Java – Check if key exists in HashMap

In Java, you can use Map.containsKey() to check if a key exists in a Map.

TestMap.java

package com.mkyong.examples;

import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Map;

public class TestMap {

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        Map<String, Integer> fruits = new HashMap<>();
        fruits.put("apple", 1);
        fruits.put("orange", 2);
        fruits.put("banana", 3);
        fruits.put("watermelon", null);

        System.out.println("1. Is key 'apple' exists?");
        if (fruits.containsKey("apple")) {
            //key exists
            System.out.println("yes! - " + fruits.get("apple"));
        } else {
            //key does not exists
            System.out.println("no!");
        }

        System.out.println("\n2. Is key 'watermelon' exists?");
        if (fruits.containsKey("watermelon")) {
            System.out.println("yes! - " + fruits.get("watermelon"));
        } else {
            System.out.println("no!");
        }


    }

}

Output


1. Is key 'apple' exists?
yes! - 1

2. Is key 'watermelon' exists?
yes! - null

References

  1. Java 7 Doc Map.containsKey

mkyong

Founder of Mkyong.com, passionate Java and open-source technologies. If you enjoy my tutorials, consider making a donation to these charities.

2 Comments
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Java Programmer
9 years ago

Incorrect. “get” will return null if the key exists and maps to null or if the key does not exist. “getEntry” will return null only if the key does not exist.

mkyong
9 years ago

Thanks for your inputs, article is updated. To avoid confusion, it is better stay with the proven Map.containsKey().