Python Hello World Example Explained

This beginner-friendly example shows the simplest useful Python program. You will learn what it does, how to run it, and how to fix a few common mistakes.

print("Hello, world!")

Save this in a .py file or run it in the Python interpreter to see your first working Python output.

What this example shows

This example teaches a few important basics:

The smallest useful Python program
How to display text on the screen
How Python runs code from top to bottom
Why this is often the first program beginners write

Even though it is only one line long, it introduces an important idea: Python can execute your code and produce visible output right away.

The Hello World code

Here is the full program:

print("Hello, world!")

What this line means:

print() sends output to the screen
"Hello, world!" is the text to display
The text is inside quotes, so Python treats it as a string
In Python 3, the parentheses are required

If you want a deeper explanation of this function, see Python print() function explained.

Expected output

When you run the code, the output should be:

Hello, world!

A beginner mistake is to confuse code with output.

Code is what you write:
```
print("Hello, world!")
```
Output is what Python shows after running the code:
```
Hello, world!
```

You will usually see the output in one of these places:

The terminal
The Python shell
The output panel in an IDE

How to run the example

Before running the program, make sure Python is installed on your computer.

Run it in the Python interpreter

Open a terminal or command prompt and start Python:

python

On some systems, you may need:

python3

Then type:

print("Hello, world!")

Press Enter, and Python should display:

Hello, world!

Run it from a file

Create a file named hello.py and put this code inside it:

print("Hello, world!")

Then run the file from your terminal:

python hello.py

Or, on some systems:

python3 hello.py

Run it in an IDE

You can also run the program in tools like:

VS Code
IDLE

Create a new Python file, paste in the code, and use the IDE's run button or menu option.

If you need more help with this step, see how to run Python code from the command line and IDEs.

Line-by-line explanation

This program has only one line:

print("Hello, world!")

Here is what each part does:

print is a built-in Python function
The parentheses () hold the value passed to the function
The quotes tell Python that Hello, world! is text, not code
After printing the message, the program ends

You can think of it like this:

Function name: print
Value given to the function: "Hello, world!"

If you are new to Python syntax, Python syntax basics explained is a good next step.

Simple variations to try

Once the first version works, try changing it.

Change the message text

print("Welcome to Python!")

Print your name

print("My name is Sam")

Use two `print()` lines

print("Hello, world!")
print("I am learning Python.")

Expected output:

Hello, world!
I am learning Python.

Python runs code from top to bottom, so the first line prints before the second line.

Store text in a variable and print the variable

message = "Hello, world!"
print(message)

This introduces a variable, which is a name that stores a value.

Common beginner mistakes

Here are some problems beginners often run into.

Forgetting quotation marks

This code is wrong:

print(Hello, world!)

Python will not understand Hello, world! as text because it is not inside quotes.

Use this instead:

print("Hello, world!")

If you forget quotes, you may get an error such as NameError: name is not defined.

Misspelling `print`

This is wrong:

pritn("Hello, world!")

Function names must be spelled exactly right.

Correct version:

print("Hello, world!")

Using smart quotes

Sometimes code copied from a document or messaging app uses curly quotes like these:

print(“Hello, world!”)

Those are not normal Python string quotes. Use straight quotes instead:

print("Hello, world!")

Running Python code in the wrong tool

Make sure you are actually running Python.

Useful commands to check:

python --version
python hello.py
python3 --version
python3 hello.py

Common causes of problems include:

Python is not installed or not added to PATH
The file is saved with the wrong extension
Quotes are missing around Hello, world!
The code uses curly quotes instead of normal quotes
The program is run with the wrong command

If Python reports a syntax problem, see SyntaxError: invalid syntax.

FAQ

Why does Hello World use `print()`?

Because print() is the simplest way to show output on the screen in Python.

Do I need to save the code in a file first?

No. You can run it directly in the Python interpreter or save it in a file and run that file.

Why am I getting a syntax error?

This usually happens if the quotes, parentheses, or spelling are incorrect.

What should I learn after Hello World?

A good next step is Python syntax, variables, strings, and how to run Python code.