Java String startsWith() Method with Examples

Last Updated : 22 Nov, 2024

In Java, the startsWith() method of the String class is used to check if a string starts with the given prefix. The startsWith() method is present in the java.lang package. In this article, we will learn how to use the startsWith() method in Java.

Example:

In the below example, we will use the startsWith() method to check if the string starts with a given prefix.

Java

// Java program to demonstrate startsWith() method
public class StringStartsWith {
  
    public static void main(String[] args) {
      
        // Declare and initialize a String
        String s = "Java Programming";

        // Check if the string starts with "Java"
        boolean r = s.startsWith("Java");

        System.out.println("" + r);
    }
}

Output

true

Table of Content

Syntax of startsWith() method
Other Examples of startsWith() Method

Case Sensitivity Example
Checking with a Different Prefix
Using startsWith() with Index

Syntax of startsWith() method

boolean startsWith(String prefix)

Parameter: prefix: The prefix to be checked.
Return Types: It returns true, if the string starts with the specified prefix, otherwise false.

Other Examples of `startsWith()` Method

1. Check with Case Sensitivity

The startsWith() method is case-sensitive. This means it will return false if the case of the characters does not match.

Example:

Java

// Java program to demonstrate case sensitivity of startsWith()

public class StringStartsWith {
  
    public static void main(String[] args) {
      
        // Declare and initialize a String
        String s = "Java Programming";

        // Check if the string starts with "java" (lowercase)
        boolean r = s.startsWith("java");

        System.out.println("" + r);
    }
}

Output

false

2. Check with a Different Prefix

We can use startsWith() method to check if the string starts with any other prefix.

Example:

Java

// Java program to demonstrate startsWith() with a different prefix

public class StringStartsWith {
  
    public static void main(String[] args) {
      
        // Declare and initialize a String
        String s = "Java Programming";

        // Check if the string starts with "Java"
        boolean r = s.startsWith("Java");

        System.out.println("" + r);
    }
}

Output

true

3. Using `startsWith()` with Index

We can also specify an index in the startsWith() method. It checks whether the substring starting from that index begins with the specified prefix.

Example:

Java

// Java program to demonstrate startsWith() with index

public class StringStartsWith {
  
    public static void main(String[] args) {
      
        // Declare and initialize a String
        String s = "Java Programming";

        // Check if the string starting from index 5 starts with "Pro"
        boolean r = s.startsWith("Pro", 5);

        System.out.println("" + r);
    }
}

Output

true

Pattern toString() Method in Java with Examples

Astha Tyagi

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Practice Tags :

Java String startsWith() Method with Examples

Syntax of startsWith() method

Other Examples of startsWith() Method

1. Check with Case Sensitivity

2. Check with a Different Prefix

3. Using startsWith() with Index

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Other Examples of `startsWith()` Method

3. Using `startsWith()` with Index