**Answer:**

In Java, you compare strings using the `.equals()` method, not the `==` operator. The `.equals()` method checks whether two strings have the **same value (content)**, while `==` checks whether they refer to the **same object in memory**.

Here’s a simple example:

```java

String str1 = "hello";

String str2 = "hello";

String str3 = new String("hello");

System.out.println(str1 == str2); // true (both refer to same string literal)

System.out.println(str1 == str3); // false (different objects)

System.out.println(str1.equals(str3)); // true (same content)

```

To compare strings **ignoring case**, use `.equalsIgnoreCase()`:

```java

String str4 = "HELLO";

System.out.println(str1.equalsIgnoreCase(str4)); // true

```

Always use `.equals()` or `.equalsIgnoreCase()` when comparing string values in Java.