Python Keywords – Beginner’s Guide with Examples

When you learn C programming, you come across words such as int, if, else, while, return, and void. These words have a predefined meaning in the C language and cannot normally be used as variable names.

🐍 Python also has such special words. They are called keywords.

In this tutorial, we will learn what Python keywords are, why they are important, how to find them, and how Python keywords compare with keywords in C, C++ and Java.

A keyword is a reserved word in a programming language that has a predefined meaning.

if
else
for
while
def
class
return
import

if age >= 18:
     print ( “Eligible” )

💡 Tip: This distinction will make your article much more useful.

🔑 Keyword

A keyword is a reserved word that has a predefined meaning in Python. You cannot normally use a keyword as the name of a variable, function, or class.

Examples:

🏷️ Identifier

An identifier is a name given by the programmer to identify variables, functions, classes, and other objects.

Examples:

💡 Remember the difference:

A keyword is defined by Python, while an identifier is a name chosen by the programmer.

📘 Quick Comparison

student_name = “Rahul”

if student_name:
     print ( student_name )

Word / Symbol	What is it?
student_name	Identifier
if	Keyword
print	Built-in function
"Rahul"	String
=	Assignment operator

💡 Why is this important?

Learning to identify keywords, identifiers, functions, values, and operators will make it much easier to understand Python programs.

📌 Beginner Tip: Whenever you see a Python statement, try to identify what each word or symbol represents. This is a great way to develop programming skills.

⚠️ Short answer: No. A Python keyword cannot be used as a variable name.

if = 10

class = “Python”

student = 10

📌 Remember:

Python keywords are reserved for special purposes, so they cannot be used as variable names, function names, or class names.

💡 Beginner Tip: Before choosing a variable name, make sure it is not one of Python’s reserved keywords.

⚠️ An important point:

The number of Python keywords can depend on the Python version you are using. Therefore, it is better not to memorize a fixed number.

import keyword

print ( keyword . kwlist )

💡 What does this do?

The keyword module provides information about Python’s reserved keywords. The kwlist attribute gives the list of keywords supported by your Python installation.

import keyword

print ( len ( keyword . kwlist ))
print ( keyword . kwlist )

✅ What will you see?

The first line displays the number of keywords, while the second line displays the complete list of keywords available in your Python installation.

📌 Key takeaway:

Don’t simply memorize the number of Python keywords. Let Python tell you! The keyword module lets you check the keywords supported by the Python version you are actually using.

🔎 Python provides:

The keyword.iskeyword() function.

keyword . iskeyword ()

import keyword

print ( keyword . iskeyword ( “if” ))
print ( keyword . iskeyword ( “hello” ))

True
False

🧠 Understand the result:

"if" → Python keyword

"hello" → Not a Python keyword

📌 Key takeaway:

The iskeyword() function returns True if the word is a Python keyword and False otherwise.

Purpose	C	Python
Condition	if else	if elif else
Loop	for while	for while
Function	— (no keyword)	def
Return	return	return
Structure / Class	struct	class
Boolean	_Bool / conventions	True False
Null-like value	NULL convention	None
Import	#include directive	import from
Exception handling	— (no built-in exception keywords)	try except finally

⚠️ Be careful with terminology:

In C, _Bool is a keyword, while NULL is not a keyword. It is a null-pointer macro/convention provided by C implementations and libraries.

Similarly, #include is a preprocessor directive, not a C keyword.

💡 What should a beginner notice?

C and Python use keywords for many of the same programming concepts, but the syntax and the set of keywords are different. For example, Python uses def to define a function, whereas C does not have a special function-definition keyword.

Concept	C++	Python
Class	class	class
Function definition	Return type + function syntax	def
Object creation	new	Usually no new keyword
Inheritance	:	class Child(Parent):
Exception handling	try catch throw	try except raise
Boolean	true false	True False
Null value	nullptr	None
Namespace / organization	namespace	Modules / packages

💡 Notice the difference:

C++ and Python often use different keywords and syntax to express similar programming ideas. For example, C++ uses try, catch, and throw, while Python uses try, except, and raise.

🎯 For students moving from C++ to Python:

Don’t try to translate every C++ keyword directly into Python. Instead, look for the programming concept and then learn how Python expresses that concept.

Concept	Java	Python
Class	class	class
Function / method	Return type + method syntax	def
Inheritance	extends	Class parentheses
Exception handling	try catch finally	try except finally
Object creation	new	No new keyword
Boolean	true false	True False
Null value	null	None
Interface	interface	No equivalent keyword
Package / module organization	package	Packages / modules

💡 Notice the difference:

Java and Python may use different syntax and keywords to express similar programming concepts. For example, Java uses extends for class inheritance, while Python specifies the parent class inside parentheses.

🎯 For Java students:

You will recognize many familiar programming ideas in Python, but the way they are written can be much simpler. Focus on the concept first and then learn Python’s way of expressing it.

💡 Why is this important?

Beginners frequently think that words such as print, input, and len are Python keywords. They aren’t.

print
input
len
type

Word	Keyword?	What is it?
if	✓ Yes	Python keyword
for	✓ Yes	Python keyword
def	✓ Yes	Python keyword
print()	✕ No	Built-in function
input()	✕ No	Built-in function
len()	✕ No	Built-in function
type()	✕ No	Built-in function

import keyword

print ( keyword . iskeyword ( “print” ))

False

🧠 What does this prove?

print is not a Python keyword. It is a built-in function that is available automatically in Python.

📌 Remember:

Keywords are reserved words that form part of Python’s syntax. Built-in functions are predefined functions that perform useful operations.

For example: if is a keyword, while print() is a built-in function.

🎯 Your challenge:

Read the following Python program carefully and try to identify all the Python keywords before looking at the answer.

student = “Anil”

if student:
     print ( student )

for i in range ( 3 ):
     print ( i )

✏️ Try it yourself first!

Look through the program and write down the words you think are Python keywords. Then compare your answer below.

student → identifier
= → operator
if → keyword
print → built-in function
for → keyword
i → identifier
in → keyword
range → built-in function

🎉 The Python keywords are:

if, for, and in.

📌 What did we learn?

A Python program contains many different types of elements. Not every word you see is a keyword. Some are identifiers, some are built-in functions, and others are operators.

Learning to recognize these differences is an important step toward reading Python programs confidently.

🎯 Let’s put everything together!

The following small program checks several words and tells us whether each one is a Python keyword.

import keyword

words = [ “if”, “hello”, “for”, “student”, “while”, “print” ]

for word in words:
     print ( word, keyword . iskeyword ( word ))

if True
hello False
for True
student False
while True
print False

🧠 What is happening here?

The program goes through each word in the list and passes it to keyword.iskeyword().

If the word is a Python keyword, the function returns True. Otherwise, it returns False.

🎯 Final challenge:

Try replacing the words in the list with other words such as class, return, apple, or number. Run the program and see which ones return True.

🎯 Remember: Don’t just memorize keywords. Learn what they do, recognize them when you see them, and use Python itself to check them.