Java String startsWith() Method with Examples (original) (raw)

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 thejava.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);
}

}

`

Table of Content

Syntax of startsWith() method

boolean startsWith(String prefix)

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);
}

}

`

**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);
}

}

`

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);
}

}

`