Switch Statements
The switch statement provides a clean way to handle multiple specific values of a variable. It's often more readable than long if-else if chains when you're comparing one variable against many values. This is a foundational concept in enterprise application development that professional developers rely on daily. The explanations below are written to be beginner-friendly while covering the depth and nuance that comes from real-world Java experience. Take your time with each section and practice the examples
30 min•By Priygop Team•Last updated: Feb 2026
Switch Statement
Example
public class SwitchDemo {
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Classic switch statement
int day = 3;
String dayName;
switch (day) {
case 1: dayName = "Monday"; break;
case 2: dayName = "Tuesday"; break;
case 3: dayName = "Wednesday"; break;
case 4: dayName = "Thursday"; break;
case 5: dayName = "Friday"; break;
case 6: dayName = "Saturday"; break;
case 7: dayName = "Sunday"; break;
default: dayName = "Invalid day";
}
System.out.println("Day " + day + " is " + dayName);
// Switch with String
String command = "start";
switch (command) {
case "start":
System.out.println("Starting the application...");
break;
case "stop":
System.out.println("Stopping the application...");
break;
case "restart":
System.out.println("Restarting...");
break;
default:
System.out.println("Unknown command: " + command);
}
// Grouping cases (fall-through)
String dayType;
switch (day) {
case 1: case 2: case 3: case 4: case 5:
dayType = "Weekday";
break;
case 6: case 7:
dayType = "Weekend";
break;
default:
dayType = "Invalid";
}
System.out.println(dayName + " is a " + dayType);
}
}Try It Yourself: Month Info
Try It Yourself: Month InfoJava
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