Java

extends

Keyword

❮ Java Keywords

Example

The Car class
(subclass) inherits the attributes and methods from the Vehicle class
(superclass):

class Vehicle {
  protected String brand = "Ford";         // Vehicle attribute
  public void honk() {                     // Vehicle method
    System.out.println("Tuut, tuut!");
  }
}

class Car extends Vehicle {
  private String modelName = "Mustang";    // Car attribute
  public static void main(String[] args) {

    // Create a myCar object
    Car myCar = new Car();

    // Call the honk() method (from the Vehicle class) on the myCar object
    myCar.honk();

    // Display the value of the brand attribute (from the Vehicle class) and the value of the modelName from the Car class
    System.out.println(myCar.brand + " " + myCar.modelName);
  }
}

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Definition and Usage

The extends keyword extends a class (indicates that a class is inherited from another class).

In Java, it is possible to inherit attributes and methods from one class to another. We group the “inheritance concept” into two categories:

• subclass (child) – the class that inherits from another class
• superclass (parent) – the class being inherited from

To inherit from a class, use the extends
keyword.

Related Pages

Read more about inheritance in our Java Inheritance Tutorial.

❮ Java Keywords