getchar() Function in C — Read a Character with Example

The getchar() function reads a single character from standard input (the keyboard) and returns it. It is one of the simplest input functions in C and a great way to understand how the input buffer works. In this program we use getchar() in a loop to read text entered by the user and count how many characters were typed before the Enter key.

About getchar()

getchar() reads one character at a time from stdin and returns it as an int.
It returns int — not char — so it can also return the special value EOF (end of file) when there is no more input.
Input is line-buffered: characters are delivered to your program only after the user presses Enter.

The Program

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void)
{
    int count = 0;
    int ch;

    printf("Please enter some text and press Enter:\n");

    /* Read characters until Enter (newline) or end-of-input. */
    while ((ch = getchar()) != '\n' && ch != EOF)
        count++;

    printf("You entered %d characters.\n", count);
    return 0;
}

How the Program Works

The expression (ch = getchar()) reads one character and assigns it to ch, all inside the while condition.
The loop keeps going as long as the character is not a newline ('\n') and not EOF, incrementing count each time.
When the user presses Enter, getchar() returns '\n', the loop stops, and the total is printed.
ch is declared int (not char) so the comparison with EOF is reliable — a very common beginner bug is declaring it char.

This is a clean, standard-C version of the classic example. The original used main() with no return type and #define RETURN 'n' — note that 'n' is the letter n, whereas the newline character is '\n' (with a backslash).

Sample Output

Please enter some text and press Enter:
Hello World
You entered 11 characters.

(The 11 characters are H e l l o (space) W o r l d.)

getchar() vs Other Input Functions

Function	Reads	Typical use
`getchar()`	One character	Character-by-character processing
`scanf()`	Formatted input	Numbers and words
`fgets()`	A whole line (safely)	Reading strings without overflow

For a thorough explanation of getchar(), the input buffer and EOF, The C Programming Language by Kernighan and Ritchie is the definitive reference — find it on Amazon.

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Related C Programs

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C Program to demonstrate the ‘getchar’ function.