java toString() returning this

Question

In String toString() method returns this and when i pass it System.out.println() it prints the content of the String. It is c

Answer 1

The toString method, defined on Object in Java is responsible for converting the object to a String representation. Since String is already a String, the toString method simply returns itself.

Answer 2

and when i pass it System.out.println() it prints the content of the String

In fact, when you pass a String to System.out.println you don't go through toString anyway. The System.out refers to a PrintStream object which has a method that accepts Strings immediately:

public void println(String x)

Prints a String and then terminate the line.

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The contract of toString is to return a string representation of the object:

public String toString()

Returns a string representation of the object. In general, the toString method returns a string that "textually represents" this object. The result should be a concise but informative representation that is easy for a person to read. It is recommended that all subclasses override this method.

Since String happens to be a String it can return itself (this)!