Understanding Character Data Types in C: The Char Type

Learn about the char data type in C, which is used to store a single character. Discover how to enclose characters in single quotes, such as 'A' or 'c', and understand how to print characters using the %c format specifier in the printf() function.

C Character Data Types

The char Type

The char data type is used to store a single character in C. The character must be enclosed in single quotes, like 'A' or 'c'. To print a character, we use the %c format specifier in the printf() function.

Example: Storing and Printing a Character

Example

char myGrade = 'A';
printf("%c", myGrade);
Output

A

Using ASCII Values to Display Characters

If you are familiar with ASCII values, you can use them to display specific characters. In this case, you do not surround the ASCII values with single quotes, as they are numbers:

Example

char a = 65, b = 66, c = 67;
printf("%c", a);
printf("%c", b);
printf("%c", c);
Output

ABC

Tip: You can find a list of all ASCII values in our ASCII Table Reference.

Notes on Using the char Type

Keep in mind that the char type is used for storing single characters only. If you try to store more than one character in a char variable, only the last character will be printed:

Example

char myText = 'Hello';
printf("%c", myText);
Output

o

Using Strings for Multiple Characters

To store multiple characters (or whole words), use strings instead of the char type. For now, understand that strings are used for storing text, while the char type is used for single characters:

Example

char myText[] = "Hello";
printf("%s", myText);
Output

Hello

In future chapters, you'll learn more about working with strings in C.