What are Java keywords?

What are Java keywords?

• A. They are variable names
• B. Reserved words with predefined meanings in Java
• C. They are punctuation marks
• D. They are comments in code

Answer: (B)

In Java, keywords are reserved words with predefined meanings in the language’s syntax. They instruct the compiler how to parse and structure code, giving specific roles to parts of the program—things like controlling flow (if, else, for, while), declaring types and members (class, interface, public, private, static, void), or handling exceptions (try, catch, finally). Because they have these special meanings, you can’t use them as names for variables, methods, or classes. They’re not punctuation marks (the symbols like ;, (), {} that organize code) and they aren’t comments (which are ignored by the compiler). Some words are reserved even if they aren’t currently used for any purpose in Java (like const and goto), which shows that they’re set aside for potential or historical reasons.

In Java, keywords are reserved words with predefined meanings in the language’s syntax. They instruct the compiler how to parse and structure code, giving specific roles to parts of the program—things like controlling flow (if, else, for, while), declaring types and members (class, interface, public, private, static, void), or handling exceptions (try, catch, finally). Because they have these special meanings, you can’t use them as names for variables, methods, or classes. They’re not punctuation marks (the symbols like ;, (), {} that organize code) and they aren’t comments (which are ignored by the compiler). Some words are reserved even if they aren’t currently used for any purpose in Java (like const and goto), which shows that they’re set aside for potential or historical reasons.