str.lstrip() Left strip
Last updated: 2026-09-22
str.lstrip() Left strip
str.lstrip([chars]) removes leading chars (default: whitespace).
| Category | String Methods |
|---|---|
| Kind | Built-in Type Method |
| Python Version | all |
📝 Syntax
str.lstrip([chars])⚙️ Parameters
| chars Optional | A set of chars to remove; None means whitespace.（Default：None） |
|---|
Returns：str. A copy with leading chars removed.
Mutates the original：No (returns a new object)
▶ Example
Edit the code, press Run, and see the result in the output panel:
Output：
hello
hellox💡 Related Cases
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❓ FAQ
QWhat does lstrip() remove by default?
ABy default it removes leading whitespace characters (space, \t, \n, etc.), and it removes multiple consecutive ones, not just a single one.
QWhat does passing a chars parameter mean?
Achars is a "set of characters" rather than a "prefix string". 'abcabc'.lstrip('ab') removes all leading a and b characters, giving 'cabc'.
QWhat is the difference from removeprefix()?
Aremoveprefix() (3.9+) removes only a complete prefix string; lstrip() removes characters one by one as a character set. Use removeprefix() for exact prefix removal and lstrip() for removing whitespace.
