An **array** is a collection of data objects of the same type. It is one of the fundamental data structures in Java and is incredibly useful for solving programming problems.

The values stored in the array are referred to as **elements** and each element is present at a particular *index* of the array.


# Declaring an array

The syntax for declaring an array is:

```C#
datatype[] arrayName;
```
* **`datatype`:** The type of Objects that will be stored in the array eg. `int`, `char` etc.

* **[ ]:** Specifies that the declared variable points to an array

* **arrayName:** Specifies the name of the array


# Initializing an array

Declaring an array does **not** initialize it. In order to store values in the array, we must initialize it first, the syntax of which is as follows:

```C#
datatype [ ] arrayName = new datatype [size];
```
There are a few different ways to initialize an array. Look at the following examples to get a better idea about array initialization.

**1. Initializing an array without assigning values:**

An array can be initialized to a particular size. In this case, the default value of each element is 0.

class HelloWorld {
    public static void main( String args[] ) {
        //Initializing array
        int[] array = new int[5];
        //Printing the elements of array
        for (int i =0;i < 5;i++)
        {
            System.out.println(array[i]);
        }
    }
}

**2. Initializing an array after a declaration:**

An array can also be initialized after declaration. 

class HelloWorld {
    public static void main( String args[] ) {
        //Array Declaration
        int[] array;
        //Array Initialization
        array = new int[]{1,2,3,4,5};
        //Printing the elements of array
        for (int i =0;i < 5;i++)
        {
            System.out.println(array[i]);
        }
    }
}

> **Note:** When assigning an array to a declared variable, the `new` keyword must be used.

**3. Initializing an array **_and_** assigning values:**

An array can also be initialized during declaration. 

class HelloWorld {
    public static void main( String args[] ) {
        int[] array = {11,12,13,14,15};
        //Printing the elements of array
        for (int i =0;i < 5;i++)
        {
            System.out.println(array[i]);
        }
    }
}

> **Note:** When assigning values to an array during initialization, the *size* is not specified. 

How to initialize an array in Java

An array is a collection of data objects of the same type. It is one of the fundamental data structures in Java and is incredibly useful for solving programming problems. The values stored in the array are referred to as elements and each element is present at a particular index of the array. 