---
title: 'PostgreSQL RIGHT() Function'
page_title: 'PostgreSQL RIGHT() Function'
page_description: 'In this tutorial, you will learn how to use the PostgreSQL RIGHT() function to get the n right-most characters in a string.'
prev_url: 'https://www.postgresqltutorial.com/postgresql-string-functions/postgresql-right/'
ogImage: '/postgresqltutorial/customer.png'
updatedOn: '2024-01-29T01:48:10+00:00'
enableTableOfContents: true
previousLink:
  title: 'PostgreSQL LEFT() Function'
  slug: 'postgresql-string-functions/postgresql-left'
nextLink:
  title: 'PostgreSQL LPAD() Function'
  slug: 'postgresql-string-functions/postgresql-lpad'
---

**Summary**: in this tutorial, you will learn how to use the PostgreSQL `RIGHT()` function to return the last `n` characters in a string.

## Introduction to the PostgreSQL RIGHT() function

The `RIGHT()` function allows you to retrieve the last n characters of a string.

Here’s the basic syntax of the `RIGHT()` function:

```sqlsql
RIGHT(string, n)
```

The PostgreSQL `RIGHT()` function requires two arguments:

- `string` is a string from which a number of the rightmost characters are returned.
- **`n`** is a positive integer that specifies the number of the rightmost characters in the string that should be returned.

The `RIGHT()` function returns the last `n` characters in a string. If `n` is negative, the `RIGHT()` function returns all characters in the string but first `|n|` (absolute) characters.

If you want to return the `n` first characters of a string, you can use the [`LEFT()`](postgresql-left) function.

## PostgreSQL RIGHT() function examples

Let’s take some examples of using the PostgreSQL `RIGHT()` function.

### 1\) Basic PostgreSQL RIGHT() function example

The following statement uses the `RIGHT()` function to get the last character in the string `'XYZ'`:

```sql
SELECT RIGHT('XYZ', 1);
```

Here is the result:

```text
 right
-------
 Z
(1 row)

```

To get the last two characters, you pass the value `2` as the second argument as follows:

```
SELECT RIGHT('XYZ', 2);
```

Output:

```text
 right
-------
 YZ
(1 row)
```

The following statement illustrates how to use a negative integer as the second argument:

```
SELECT RIGHT('XYZ', - 1);
```

In this example, the `RIGHT()` function returns all characters except for the first character.

```text
 right
-------
 YZ
(1 row)
```

### 2\) Using the RIGHT() function with table data example

See the following `customer` table in the [sample database](../postgresql-getting-started/postgresql-sample-database):

![customer table](/postgresqltutorial/customer.png)The following statement uses the `RIGHT()` function in [`WHERE`](../postgresql-tutorial/postgresql-where) clause to get all customers whose last names end with `'son'`:

```
SELECT
  last_name
FROM
  customer
WHERE
  RIGHT(last_name, 3) = 'son';
```

Output:

```
  last_name
-------------
 Johnson
 Wilson
 Anderson
 Jackson
 Thompson
...
```

## Summary

- Use the PostgreSQL `RIGHT()` function to get the n rightmost characters in a string.