---
title: 5.11 Multidimensional Arrays
description: "A multidimensional array is an array whose elements are themselves arrays. In C, a two-dimensional array is commonly used to represent data arranged in rows and columns, such as a matrix or a table. ``` #include int main(void) { int…"
url: "https://edcret.in/docs/c-programming/arrays/5-11-multidimensional-arrays/"
updated: "2026-10-27"
category: C Programming / Arrays
---

# 5.11 Multidimensional Arrays

A multidimensional array is an array whose elements are themselves arrays. In C, a two-dimensional array is commonly used to represent data arranged in rows and columns, such as a matrix or a table.

```
#include <stdio.h>

int main(void)
{
    int matrix[2][3] = {
        {10, 20, 30},
        {40, 50, 60}
    };

    for (int row = 0; row < 2; row++)
    {
        for (int col = 0; col < 3; col++)
        {
            printf("%d ", matrix[row][col]);
        }

        printf("\n");
    }

    return 0;
}
```

### Example Output

```
10 20 30
40 50 60
```

### Explanation

The declaration:

```
int matrix[2][3];
```

creates a two-dimensional array containing two rows and three columns, for a total of six integer elements.

The first index selects a row, and the second index selects a column:

```
matrix[0][1] = 20;
matrix[1][2] = 60;
```

C stores the elements of a multidimensional array in row-major order. All elements of the first row are stored before the elements of the second row.

### Multidimensional Array Declarations

| Declaration | Structure | Total elements |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `int a[3][4];` | 3 rows × 4 columns | 12 |
| `int a[2][3];` | 2 rows × 3 columns | 6 |
| `int a[2][3][4];` | 2 × 3 × 4 dimensions | 24 |

For a three-dimensional array:

```
int values[2][3][4];
```

three indices are required to access an individual element:

```
values[1][2][3] = 100;
```

Each additional dimension introduces another level of indexing. Multidimensional arrays are useful for matrices, grids, tabular data, and other fixed-size structures.