Inorder predecessor in Binary Search Tree Last Updated : 23 Jul, 2025 Comments Improve Suggest changes Like Article Like Report Given a Binary Search Tree, the task is to find the In-Order predecessor of a given target key.In a Binary Search Tree (BST), the Inorder predecessor of a node is the previous node in the Inorder traversal of the BST. The Inorder predecessor is NULL for the first node in the Inorder traversal.Examples:In the below diagram, inorder predecessor of 8 is 4, inorder predecessor of 10 is 8 and inorder predecessor of 14 is 12.We have discussed different methods for Inorder predecessor in Binary Tree. These methods either work in O(n) time or expect parent pointer/reference to be present in every node. We can use Binary Search Tree properties to efficiently find the successor in O(h) time.Approach:We follow the idea of normal BST Search. In BST search, we get closer to the key by comparing with the current node. So the last lesser key visited during search is the predecessor. Step by step approach:Initialize current node to root and predecessor to NULL.If current node is NULL, return NULL (no predecessor exists).If target > current node value, current node is potential predecessor - update predecessor and move right.If target < current node value, move left.If target equals current node value and left subtree exists, return rightmost node in left subtree.If target equals current node value and no left subtree, break (predecessor already found).Below is the implementation of the above approach: C++ // C++ Program to find Inorder Successor in // Binary Search Tree #include <bits/stdc++.h> using namespace std; class Node { public: int data; Node* left; Node* right; Node(int x) { data = x; left = nullptr; right = nullptr; } }; // Function to find the rightmost (maximum) // node in the left subtree Node* rightmost(Node* node) { while (node->right != nullptr) { node = node->right; } return node; } Node* getPred(Node* root, int target) { // No Inorder predecessor if (root == nullptr) return nullptr; // Use BST properties to search for the // target and predecessor Node* pred = nullptr; Node* curr = root; while (curr != nullptr) { // If the current node's data is less than the target, // it is a potential predecessor if (target > curr->data) { pred = curr; curr = curr->right; } // If greater, move to the left child else if (target < curr->data) { curr = curr->left; } // If equal else { // If the left subtree of target node exists // then predecessor will be right most node // of the left subtree. if (curr->left != nullptr) { return rightmost(curr->left); } // Otherwise, the predecessor has already // been stored in the pred variable break; } } return pred; } int main() { // Construct a BST // 20 // / \ // 8 22 // / \ // 4 12 // / \ // 10 14 Node *root = new Node(20); root->left = new Node(8); root->right = new Node(22); root->left->left = new Node(4); root->left->right = new Node(12); root->left->right->left = new Node(10); root->left->right->right = new Node(14); int target = 12; Node* pred = getPred(root, target); if (pred != nullptr) cout << pred->data; else cout << "null"; return 0; } C // C Program to find Inorder Successor in // Binary Search Tree #include <stdio.h> #include <stdlib.h> struct Node { int data; struct Node* left; struct Node* right; }; // Function to find the rightmost (maximum) // node in the left subtree struct Node* rightmost(struct Node* node) { while (node->right != NULL) { node = node->right; } return node; } struct Node* getPred(struct Node* root, int target) { // No Inorder predecessor if (root == NULL) return NULL; // Use BST properties to search for the // target and predecessor struct Node* pred = NULL; struct Node* curr = root; while (curr != NULL) { // If the current node's data is less than the target, // it is a potential predecessor if (target > curr->data) { pred = curr; curr = curr->right; } // If greater, move to the left child else if (target < curr->data) { curr = curr->left; } // If equal else { // If the left subtree of target node exists // then predecessor will be right most node // of the left subtree. if (curr->left != NULL) { return rightmost(curr->left); } // Otherwise, the predecessor has already // been stored in the pred variable break; } } return pred; } struct Node* createNode(int x) { struct Node* newNode = (struct Node*)malloc(sizeof(struct Node)); newNode->data = x; newNode->left = NULL; newNode->right = NULL; return newNode; } int main() { // Construct a BST struct Node *root = createNode(20); root->left = createNode(8); root->right = createNode(22); root->left->left = createNode(4); root->left->right = createNode(12); root->left->right->left = createNode(10); root->left->right->right = createNode(14); int target = 12; struct Node* pred = getPred(root, target); if (pred != NULL) printf("%d", pred->data); else printf("null"); return 0; } Java // Java Program to find Inorder Successor in // Binary Search Tree class Node { int data; Node left, right; Node(int x) { data = x; left = null; right = null; } } class GfG { // Function to find the rightmost (maximum) // node in the left subtree static Node rightmost(Node node) { while (node.right != null) { node = node.right; } return node; } static Node getPred(Node root, int target) { // No Inorder predecessor if (root == null) return null; // Use BST properties to search for the // target and predecessor Node pred = null; Node curr = root; while (curr != null) { // If the current node's data is less than the target, // it is a potential predecessor if (target > curr.data) { pred = curr; curr = curr.right; } // If greater, move to the left child else if (target < curr.data) { curr = curr.left; } // If equal else { // If the left subtree of target node exists // then predecessor will be right most node // of the left subtree. if (curr.left != null) { return rightmost(curr.left); } // Otherwise, the predecessor has already // been stored in the pred variable break; } } return pred; } public static void main(String[] args) { // Construct a BST Node root = new Node(20); root.left = new Node(8); root.right = new Node(22); root.left.left = new Node(4); root.left.right = new Node(12); root.left.right.left = new Node(10); root.left.right.right = new Node(14); int target = 12; Node pred = getPred(root, target); if (pred != null) System.out.print(pred.data); else System.out.print("null"); } } Python # Python Program to find Inorder Successor in # Binary Search Tree class Node: def __init__(self, x): self.data = x self.left = None self.right = None # Function to find the rightmost (maximum) # node in the left subtree def rightmost(node): while node.right is not None: node = node.right return node def getPred(root, target): # No Inorder predecessor if root is None: return None # Use BST properties to search for the # target and predecessor pred = None curr = root while curr is not None: # If the current node's data is less than the target, # it is a potential predecessor if target > curr.data: pred = curr curr = curr.right # If greater, move to the left child elif target < curr.data: curr = curr.left # If equal else: # If the left subtree of target node exists # then predecessor will be right most node # of the left subtree. if curr.left is not None: return rightmost(curr.left) # Otherwise, the predecessor has already # been stored in the pred variable break return pred if __name__ == "__main__": # Construct a BST root = Node(20) root.left = Node(8) root.right = Node(22) root.left.left = Node(4) root.left.right = Node(12) root.left.right.left = Node(10) root.left.right.right = Node(14) target = 12 pred = getPred(root, target) if pred is not None: print(pred.data) else: print("null") C# // C# Program to find Inorder Successor in // Binary Search Tree using System; using System.Collections.Generic; class Node { public int data; public Node left, right; public Node(int x) { data = x; left = null; right = null; } } class GfG { // Function to find the rightmost (maximum) // node in the left subtree static Node rightmost(Node node) { while (node.right != null) { node = node.right; } return node; } static Node getPred(Node root, int target) { // No Inorder predecessor if (root == null) return null; // Use BST properties to search for the // target and predecessor Node pred = null; Node curr = root; while (curr != null) { // If the current node's data is less than the target, // it is a potential predecessor if (target > curr.data) { pred = curr; curr = curr.right; } // If greater, move to the left child else if (target < curr.data) { curr = curr.left; } // If equal else { // If the left subtree of target node exists // then predecessor will be right most node // of the left subtree. if (curr.left != null) { return rightmost(curr.left); } // Otherwise, the predecessor has already // been stored in the pred variable break; } } return pred; } static void Main() { // Construct a BST // 20 // / \ // 8 22 // / \ // 4 12 // / \ // 10 14 Node root = new Node(20); root.left = new Node(8); root.right = new Node(22); root.left.left = new Node(4); root.left.right = new Node(12); root.left.right.left = new Node(10); root.left.right.right = new Node(14); int target = 12; Node pred = getPred(root, target); Console.WriteLine(pred != null ? pred.data.ToString() : "null"); } } JavaScript // JavaScript Program to find Inorder Successor in // Binary Search Tree class Node { constructor(x) { this.data = x; this.left = null; this.right = null; } } // Function to find the rightmost (maximum) // node in the left subtree function rightmost(node) { while (node.right !== null) { node = node.right; } return node; } function getPred(root, target) { // No Inorder predecessor if (root === null) return null; // Use BST properties to search for the // target and predecessor let pred = null; let curr = root; while (curr !== null) { // If the current node's data is less than the target, // it is a potential predecessor if (target > curr.data) { pred = curr; curr = curr.right; } // If greater, move to the left child else if (target < curr.data) { curr = curr.left; } // If equal else { // If the left subtree of target node exists // then predecessor will be right most node // of the left subtree. if (curr.left !== null) { return rightmost(curr.left); } // Otherwise, the predecessor has already // been stored in the pred variable break; } } return pred; } // Construct a BST // 20 // / \ // 8 22 // / \ // 4 12 // / \ // 10 14 let root = new Node(20); root.left = new Node(8); root.right = new Node(22); root.left.left = new Node(4); root.left.right = new Node(12); root.left.right.left = new Node(10); root.left.right.right = new Node(14); let target = 12; let pred = getPred(root, target); if (pred !== null) console.log(pred.data); else console.log("null"); Output10Time Complexity: O(h), where h is the height of the tree. Auxiliary Space: O(1) Comment More infoAdvertise with us Next Article Analysis of Algorithms V vaibhavvah36o Follow Improve Article Tags : Binary Search Tree DSA Practice Tags : Binary Search Tree Similar Reads Basics & PrerequisitesLogic Building ProblemsLogic building is about creating clear, step-by-step methods to solve problems using simple rules and principles. Itâs the heart of coding, enabling programmers to think, reason, and arrive at smart solutions just like we do.Here are some tips for improving your programming logic: Understand the pro 2 min read Analysis of AlgorithmsAnalysis of Algorithms is a fundamental aspect of computer science that involves evaluating performance of algorithms and programs. Efficiency is measured in terms of time and space.BasicsWhy is Analysis Important?Order of GrowthAsymptotic Analysis Worst, Average and Best Cases Asymptotic NotationsB 1 min read Data StructuresArray Data StructureIn this article, we introduce array, implementation in different popular languages, its basic operations and commonly seen problems / interview questions. An array stores items (in case of C/C++ and Java Primitive Arrays) or their references (in case of Python, JS, Java Non-Primitive) at contiguous 3 min read String in Data StructureA string is a sequence of characters. The following facts make string an interesting data structure.Small set of elements. Unlike normal array, strings typically have smaller set of items. For example, lowercase English alphabet has only 26 characters. ASCII has only 256 characters.Strings are immut 2 min read Hashing in Data StructureHashing is a technique used in data structures that efficiently stores and retrieves data in a way that allows for quick access. Hashing involves mapping data to a specific index in a hash table (an array of items) using a hash function. It enables fast retrieval of information based on its key. The 2 min read Linked List Data StructureA linked list is a fundamental data structure in computer science. It mainly allows efficient insertion and deletion operations compared to arrays. Like arrays, it is also used to implement other data structures like stack, queue and deque. Hereâs the comparison of Linked List vs Arrays Linked List: 2 min read Stack Data StructureA Stack is a linear data structure that follows a particular order in which the operations are performed. The order may be LIFO(Last In First Out) or FILO(First In Last Out). LIFO implies that the element that is inserted last, comes out first and FILO implies that the element that is inserted first 2 min read Queue Data StructureA Queue Data Structure is a fundamental concept in computer science used for storing and managing data in a specific order. It follows the principle of "First in, First out" (FIFO), where the first element added to the queue is the first one to be removed. It is used as a buffer in computer systems 2 min read Tree Data StructureTree Data Structure is a non-linear data structure in which a collection of elements known as nodes are connected to each other via edges such that there exists exactly one path between any two nodes. Types of TreeBinary Tree : Every node has at most two childrenTernary Tree : Every node has at most 4 min read Graph Data StructureGraph Data Structure is a collection of nodes connected by edges. It's used to represent relationships between different entities. If you are looking for topic-wise list of problems on different topics like DFS, BFS, Topological Sort, Shortest Path, etc., please refer to Graph Algorithms. Basics of 3 min read Trie Data StructureThe Trie data structure is a tree-like structure used for storing a dynamic set of strings. It allows for efficient retrieval and storage of keys, making it highly effective in handling large datasets. Trie supports operations such as insertion, search, deletion of keys, and prefix searches. In this 15+ min read AlgorithmsSearching AlgorithmsSearching algorithms are essential tools in computer science used to locate specific items within a collection of data. In this tutorial, we are mainly going to focus upon searching in an array. When we search an item in an array, there are two most common algorithms used based on the type of input 2 min read Sorting AlgorithmsA Sorting Algorithm is used to rearrange a given array or list of elements in an order. For example, a given array [10, 20, 5, 2] becomes [2, 5, 10, 20] after sorting in increasing order and becomes [20, 10, 5, 2] after sorting in decreasing order. There exist different sorting algorithms for differ 3 min read Introduction to RecursionThe process in which a function calls itself directly or indirectly is called recursion and the corresponding function is called a recursive function. A recursive algorithm takes one step toward solution and then recursively call itself to further move. The algorithm stops once we reach the solution 14 min read Greedy AlgorithmsGreedy algorithms are a class of algorithms that make locally optimal choices at each step with the hope of finding a global optimum solution. At every step of the algorithm, we make a choice that looks the best at the moment. To make the choice, we sometimes sort the array so that we can always get 3 min read Graph AlgorithmsGraph is a non-linear data structure like tree data structure. The limitation of tree is, it can only represent hierarchical data. For situations where nodes or vertices are randomly connected with each other other, we use Graph. Example situations where we use graph data structure are, a social net 3 min read Dynamic Programming or DPDynamic Programming is an algorithmic technique with the following properties.It is mainly an optimization over plain recursion. Wherever we see a recursive solution that has repeated calls for the same inputs, we can optimize it using Dynamic Programming. The idea is to simply store the results of 3 min read Bitwise AlgorithmsBitwise algorithms in Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) involve manipulating individual bits of binary representations of numbers to perform operations efficiently. These algorithms utilize bitwise operators like AND, OR, XOR, NOT, Left Shift, and Right Shift.BasicsIntroduction to Bitwise Algorit 4 min read AdvancedSegment TreeSegment Tree is a data structure that allows efficient querying and updating of intervals or segments of an array. It is particularly useful for problems involving range queries, such as finding the sum, minimum, maximum, or any other operation over a specific range of elements in an array. The tree 3 min read Pattern SearchingPattern searching algorithms are essential tools in computer science and data processing. These algorithms are designed to efficiently find a particular pattern within a larger set of data. Patten SearchingImportant Pattern Searching Algorithms:Naive String Matching : A Simple Algorithm that works i 2 min read GeometryGeometry is a branch of mathematics that studies the properties, measurements, and relationships of points, lines, angles, surfaces, and solids. From basic lines and angles to complex structures, it helps us understand the world around us.Geometry for Students and BeginnersThis section covers key br 2 min read Interview PreparationInterview Corner: All Resources To Crack Any Tech InterviewThis article serves as your one-stop guide to interview preparation, designed to help you succeed across different experience levels and company expectations. Here is what you should expect in a Tech Interview, please remember the following points:Tech Interview Preparation does not have any fixed s 3 min read GfG160 - 160 Days of Problem SolvingAre you preparing for technical interviews and would like to be well-structured to improve your problem-solving skills? Well, we have good news for you! GeeksforGeeks proudly presents GfG160, a 160-day coding challenge starting on 15th November 2024. In this event, we will provide daily coding probl 3 min read Practice ProblemGeeksforGeeks Practice - Leading Online Coding PlatformGeeksforGeeks Practice is an online coding platform designed to help developers and students practice coding online and sharpen their programming skills with the following features. GfG 160: This consists of most popular interview problems organized topic wise and difficulty with with well written e 6 min read Problem of The Day - Develop the Habit of CodingDo you find it difficult to develop a habit of Coding? If yes, then we have a most effective solution for you - all you geeks need to do is solve one programming problem each day without any break, and BOOM, the results will surprise you! Let us tell you how:Suppose you commit to improve yourself an 5 min read Like