In Python (programming language), escape characters are special characters used inside strings to represent characters that are otherwise difficult to type directly.

Escape characters start with a backslash \.

They are commonly used to:

  • Insert new lines
  • Add tabs
  • Include quotes inside strings
  • Format text

1️⃣ New Line (\n)

Creates a new line in the output.

text = "Hello\nPython"

print(text)

Output

Hello
Python

2️⃣ Tab Space (\t)

Adds a tab space between text.

text = "Hello\tPython"

print(text)

Output

Hello    Python

3️⃣ Backslash (\\)

Used to display a backslash character.

text = "This is a backslash \\"

print(text)

Output

This is a backslash \

4️⃣ Single Quote (\')

Used to include single quotes inside a string.

text = 'It\'s a good day'

print(text)

Output

It's a good day

5️⃣ Double Quote (\")

Used to include double quotes inside a string.

text = "He said \"Hello\""

print(text)

Output

He said "Hello"

6️⃣ Carriage Return (\r)

Moves the cursor to the beginning of the line.

text = "Hello\rPython"

print(text)

Output (Python overwrites the beginning)

Python

7️⃣ Backspace (\b)

Removes the previous character.

text = "Helloo\b"

print(text)
Hello

⭐ Example Program

print("Name:\tRahul")
print("Course:\tPython")
print("Message:\nWelcome to Python programming")

Output

Name:   Rahul
Course: Python
Message:Welcome to Python programming

📊 Common Escape Characters

Escape CharacterDescription
\nNew line
\tTab space
\\Backslash
\'Single quote
\"Double quote
\rCarriage return
\bBackspace

✅ Key Points

  • Escape characters start with \
  • Used to format and control string output
  • Helpful when working with file paths, text formatting, and quotes

Example:

print("C:\\Users\\Rahul\\Documents")

Output

C:\Users\Rahul\Documents