You say you want to know the most efficient way and you don't want to know some standard built-in way of doing this. Then I say to you: RTSL (read the source, luke):

Check out the source code for AbstractStringBuilder#reverse, which gets called by StringBuilder#reverse. I bet it does some stuff that you would not have considered for a robust reverse operation.

Answer from Tom on Stack Overflow
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › java › reverse-a-string-in-java
Reverse a String in Java - GeeksforGeeks
Explanation: Characters are stored in a list and reversed using Collections.reverse(). This approach is helpful when you’re already working with Java collections. StringBuffer is similar to StringBuilder but thread-safe.
Published   October 14, 2025
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W3Schools
w3schools.com › java › java_howto_reverse_string.asp
Java How To Reverse a String
Java Wrapper Classes Java Generics Java Annotations Java RegEx Java Threads Java Lambda Java Advanced Sorting ... How Tos Add Two Numbers Swap Two Variables Even or Odd Number Reverse a Number Positive or Negative Square Root Area of Rectangle Celsius to Fahrenheit Sum of Digits Check Armstrong Num Random Number Count Words Count Vowels in a String Remove Vowels Count Digits in a String Reverse a String Palindrome Check Check Anagram Convert String to Array Remove Whitespace Count Character Frequency Sum of Array Elements Find Array Average Sort an Array Find Smallest Element Find Largest Element Second Largest Array Min and Max Array Merge Two Arrays Remove Duplicates Find Duplicates Shuffle an Array Factorial of a Number Fibonacci Sequence Find GCD Check Prime Number ArrayList Loop HashMap Loop Loop Through an Enum
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The Knowledge Academy
theknowledgeacademy.com › blog › reverse-a-string-in-java
How to Reverse a String in Java with Examples
To achieve this efficiently, you can use StringBuffer and StringBuilder. This method requires that you have a second string to XOR with, so you need to create a copy of the original string and reverse it first.
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Baeldung
baeldung.com › home › java › java string › how to reverse a string in java
How to Reverse a String in Java | Baeldung
January 8, 2024 - We’ll start to do this processing using plain Java solutions. Next, we’ll have a look at the options that third-party libraries like Apache Commons provide. Furthermore, we’ll demonstrate how to reverse the order of words in a sentence. We know that strings are immutable in Java.
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Emeritus
emeritus.org › home › blog › information technology › 9 most convenient ways to reverse a string in java
9 Most Convenient Ways to Reverse a String in Java
September 24, 2024 - Next, the ‘Collections.reverse()’ method reverses the character list. Lastly, the reversed character list converts back to a string using a StringBuilder class and another iterative for-each loop. ALSO READ: Here Are 5 Important Reasons to Learn Java Programming in 2024
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Simplilearn
simplilearn.com › home › resources › software development › how to reverse a string in java: 12 best methods
How to Reverse a String in Java: 12 Best Methods
May 5, 2025 - How to Reverse a String in Java? 1. Using toCharArray() 2. Using StringBuilder 3. Using While Loop/For Loop 4. Converting a String to Bytes 5. Using ArrayList
Address   5851 Legacy Circle, 6th Floor, Plano, TX 75024 United States
Find elsewhere
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DevQA
devqa.io › reverse-string-java
Easiest Way to Reverse a String in Java
import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test; import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals; class ReverseString { String reverse(String inputString) { String outString = ""; for(char c : inputString.toCharArray()) { outString = c + outString; } return outString; } @Test public void testAWord() { assertEquals("tobor", new ReverseString().reverse("robot")); } } import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test; import java.util.stream.Collectors; import java.util.stream.IntStream; import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals; class ReverseString { String reverse(String inputString) { return IntStream.range(0, inputString.length()) .mapToObj(x-> inputString.charAt((inputString.length()-1) - x)) .map(character -> String.valueOf(character)) .collect(Collectors.joining("")); } @Test public void testAWord() { assertEquals("tobor", new ReverseString().reverse("robot")); } }
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnprogramming › how to reverse a string in java
r/learnprogramming on Reddit: how to reverse a string in java
April 4, 2021 -

hey guys i need your help in java so i have a very beginner problem and i'll probably be laughed at for asking this but how do you reverse a string in java

so far the online called I've been given to work with is:

import java.util.Scanner;
public class Program
{
public static void main(String[] args) {
Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);
String text = scanner.nextLine();
char[] arr = text.toCharArray();

//your code goes here

}
}

i don't know how to go about it, all i have to do is reverse the string. uhg it was so easy in python with just the (::-) is that how its written idk it's been some time python.

anyways i would appreciate any help and advice on learning java effectively i don't know much yet, i tried going on leetcode but daaaaamn it was crazy hard, i didn't manage to do any problem. thank you

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Scaler
scaler.com › home › topics › reverse a string in java
Reverse a String in Java - Scaler Topics
March 14, 2024 - The StringBuilder.reverse() method provides a straightforward way to reverse strings, making it an ideal choice for this operation. Reverse a string in Java can be efficiently done using a stack due to its Last-In-First-Out (LIFO) property.
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Hackr
hackr.io › home › articles › programming
How to Reverse a String in Java: 9 Ways with Examples [Easy]
January 30, 2025 - This tutorial covers 9 methods for how to reverse a string in Java, including methods using built-in reverse functions, recursion, and a third-party library.
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Codecademy
codecademy.com › docs › java › stringbuilder › .reverse()
Java | StringBuilder | .reverse() | Codecademy
August 22, 2022 - The .reverse() method returns a modified StringBuilder object with its character sequence rearranged in the opposite order. This is the most straightforward way to reverse a string in Java.
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Medium
javafullstackdev.medium.com › how-to-reverse-a-string-in-java-a-comprehensive-guide-b2720a975891
How to Reverse a String in Java: A Comprehensive Guide | by fullstackjavadev.in | Medium
June 7, 2024 - Reversing a string in Java can be accomplished in various ways, each with its own advantages and nuances. Whether you use the StringBuilder, a character array, recursion, or the Collections API, understanding these methods will enhance your ability to manipulate strings effectively in Java. Feel free to choose the method that best ...
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TutorialsPoint
tutorialspoint.com › what-is-the-easiest-way-to-reverse-a-string-in-java
What is the easiest way to reverse a String in Java?
Built-in reverse() method The StringBuffer class provides you a method named reverse(). It reverses the contents of the current StringBuffer object and returns the resultant StringBuffer object. It is the easiest way to reverse a Sting using Java. To
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Medium
medium.com › @AlexanderObregon › javas-stringbuilder-reverse-method-explained-b2b701ee2029
Java’s StringBuilder.reverse() Method Explained | Medium
October 3, 2024 - The StringBuilder.reverse() method is an efficient way to reverse strings in Java. It simplifies the reversal process with in-place modifications, offering performance benefits over manual reversal techniques, especially when working with large ...
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DZone
dzone.com › data engineering › data › the right way to reverse a string in java
The Right Way to Reverse a String in Java
December 6, 2018 - Usually, not writing code to solve problems is a good idea — reverse a String using this simpler implementation than more common approaches.
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Javatpoint
javatpoint.com › how-to-reverse-string-in-java
How to Reverse String in Java - javatpoint
There are many ways to reverse String in Java. We can reverse String using StringBuffer, StringBuilder, iteration etc. Let's see the ways to reverse String in Java.
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Sololearn
sololearn.com › en › Discuss › 2805778 › how-to-reverse-a-string-in-java
How to reverse a string in java | Sololearn: Learn to code for FREE!
If you prefer not to use an array and keep it simple with just Strings, then: String myWord = "abc"; String reversed = ""; for (int i = myWord.length() - 1; i >= 0; i--) reversed += myWord.charAt(i); System.out.println(reversed);
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Medium
medium.com › @thurumerla.venkatesh › 5-ways-to-reverse-a-string-in-java-without-using-reverse-or-sort-methods-66bc995a5cc9
10 Different Ways to Reverse a String in Java (Without using reverse or sort methods) | by Thurumerla Venkatesh | Medium
February 19, 2024 - Here, we’ll explore ten simple and basic approaches to reversing string using lambdas and streams, without relying on built-in methods like reverse or sort.