Java 25 (LTS) reference · Map and HashMap Methods

Java Map get() Method

Return the value for a key, or null if the key isn't present. Use getOrDefault() to avoid nulls.

Java 25 (LTS) Since Java 1.0

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Syntax

map.get(key)

Parameters

Parameter	Description
`key` Object	The key to look up.

Return value

The value, or null.

Examples

Present and missing keys

import java.util.*;

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Map<String, Integer> stock = new HashMap<>(Map.of("mug", 12));
        System.out.println(stock.get("mug"));
        System.out.println(stock.get("kettle"));
    }
}

Output

12
null

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The unboxing trap

import java.util.*;

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Map<String, Integer> stock = new HashMap<>();
        try {
            int qty = stock.get("kettle");  // unboxing null
        } catch (NullPointerException e) {
            System.out.println("get() returned null: use getOrDefault()");
        }
    }
}