Operators
C operators perform mathematical, logical, and bit-level operations on variables and values.
They are symbols that tell the compiler to perform specific mathematical or logical operations.
Types of Operators in C
C has a wide range of built-in operators that can be classified into various types according to their
functionality.
1. Arithmetic Operators
2. Relational Operators
3. Logical Operators
4. Bitwise Operators
5. Assignment Operators
6. Conditional Operator
7. Miscellaneous Operator
Arithmetic Operators
C has these basic arithmetic operators to perform common mathematical operations:
Operator Name Description
+ Addition x + y returns the sum of x and y
- Subtraction x - y returns the difference of x and y
* Multiplication x * y returns the product of x and y
/ Division x / y returns the quotient of x and y
% Modulo x % y returns the integer remainder of x divided by y
++ Increment x++ returns x + 1
-- Decrement x-- returns x - 1
Arithmetic Operators Example
This example demonstrates the usage of arithmetic operators in C:
#include <stdio.h>
int main()
int a = 10, b = 3;
printf("Addition: %d\n", a + b);
printf("Subtraction: %d\n", a - b);
printf("Multiplication: %d\n", a * b);
printf("Division: %d\n", a / b);
printf("Modulo: %d\n", a % b);
printf("Increment: %d\n", ++a);
printf("Decrement: %d\n", --b);
return 0;
Here is the output:
Addition: 13
Subtraction: 7
Multiplication: 30
Division: 3
Modulo: 1
Increment: 11
Decrement: 2
Relational Operators
C relational operators compare two values and return true or false:
Operator Name Description
== Equal x == y is true if x and y are equal.
!= Not Equal x != y is true if x and y are not equal.
< Less Than x < y is true if x is less than y.
> Greater Than x > y is true if x is greater than y.
<= Less Than or Equal to x <= y is true if x is less than or equal to y.
>= Greater Than or Equal to x >= y is true if x is greater than or equal to y.
Relational Operators Example
This example demonstrates the usage of relational operators in C:
#include <stdio.h>
int main()
int a = 10, b = 5;
printf("a == b: %d\n", a == b);
printf("a != b: %d\n", a != b);
printf("a > b: %d\n", a > b);
printf("a < b: %d\n", a < b);
printf("a >= b: %d\n", a >= b);
printf("a <= b: %d\n", a <= b);
return 0;
Here is the output:
a == b: 0
a != b: 1
a > b: 1
a < b: 0
a >= b: 1
a <= b: 0
Logical Operators
C logical operators operate on Boolean values and return Boolean values:
Operator Name Description
! Not !x is true when x is false and false when x is true.
&& And x && y is true only if x and y are both true.
|| Or x || y is true if either x or y is true.
Logical Operators Example
This example demonstrates the usage of logical operators in C:
#include <stdio.h>
int main()
int a = 1, b = 0;
printf("a && b: %d\n", a && b);
printf("a || b: %d\n", a || b);
printf("!a: %d\n", !a);
return 0;
Here is the output:
a && b: 0
a || b: 1
!a: 0
Bitwise Operators
C bitwise operators manipulate individual bits in an integer:
Operator Name Description
& And Result has bit set only where both operands have that bit set.
| Or Result has bit set if either operand has that bit set.
^ Xor Result has bit set only if only one operand has that bit set.
~ Not Takes a single operand and inverts each bit in it.
<< Left shift a << b means a‘s bits are shifted to the left b spaces.
>> Right shift a >> b means a‘s bits are shifted to the right b spaces.
Bitwise Operators Example
This example demonstrates the usage of bitwise operators in C:
#include <stdio.h>
int main()
int a = 5, b = 3; // 5 = 0101, 3 = 0011
printf("a & b: %d\n", a & b);
printf("a | b: %d\n", a | b);
printf("a ^ b: %d\n", a ^ b);
printf("~a: %d\n", ~a);
printf("a << 1: %d\n", a << 1);
printf("a >> 1: %d\n", a >> 1);
return 0;
Here is the output:
a & b: 1
a | b: 7
a ^ b: 6
~a: -6
a << 1: 10
a >> 1: 2
Assignment Operators
C assignment operators assign the value on the right to the variable on the left:
Operator Name Description
= Assignment a = 3 assigns value 3 to variable a.
+= Addition Assignment a += 3 is short for a = a + 3.
-= Subtraction Assignment a -= 3 is short for a = a - 3.
*= Multiplication Assignment a *= 3 is short for a = a * 3.
/= Division Assignment a /= 3 is short for a = a / 3.
%= Modulo Assignment a %= 3 is short for a = a % 3.
&= And Assignment a &= 3 is short for a = a & 3.
|= Or Assignment a |= 3 is short for a = a | 3.
^= Xor Assignment a ^= 3 is short for a = a ^ 3.
<<= Left Shift Assignment a <<= 3 is short for a = a << 3.
>>= Right Shift Assignment a >>= 3 is short for a = a >> 3.
C Assignment Operators Example
This example demonstrates the usage of assignment operators in C:
#include <stdio.h>
int main()
int a = 5;
a += 3; // a = a + 3
printf("a += 3: %d\n", a);
a -= 2;
printf("a -= 2: %d\n", a);
a *= 4;
printf("a *= 4: %d\n", a);
a /= 3;
printf("a /= 3: %d\n", a);
a %= 3;
printf("a %%= 3: %d\n", a);
return 0;
Here is the output:
a += 3: 8
a -= 2: 6
a *= 4: 24
a /= 3: 8
a %= 3: 2
Misc Operators
C misc operators don’t fit into a particular category:
Operator Name Description
Sizeof
sizeof() sizeof(x) returns the size of variable x.
Operator
& Address &x returns the address of variable x.
*x returns a pointer to variable x. Not to be confused with
* Pointer
multiplication.
Conditional
?: expression?x:y returns x when expression is true, y otherwise.
Operator
Misc Operators Example
This example demonstrates the usage of some of these operators in C:
#include <stdio.h>
int main()
int a = 10;
int *p = &a;
printf("Address of a: %p\n", &a);
printf("Value of a using pointer: %d\n", *p);
int b = (a > 5) ? 100 : 200;
printf("Ternary result: %d\n", b);
return 0;
Here is the output:
Address of a: 0x7ffdcb92c540
Value of a using pointer: 10
Ternary result: 100