Assignment Operators in Python: Detailed Guide
Assignment operators in Python are used to assign values to variables. They also allow you to
combine assignment with other operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc.
Here’s a detailed look at each assignment operator with examples:
1. Basic Assignment (=)
Assigns the value on the right to the variable on the left.
x = 5 # x is now 5
2. Add AND Assign (+=)
Adds the right operand to the left operand and assigns the result to the left operand.
x = 5
x += 3 # equivalent to: x = x + 3; now x is 8
3. Subtract AND Assign (-=)
Subtracts the right operand from the left operand and assigns the result to the left operand.
x = 5
x -= 2 # equivalent to: x = x - 2; now x is 3
4. Multiply AND Assign (*=)
Multiplies the left operand by the right operand and assigns the result to the left operand.
x = 5
x *= 4 # equivalent to: x = x * 4; now x is 20
5. Divide AND Assign (/=)
Divides the left operand by the right operand and assigns the result to the left operand.
x = 20
x /= 5 # equivalent to: x = x / 5; now x is 4.0
6. Modulus AND Assign (%=)
Takes modulus using two operands and assigns the result to the left operand.
x = 10
x %= 3 # equivalent to: x = x % 3; now x is 1
7. Exponent AND Assign (**=)
Performs exponentiation and assigns the value back to the variable.
x = 2
x **= 3 # equivalent to: x = x ** 3; now x is 8
8. Floor Divide AND Assign (//=)
Performs floor division and assigns the value back to the variable.
x = 10
x //= 3 # equivalent to: x = x // 3; now x is 3
9. Bitwise AND Assign (&=)
Performs bitwise AND and assigns the value to the variable.
x = 6 # binary: 110
x &= 3 # x = x & 3 -> 110 & 011 = 010 (2 in decimal)
10. Bitwise OR Assign (|=)
Performs bitwise OR and assigns the value to the variable.
x = 4 # binary: 100
x |= 3 # x = x | 3 -> 100 | 011 = 111 (7 in decimal)
11. Bitwise XOR Assign (^=)
Performs bitwise XOR and assigns the value to the variable.
x = 8 # binary: 1000
x ^= 3 # x = x ^ 3 -> 1000 ^ 0011 = 1011 (11 in decimal)
12. Bitwise Right Shift Assign (>>=)
Performs right shift and assigns new value.
x = 4 # binary: 100
x >>= 2 # x = x >> 2 -> 100 >> 2 = 1
13. Bitwise Left Shift Assign (<<=)
Performs left shift and assigns new value.
x = 3 # binary: 11
x <<= 2 # x = x << 2 -> 11 << 2 = 1100 (12 in decimal)
Summary Table
Equivalent
Operator Example Description
Expression
= x=5 x=5 Simple assignment
+= x += 3 x=x+3 Addition + assignment
Subtraction +
-= x -= 2 x=x-2
assignment
Multiplication +
*= x *= 4 x=x*4
assignment
/= x /= 5 x=x/5 Division + assignment
%= x %= 3 x=x%3 Modulo + assignment
Exponentiation +
**= x **= 3 x = x ** 3
assignment
Floor division +
//= x //= 3 x = x // 3
assignment
Bitwise AND +
&= x &= 3 x=x&3
assignment
x=x| Bitwise OR +
= x =3
3 assignment
Bitwise XOR +
^= x ^= 3 x=x^3
assignment
>>= x >>= 2 x = x >> 2 Right shift + assignment
<<= x <<= 2 x = x << 2 Left shift + assignment
Assignment operators simplify your code by reducing the redundancy of writing the same
variable on both sides of the expression and allow for powerful, concise updates to variable
values.
