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In an ordinary Python string, n represents a line-feed character (LF). Put it between text, then pass the string to print() to display the text on separate lines. If you see the characters n in a shell or debugger instead, you may be looking at the string’s representation rather than its printed output.
Insert a line break with n
Type a backslash followed by n inside a single- or double-quoted string. Python interprets that pair as one LF character in the string value.
message = 'First line.nSecond line.'
print(message)Output:
First line.
Second line.The source code is on one physical line, but the value has a line-feed between the period and “Second.” When print() writes that value, the line-feed appears as a line break.
Why a shell may show n instead of a line break
A Python shell or debugger can display a representation of a string, which uses escape notation to show special characters unambiguously. For example, inspecting message may show 'First line.nSecond line.'. That representation does not mean the value contains a backslash and an n; it can be showing the notation for the LF character. Calling print(message) renders the line break and omits the enclosing quotes.
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Keep the visible characters n
If the text should literally contain a backslash followed by n, prevent Python from interpreting that backslash as the start of an escape sequence. In an ordinary string literal, double the backslash; alternatively, prefix the literal with r to make it raw.
print('The escape is \n')
print(r'The escape is n')Both calls print The escape is n. In the first literal, \ contributes one backslash to the value, followed by the ordinary letter n. In the second, the raw-string prefix keeps the backslash from being interpreted as an escape.
Use triple quotes for source text that spans lines
A triple-quoted string can include a physical newline in the source code itself. Choose this form when it is clearer to write the content across multiple source lines; use n when an explicit break inside a one-line literal is easier to read or needs to appear at a specific point.
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message = '''First line.
Second line.'''
print(message)This string also prints as two lines. The line break is part of the triple-quoted literal because the source text spans lines.
Distinguish n from r
n denotes ASCII Linefeed (LF), while r denotes the distinct ASCII Carriage Return (CR) character. They are not interchangeable escape spellings. Use n for the LF line break shown in the examples; the Python language reference defines the two escapes separately.
Avoid these newline mistakes
- Wanting a line break but seeing
n: Check whether you are viewing a representation in a shell or debugger, or whether the value actually contains a literal backslash andn. Useprint()to render a string containing LF. - Wanting visible
ntext: Write\in an ordinary literal or use a raw string such asr'n'. - Using a backslash at the physical end of a source line: That is not the same as inserting
ninto a string. In the relevant literal context, a backslash followed by a physical newline is an ignored end of line, not an LF character in the resulting value.
Reference
The Python Software Foundation’s Python 3.14.8 language reference, “Lexical analysis”, defines n as ASCII LF and explains escape processing, raw strings, doubled backslashes, and multiline literals. Its Python 3.10 tutorial, “An Informal Introduction to Python”, illustrates how print() renders escaped and special characters.
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