Operators are symbols that tell the compiler to perform mathematical, logical, or other operations on variables and constants. There are several types of operators including arithmetic, unary, assignment, relational, logical, ternary, bitwise, and shift operators. Arithmetic operators represent basic math operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Unary operators operate on a single operand, like increment and decrement operators. Assignment operators assign values, relational operators compare values, and logical operators combine conditional tests.