It can refer only to methods and it indicates that the body of the method is to be

found else where and it is usually written in non java language.

In Core Java, the native modifier is used in method declarations to indicate that the method is implemented in a language other than Java, typically in a platform-specific language like C or C++. When a method is declared as native, it means that the implementation of the method will be provided by a native library or external code.

Here’s an example of how the native modifier is used in a method declaration:

java

public class MyClass {

// Native method declaration

public native void myNativeMethod();

// Other Java methods can coexist in the same class
public void myRegularJavaMethod() {
// Method implementation
}

// Static block to load the native library
static {
System.loadLibrary(“MyNativeLibrary”);
}
}

In this example, myNativeMethod() is declared as a native method, and its implementation is expected to be provided by an external native library, which is loaded using System.loadLibrary() in the static block.

It’s important to note that native methods are often used when interfacing with platform-specific functionalities or when performance optimizations are needed, but their use should be minimized as much as possible in favor of pure Java implementations for better portability and maintainability.