

Equivalent if...else Statement

int age = 20;
String status;
if (age >= 18) {
    status = "Adult";
} else {
    status = "Minor";
}
System.out.println(status);

Ternary Operator vs if...else Statement

• The ternary operator is an expression that returns a value; if...else is a statement that controls program flow
• Ternary is best for short, simple conditions assigned to a variable; if...else is better for multiple statements or complex logic
• Ternary expressions can be nested, but doing so often hurts readability compared to a clear if...else chain
• Both evaluate the same condition logic — the choice mainly comes down to code clarity and use case

Nested Ternary Example

int marks = 75;
String grade = (marks >= 90) ? "A" : (marks >= 75) ? "B" : "C";