MySQL: CHARACTER_LENGTH Function

This tutorial explains how to use the MySQL CHARACTER_LENGTH function with syntax and examples.

Description

The MySQL CHARACTER_LENGTH function returns the length of the specified string (measured in characters).

Syntax

The syntax for the CHARACTER_LENGTH function in MySQL is:

CHARACTER_LENGTH( string )

Parameters or Arguments

string

The string to return the length for.

Note

• When using the CHARACTER_LENGTH function, a multi-byte character is counted as a single character.
• The CHARACTER_LENGTH function is a synonym for the CHAR_LENGTH function.
• See also the LENGTH function.

Applies To

The CHARACTER_LENGTH function can be used in the following versions of MySQL:

• MySQL 5.7, MySQL 5.6, MySQL 5.5, MySQL 5.1, MySQL 5.0, MySQL 4.1, MySQL 4.0, MySQL 3.23

Example

Let's look at some MySQL CHARACTER_LENGTH function examples and explore how to use the CHARACTER_LENGTH function in MySQL.

For example:

mysql> SELECT CHARACTER_LENGTH(NULL);
Output: NULL

mysql> SELECT CHARACTER_LENGTH('');
Output: 0

mysql> SELECT CHARACTER_LENGTH(' ');
Output: 1


mysql> SELECT CHARACTER_LENGTH('AODBA.com');
Output: 9