Strings are one of the most important data types in Python. They are used to store text — anything from a single character to a whole block of paragraphs.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn everything you need to work with strings in Python, including how to create them, manipulate them, and use built-in methods effectively.

What is a String in Python?

A string in Python is a sequence of characters enclosed in single, double, or even triple quotes.

# Examples of strings
text1 = 'Hello'
text2 = "World"
text3 = '''This is a multi-line string.'''

String Variables

You can assign a string to a variable like this:

greeting = "Hello, Python!"
print(greeting)

Multiline Strings

Use triple quotes (''' or """) to write a string across multiple lines:

message = """Python is fun,
and it's great for beginners!"""
print(message)

String Length

Use len() to get the length of a string:

name = "Python"
print(len(name))  # Output: 6

Accessing Characters in a String

Python treats strings like arrays of characters. You can access individual characters using indexing:

txt = "Python"
print(txt[0])  # Output: P
print(txt[-1]) # Output: n (last character)

Looping Through a String

You can loop through each character in a string:

for char in "Hello":
    print(char)

Check if Substring Exists

Use the in keyword:

txt = "Learning Python is fun"
print("Python" in txt)  # True

To check if a substring does not exist, use not in:

print("Java" not in txt)  # True

String Slicing

Extract parts of a string using slicing:

text = "Python Programming"
print(text[0:6])   # Output: Python
print(text[:6])    # Output: Python
print(text[7:])    # Output: Programming

String Methods

Python has a variety of built-in methods to manipulate strings:

txt = "  Hello World  "

print(txt.strip())     # Removes surrounding whitespace
print(txt.lower())     # hello world
print(txt.upper())     # HELLO WORLD
print(txt.replace("H", "J"))  # Jello World
print(txt.split())     # ['Hello', 'World']

Use dir(str) in Python to see all available string methods.

String Concatenation

Join two strings with the + operator:

a = "Hello"
b = "World"
print(a + " " + b)  # Output: Hello World

String Formatting

Use f-strings (recommended in Python 3.6+) or .format() for dynamic content:

name = "Alice"
age = 30

print(f"My name is {name}, and I am {age} years old.")
# Output: My name is Alice, and I am 30 years old.

Escape Characters

Use escape characters for special symbols like quotes, newlines, etc.

txt = "He said, \"Python is awesome!\""
print(txt)

# Newline and Tab
print("Line1\nLine2")
print("Name:\tJohn")

Summary

Final Words

Strings are the foundation of text manipulation in Python. Whether you're building websites, automating scripts, or handling user input, mastering strings is essential.