Python String lstrip() Method

The lstrip() method removes leading characters (characters at the beginning) from a string. By default, it removes leading whitespace characters such as spaces, tabs, and newlines.

Syntax

string.lstrip([chars])

Parameter

chars (Optional): A string specifying the set of characters to be removed. If this argument is omitted or None, all leading whitespace characters are removed.

Return

Returns a new string with specified leading characters removed. It doesn’t modify the original string.

Examples

Basic Usage (Removing Whitespaces)

text = "   Python is awesome   "
stripped_text = text.lstrip()
print(stripped_text) # Output: "Python is awesome   "

Removing Specific Characters

text = "xxxPython is awesome!xxx"
stripped_text = text.lstrip("x")
print(stripped_text) # Output: "Python is awesome!xxx"

The lstrip() method only removes characters from the beginning (left side) of the string.

Removing Multiple Characters

text = "bacPython is awesome!abc"
stripped_text = text.lstrip("abc")
print(stripped_text) # Output: "Python is awesome!abc"

In this example, the lstrip() method is not removing the exact substring "abc" from the start. Instead, it removes any combination of the characters "a", "b", or "c" from the beginning of the string.

If you need to remove characters only from the end of a string, use the rstrip() method.

And if you need to remove characters from both the beginning and the end of a string, use the strip() method.