# `jal`

[RISC-V Documentation](https://asm-editor.specy.app/documentation/risc-v.md) › [Instructions](https://asm-editor.specy.app/documentation/risc-v/instruction.md)

Web page: https://asm-editor.specy.app/documentation/risc-v/instruction/jal

**Jump and link**

Category: Control flow

Saves the return address in a register and jumps to label, or saves it in ra when only a label is given.

[RISC-V manual: jal](https://docs.riscv.org/reference/isa/v20260120/unpriv/rv32.html#norm:jal_op)

Used in: [if, else and jump tables](https://asm-editor.specy.app/learn/courses/risc-v/think-in-assembly/if-else-and-jump-tables.md) (RISC-V assembly), [jal, ret and the calling convention](https://asm-editor.specy.app/learn/courses/risc-v/think-in-assembly/jal-ret-and-the-calling-convention.md) (RISC-V assembly), [Floating point and the F and D extensions](https://asm-editor.specy.app/learn/courses/risc-v/think-in-assembly/floating-point-and-the-f-and-d-extensions.md) (RISC-V assembly), [A subroutine with its arguments in registers](https://asm-editor.specy.app/learn/courses/risc-v/examples/subroutine-with-register-arguments.md) (RISC-V assembly), [Stack arguments and a stack frame](https://asm-editor.specy.app/learn/courses/risc-v/examples/subroutine-with-stack-arguments.md) (RISC-V assembly), [Recursion: factorial and Fibonacci](https://asm-editor.specy.app/learn/courses/risc-v/examples/factorial-and-fibonacci.md) (RISC-V assembly), [Print a nonnegative number in bases 2–36](https://asm-editor.specy.app/learn/courses/risc-v/examples/number-to-string.md) (RISC-V assembly), [Drawing shapes on the screen](https://asm-editor.specy.app/learn/courses/risc-v/examples/drawing-on-the-screen.md) (RISC-V assembly), [A bouncing ball](https://asm-editor.specy.app/learn/courses/risc-v/examples/bouncing-ball.md) (RISC-V assembly), [Move a square with the keyboard](https://asm-editor.specy.app/learn/courses/risc-v/examples/keyboard-control.md) (RISC-V assembly)

## Forms

- `jal t1, label`

## Pseudo-instructions

The processor does not have these forms. The assembler replaces each of them with one or more real instructions. Open a row to see them.

- `jal label` · Jump to statement at label and set the return address to ra
  - `jal label` → `jal ra, label`

## Operands

- `t1`: Any integer register, `x0` to `x31`, or its named alias, such as `zero`, `t0` or `t6`.
- `label`: A named address in the program, such as the start of a loop or a variable in `.data`.

## Example

```riscv
# jal saves the next instruction address (0x00400008) in ra. link_marker is that skipped instruction; t2 ends at 1.
.text
li t2, 0
jal ra, done
link_marker:
addi t2, t2, 100
done:
addi t2, t2, 1
```