SQL Query

MySQL: SQL Query to Concatenate Strings

MySQL guide: Combine multiple strings or columns into one using CONCAT or || operator.

This guide is specifically for MySQL syntax.

SQL Query to Concatenate Strings

Combine multiple strings or columns into one using CONCAT or || operator.

Quick Answer

SELECT CONCAT(first_name, ' ', last_name) as full_name FROM users;

Explanation

CONCAT joins strings together. || operator works in PostgreSQL/Oracle. CONCAT_WS adds a separator between values. Use COALESCE to handle NULLs.

Query Variants

Concat

SELECT CONCAT(first_name, ' ', last_name) as full_name FROM users;

Pipe

SELECT first_name || ' ' || last_name as full_name FROM users;

Concat Ws

SELECT CONCAT_WS(', ', city, state, country) as location FROM addresses;

With Null

SELECT CONCAT(COALESCE(prefix, ''), name) as full_name FROM users;

Pro Tips

  • CONCAT_WS handles separators automatically
  • NULL in CONCAT may return NULL (database-dependent)
  • Use COALESCE for NULL-safe concatenation

Related SQL Queries

Continue learning with more SQL query examples:


MySQL-Specific Notes

This page covers MySQL syntax. Other databases may have different syntax for similar operations.

Related Content

From Our Blog

Try it yourself

Practice this query in our interactive SQL sandbox.